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A man pretends to be a woman to get a job. That’s Tootsie in a nutshell. The 1982 movie, starring Dustin Hoffman, is a classic and a very funny and entertaining story. But it was made in the 1980s, when the conversations surrounding women in the workplace were not as ubiquitous as they are today.

For that reason, when I heard it would be adapted for a musical on Broadway, my first thought was “how can they make it work now?”. To my great surprise, this production not only adapts the film, but it’s also an update on the material, addressing the current conversation involving how women are treated. 

Michael Dorsey (Santino Fontana) is an actor who is struggling to find a new job, due especially to his difficult personality. His friend (and former girlfriend) Sandy Lester (Sarah Stiles) is also an actress and she mentions she’ll audition for a role in a musical sequel to Romeo and Juliet. Running out of ideas and money, Michael decides to dress up as a woman to audition for the role. And that is when Dorothy Michaels is born. 

Similarly to the movie, Michael falls in love with his co-star (Lilli Cooper), but she only knows him as Dorothy, which complicates things. In this version, Michael realizes more quickly how hard it is to actually be a woman, and the dialogue makes it clear to the audience that the importance of the topic has not been lost on the producers. 

Much credit is due to Santino Fontana, who manages to switch from Michael to Dorothy quickly and flawlessly: not only does he get out of Dorothy’s costume in seconds, but he also is able to change his voice with the same ease (or, at least, he makes it seem so).

The songs are perfect for this type of fast-paced, comic musical, especially the one sung by Michael’s friend Sandy. Even though Sandy is a secondary character, her arch is still interesting and thought-provoking, and her theme song was the one that got stuck in my head as I left the theater.

If the movie was already interesting enough, the musical manages to make it even funnier and more relevant, with great takes on the current developments for women in the entertainment industry, including the #metoo movement, without making a drama out of it.

It also tackles with the expectations we have for ourselves, such as making a list of things we wish to accomplish by a certain age – and what to do when we realize we haven’t fulfilled the list.

It is definitely worth seeing and I do hope it remains on Broadway for a while.

Tootsie opens on April 23, 2019.