TOOTSIE: A MAN PLAYING A MAN PLAYING A WOMAN PLAYING A
Musical comedy is back in town, and it’s been a long time coming. As the current season whimpers to a close, Tootsie enters the lists with a considerable store of laughter, melody, and charm. In this dismal season—which started with the unconvincing Head Over Heels and the altogether dire Gettin’ the Band Back Together—Tootsie, in that red sequined dress, looks pretty good. From the first blast of the overture, you think: Ah, yes, musical comedy again!
Composer/lyricist David Yazbek, who now brings forth his fifth Broadway effort, has continually demonstrated craft, skill, and a determination to change course thematically. His most recent musical, last season’s Tony-winning The Band’s Visit, was a new-style musical as exotic as the jasmine-scented breeze he contrived. Here, he is working more in the vein of his early Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. The songs are attractive and the lyrics funny, so much so that we look forward to a second hearing. The book comes from Robert Horn, a TV writer whose only Broadway credit is 13 The Musical. Don’t let this resume cause trepidation; it turns out that Horn is very funny and has a sharp understanding of how to fashion his libretto. Laughter—from dialogue, lyrics, sight gags, choreography, and even costumes—keeps coming.
