After the great success of the public and critics, “Tootsie” is back on stage in Italian theaters, the musical written and adapted into Italian by Massimo Romeo Piparo from Messina based on the famous 1982 film by Sydney Pollack with the unforgettable performance of Dustin Hoffman. The show will be on stage at the Teatro Vittorio Emanuele in Messina from Tuesday 17 to Thursday 19 February, and then again on tour: Imperia, Modena, Bolzano.
Funny, romantic, irreverent and surprisingly current: “Tootsie” is ready to conquer the audience with laughter, emotions and moments of authentic reflection. An iconic musical that plays with intelligence and irony on the themes of identity, love and success, transforming them into pure entertainment.
Leading the cast in the double role Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels is Paolo Conticini, beloved protagonist of great musical successes such as “Mamma Mia!” and “The Full Monty”. At his side, in the role of his friend Jeff, Mauro Casciari, historic face of Le Iene, radio host and DJ of RDS, former “left” arm of Rosario Fiorello in the acclaimed Viva Rai2 and making his absolute debut in the Musical.
Together with an extraordinarily talented ensemble, the cast is completed by Beatrice Baldaccini in the role of Julie, Ilaria Fioravanti in that of Sandy, Matteo Guma in the role of Max, Massimiliano Carulli as Ron, Elena Mancuso in the role of Rita, Sebastiano Vinci in that of Stan, Fabrizia Scaccia in that of Suzie, Denis Scoppetta in the role of Clark and Roberto Tarsi in the role of Stuart. The musical direction is by Emanuele Friello, the sets by Teresa Caruso, the choreography by Roberto Croce, the costumes by Cecilia Betona, the lights by Daniele Ceprani, the sound by Stefano Gorini.
With the book by Robert Horn, winner of the Tony Award for this title, and the music and lyrics by David Yazbek, already author of another great success such as “The Full Monty”, Tootsie is classified as one of the best comedies of all time in the list drawn up by the American Film Institute and acclaimed as “The funniest musical on Broadway!” (The New York Post), as well as receiving an incredible 11 nominations for the Musical Oscars (Tony Award), including Best Musical and Best Original Score.
The show, produced by PeepArrow Entertainment in collaboration with Il Sistina, tells the story of Michael Dorsey (Paolo Conticini), a good actor with a particular talent for… not being able to keep a job! Dejected and unemployed, Michael decides to make a last, desperate attempt to make his dreams come true: he shows up at the audition for the musical sequel to Romeo and Juliet, disguised as a woman with the name of Dorothy Michaels and, after an excellent performance, wins it. In a meteoric rise to Broadway stardom, Michael (disguised as Dorothy) soon becomes an actress beloved by the public but, while the work begins to go swimmingly, Michael falls in love with one of his colleagues. It will be his friend and roommate Jeff (Mauro Casciari), a penniless but experienced writer who runs a restaurant to survive, who will confront him with reality, making him realize that maintaining that success “as an actress” is much more difficult than he might expect.
With its fast pace, an incredibly current story and the engaging soundtrack, “Tootsie” is a brilliant comedy full of twists that amiably pokes fun at the entire world of show business with its distorted dynamics, in which “merit” and “shortcut” often get confused. But Michael’s story, thanks also to the crackling relationship with his alter-ego Jeff, offers the opportunity to reflect on important themes, such as love and the relationship between the sexes, the identity and role of women in society, the genius and the courage to take risks to earn an opportunity to emerge. The final phrase that the chameleonic Dustin Hoffman addresses to his beloved in a desperate attempt to “justify” his exchange of identity is famous: “I was a better man with you as a ‘woman’ than I was with other women as a ‘man'”.
“Massimo Romeo Piparo: Tootsie is very current”
“As always, the Theater gets deeper and more directly to the heart of the fundamental issues of our society. At a time when there is so much talk (or shouting) about such delicate and sensitive issues as “sexism”, “patriarchy”, “identity”, Tootsie, with lightness and great irony, as well as with the unparalleled strength of music, represents them in a clear and decisive way, entrusting to a few but significant unforgettable lines the proof of how much confusion there still is today between “being” and “to appear”. In the theatrical version a caustic and biting criticism is also added to the entire world of show business in which -unfortunately- the difference between the sexes is still markedly marked. My Italian version faithfully takes into account the direction given by the authors and enhances all the irony and renewed comedy. A cast of great professionals, all perfectly in tune with their roles, has completed the recipe that has allowed me to offer the Italian public a very current, flowing and highly entertaining product, which for the first time in Italy it was performed after its success on Broadway. Tootsie is a (well-deserved and dutiful) hymn to women, a female show even when talking about it… are men, which we could condense in the famous final line: “I was a better man with you, as a woman… than I was with other women… as a man. I just have to learn how to do it…without the skirt!”.
(photo credits Gianluca Saragò)