A Tale of Two Musical Comedies

Two big splashy musical comedies arrived on Broadway this season - Beetlejuice and Tootsie. Both are full of big names on stage and behind the scenes. Before seeing either show I posed that both would see success at the box office, but Beetlejuice would be the critical darling and Tootsie, (in a #MeToo) era, would fail to receive any praise from the papers. Let's see if that prediction panned out...

Let me be clear, when both were announced, I wasn’t exactly sold on either idea. Both were based on movies written 30+ years ago. (Author’s Note: I’ve also never seen either movie) The audiences of today are very different. And both would have to take the changes in politics and political correctness into account. Maybe, we should be writing new and wonderful shows, instead of just reusing well-loved, but not well-aged ideas from the past. However, as a good theatregoer, I purchased tickets to both, and had two very different experiences.

Beetlejuice

Let me first begin with the caveat, I saw Beetlejuice in DC during its out of town tryout. I’ve been told since then, MANY things about the show have changed, including numerous songs and plot points. But I’m basing my judgment solely on the version I saw – it may be different if I were to see the show today, though I doubt it. Well then, what did I think? I thought the show was vulgar, and crass and I hated almost all of it. In its defense, I’m fairly certain that’s exactly what the movie was, so points for adhering to the original concept.

It just seemed sluggish, giving the audience no real reason to be telling the story. Don’t get me wrong, Alex Brightman revealed (again!) why he’s such an indelible theatre star. He’s completely off-kilter and ridiculous and completely devoted to the crassness of this character. I hated Beetlejuice the man, but loved Alex in the role. Also, the staging itself was gorgeously macabre and something only an uber-talented set designer like David Korins (of Hamilton fame) could have dreamt up. I still can’t believe he didn’t win the Tony for his design. It was over the top, and fit this world perfectly.

None of that wow factor could make me love the show, however. I’m no prude, but I hated the rude jokes. I hated the allusion to a heinous act (which I’ve been assured has been removed from the Broadway staging). I hated how fast the cast spoke. They flew through every single joke, never giving you enough time to appreciate any of them. In short, I thought it was a mess.

Then there was Tootsie.

Tootsie

I waited a few months to see Tootsie, just because there wasn’t time this spring when it opened. When I finally saw it this past month, I fell head over heels for its ridiculousness. It’s funny, and fun in all of the best ways. It’s a master class in joke telling. Each actor on stage, especially the sublime Santino Fontana in the starring role, fits their character perfectly. They embody the roles, and make these people seem real and fully alive.

Whereas I hated the rude jokes, in Beetlejuice, I found myself rolling in the aisles as a character sums up the entire first act in hilariously crass fashion. While the stage itself isn’t as breathtaking as Korins’ set for Beetlejuice, (it's beautiful, but not as "big" as Korins' set) it makes up for it in the gorgeously intricate costumes designed by the fabulously stylish William Ivey Long, and the quick changes that accompany them appearing throughout the show. I would have been impressed by one really good quick change – this show has at least 4 that I remember, though it could be more. It’s a masterclass in theatre magic, and I loved every minute of it.

Oh, and remember those #MeToo problems I mentioned from the original movie – they’re all but erased in often poignant, often very funny ways. Taking a job from a woman by dressing as one, is still the main plot point, but Tootsie faces that issue head on, by making everyone except Dorothy/Michael her/himself say why it’s such a terrible idea. It’s genius! There wasn’t one joke that I thought was disrespectful to women or the trans community. It's a delicate dance, that the creative team seemingly mastered.

The Results

As you may have already read, the reviews I had envisioned for both shows were very wrong. Beetlejuice took a lot of hits from reviewers in DC and in New York. It’s got the fans dancing in the aisles, but most reviewers agreed with me. While Tootsie is a critical darling, garnering Santino Fontana and Robert Horn (book writer) Tony Awards, and a pretty decent audience. After seeing the shows I knew why each had been reviewed the way they had – and felt better about my reactions – but I was curious how two buzzed-about comedies had gone in two very different directions.

Though it may sound mushy, I think it’s the heart factor. Hear me out. Beetlejuice is a dead (spoiler alert!) demon. He says whatever he thinks, and does whatever suits him. While that may sound a lot like Michael Dorsey (the main character of Tootsie), as Dorothy he gets a heart. She’s lovely and kind, and you root for her – while still hating Michael (it’s complicated I know…) But that heart brings the story to life.

Whereas Beetlejuice seems to care about nothing other than being crass and crazy. I didn’t root for anyone on that stage, and wasn’t tied to any of their stories. I know I was supposed to be rooting for Lydia (Sophia Anne Caruso - who was amazing by the way), but I didn’t really care about her plot either.

It may not have anything to do with why the reviewers felt the way they did but that’s what I look for in a show. I want to connect to someone on the stage. And in my case, I cared a heck of a lot more about Michael/Dorothy than I did Beetlejuice. But I'm a bit of a softy so maybe that explains why.

What were your thoughts? Have you seen either? I genuinely would like to hear what everyone else thought, because I saw both shows with the same friend, and she loved both equally – which I still just don’t get….