The Australian Premiere of the smash-hit Broadway musical Tootsie, officially opens at Teatro at the Italian Forum tonight.
Described by The New York Post as “Broadway’s funniest new musical”, Tootsie will make its highly anticipated Australian debut at Leichhardt’s Teatro at the Italian Forum. The venue is rapidly establishing itself as one of Sydney’s most exciting new performing arts destinations, thanks to its line-up of ambitious theatre productions.
Based on the 1982 film, Tootsie tells the story of Michael Dorsey (played by Andrew Bevis), a brilliant but notoriously difficult actor whose bad reputation is preventing him from finding work in New York City. In an effort to fund his own play, he dresses in drag and adopts a female persona, Dorothy Michaels, to audition for a role in a Broadway musical.
The story then centres on the challenges of maintaining this charade while he falls in love with his co-star, Julie Nichols (Elenoa Rokobaro).
The production will be directed by award-winning director and choreographer Cameron Mitchell, whose credits include Putting It Together and Sweet Charity.
Mitchell said he is thrilled to be bringing the musical to Australian audiences, stating, “Tootsie is the perfect feel-good musical for everyone. It has all the nostalgia of the 1982 Sydney Pollack film starring Dustin Hoffman with a hilarious new book and dazzling score. I am very excited to work with the team at Teatro and bring this brand-new show to Sydney audiences. Tootsie is laugh-out-loud funny, with a lot of heart and great song and dance numbers. Can’t wait!”
Teatro’s founder leads the cast
One of the most compelling aspects of Tootsie is the casting of internationally acclaimed theatre artist Andrew Bevis in the lead role of Michael Dorsey. Not only is Bevis a celebrated performer, but he is also one of the founders behind Teatro at the Italian Forum. In fact, without Bevis and his friend and choreographer Nathan M. Wright, Teatro may never have existed.
Veterans of Australia’s musical theatre scene, the pair shared a vision of creating a vibrant and accessible performance space in Sydney’s Inner West, one where established professionals and emerging talent could perform side by side. Bringing that vision to life, however, required more than creativity and determination.
Bevis and Wright quite literally put everything on the line, securing a loan against their own apartment to fund the venture, a bold gamble that few would have been willing to make. Today, that risk is paying off, with Teatro rapidly establishing itself as one of Sydney’s most exciting new theatre destinations.
With Bevis taking on the lead role in Tootsie at the very theatre he helped create, audiences can expect a performance shaped by decades of experience on some of the world’s most prestigious stages.
The acclaimed actor and director has starred in leading roles in London’s West End, including Les Misérables at the Palace Theatre and Romeo and Juliet at the Piccadilly Theatre. Closer to home, he has appeared in acclaimed Australian productions of The Rocky Horror Show, A Little Night Music and Hello, Dolly!, cementing his reputation as one of the country’s most accomplished musical theatre performers.
Sharing the stage with Bevis will be Elenoa Rokobaro as Julie Nichols, who you may recognise from Hadestown. Alana Tranter (Beauty and the Beast) plays Sandy Lester, while Brendan Irving (The Rocky Horror Show) plays Max Von Horn and Tyran Stig (Titanique) plays Jeff Slater.
Donna Lee (Hairspray) is Rita Marshall, Chris Huntley-Turner (Friends: The Parody Musical) is Stan Fields, and Lachlan O’Brien (The Phantom of the Opera) plays Ron Carlisle.
How to get tickets
Tootsie is playing a limited season until June 21, with performances at 7pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 7.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays, plus matinee performances at 2pm on Saturdays and 1pm and 6pm on Sundays.
Tickets start at $85 (a handling fee of $6.95 per transaction also applies). You can book your tickets here.
