The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
New production of ‘Tootsie’ serves up laughs galore
HARTFORD — In 1896, a chewy piece of chocolate candy, a Tootsie Roll, entered the confection marketplace. This iconic piece of oblong delight is more popular now than ever.
The candy was named by an Austrian immigrant Leo Hirshfield, who owned a candy store in New York City, for his daughter Clara, then 5. Her nickname was “Tootsie.”
In one day, 64 million Tootsie Rolls are produced. During the Korean War, Tootsie Rolls were parachuted in to a Marine division out of ammunition. They provided nourishment for the troops and, when warmed, were used to plug bullet holes to seal them when they refroze.
In 2018, Tootsie took on a new distinction, as a musical based on the highly successful film of the same name.
Audiences, who are invited to the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford from Feb. 21 to 26, should prepare to laugh out loud.
With a book by Robert Horn and a clever score by David Yazbek, “Tootsie” has been termed a “joyful delight” by New York Times critics.
When a difficult actor whose talents are unquestioned can’t find work, he connives to secure a role of a lifetime. Complete with wig, make-up and body padding, Michael Dorsey disguises himself as a woman and sets out to get a starring role on “Julia’s Nurse.”
Because of his volatile nature, it is only as a woman that he can hope to land a part, and, in doing so, gains a healthy respect for women.
It’s his 40th birthday, and just the right time for a crisis. His new part in the show sets him on the right course to resolve his problems, even though it causes all his friends and colleagues a ton of angst ... played out in music, dance and humor.
For tickets ($35 to $135), call the Bushnell, 166 Capitol Ave., Hartford, at 860-987-5900 or go online at bushnell.org. Performances are Tuesday to Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m.
Come meet Michael Dorsey at a crucial crossroads in his career, and witness how cleverly he manipulates fate to achieve what he wants, even if he has to become a woman to make it happen.