Santino Fontana and the Cast of Tootsie

Tootsie, starring Santino Fontana, sets Broadway closing date

The Broadway premiere of Tootsie will play its final performance at the Marquis Theatre on January 5, 2020.

Tom Millward
Tom Millward

Producers of the Broadway premiere of Tootsie have now posted a closing notice with the final performance set to take place at the Marquis Theatre on January 5, 2020. Upon closing, the new musical, based on the beloved 1982 Dustin Hoffman-led movie, will have played a total of 25 previews and 293 regular performances on the Great White Way.

Producers also announced that the show's North American Tour would launch at Shea's Buffalo Theater in Buffalo, New York, in October 2020, in addition to several international productions already in development. 

Tootsie began previews at Broadway's Marquis Theatre in the heart of Times Square on March 29, 2019, ahead of an official opening on April 23. 

Tootsie features a book by Tony Award winner Robert Horn (based on the story by Don McGuire and Larry Gelbart and Columbia Pictures' 1982 Motion Picture), with music & lyrics by Tony Award winner David Yazbek. At The 73rd Annual Tony Awards, the production earned a total of 11 nominations (including 'Best Musical') and ultimately took home the Tonys for 'Best Book of a Musical' (for Robert Horn) and 'Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical' (for Santino Fontana).

Synopsis: "Tootsie tells the story of a talented but difficult actor who struggles to find work until one show-stopping act of desperation lands him the role of a lifetime - as the star of a new Broadway musical."

The principal cast of Tootsie includes Tony Award winner Santino Fontana as Michael Dorsey and alter ego Dorothy Michaels, alongside Tony Award nominee Lilli Cooper (as Julie Nichols), Tony Award nominee Sarah Stiles (as Sandy Lester), John Behlmann (as Max Von Horn), Tony Award nominee Andy Grotelueschen (as Jeff Slater), Julie Halston (as Rita Mallory), Michael McGrath (as Stan Fields), and Reg Rogers (as Ron Carlisle).

The stage musical is directed by nine-time Tony Award nominee and Olivier Award winner Scott Ellis, with choreography by two-time Tony Award nominee Denis Jones. The creative team also features musical direction by Andrea Grody, scenic design by David Rockwell, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design by Donald Holder, and sound design by Brian Ronan, music supervision by Andrea Grody & Dean Sharenow, vocal arrangements by Andrea Grody, dance arrangements by David Chase, orchestrations by Simon Hale, music coordination by Dean Sharenow, hair & wig design by Paul Huntley, and make-up design by Angelina Avallone.

Released in 1982, the movie "Tootsie" became the second-highest-grossing film of the year (behind "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial") and went on to claim a staggering 10 Academy Award nominations. It also won the Golden Globe in the category of "Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy." Alongside Dustin Hoffman, it also starred Jessica Lange (who won an Oscar for her performance), Terri Garr, Dabney Coleman, and Charles Durning.

Santino Fontana is perhaps best known for his TV role as Greg Serrano on "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" and as the voice of Prince Hans in Disney's animated classic "Frozen". He won his first Tony Award for his portrayal of Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels and also earned a Tony Award nomination in 2013 for his performance as Topher in Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella. In addition, he won a Drama Desk Award in 2010 for his portrayal of Stanley Jerome in Brighton Beach Memoirs. His other Broadway credits include the roles of Moss Hart in Act One (2014), Algernon Moncrieff in The Importance of Being Earnest (2011), Rodolpho in A View From the Bridge (2009-10), Tony in Billy Elliot - The Musical (2008-9), and his Broadway debut in the 2008 revival of Sunday in the Park with George.

Tootsie Tickets are available now for performances through to January 5, 2020.

(Photo by Matthew Murphy)

 

Originally published on

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