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State Theatre New Jersey presents "Tootsie"

originally published: 10/19/2022

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- The newly renovated State Theatre New Jersey presents the hilarious Tony Award®-winning musical, Tootsie, for four performances from November 4-6. Call it “musical comedy heaven” (Rolling Stone). Call it “the most uproarious new musical in years!” (The Hollywood Reporter). Call it Tootsie! This laugh-out-loud love letter to the theater tells the story of Michael Dorsey, a talented but difficult actor who struggles to find work until one show-stopping act of desperation lands him the role of a lifetime.

Featuring a hilarious Tony®-winning book by Robert Horn and an outrageously clever score by 2018 Tony®-winner David Yazbek (The Band’s Visit, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), this New York Times Critic’s Pick is “a joyful delight” (The Washington Post) that’s “so packed with punchlines, it should be called a jokebox musical!” (Bloomberg). “In these turbulent times, when the world seems out of balance, we need a place to let the good times roll,” raves Rolling Stone. “Tootsie is it!” 

The cast of Tootsie includes Drew Becker as Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels, New Jersey native Ashley Alexandra as Julie Nichols, Payton Reilly as Sandy Lester, Matthew Rella as Max Van Horn, Jared David Michael Grant as Jeff Slater, Kathy Halenda as Rita Marshall, Dianne B. Manaster as Stan Fields, and Adam Du Plessis as Ron Carlisle.  

Performances take place Friday, November 4 at 8:00pm; Saturday, November 5 at 2:00pm and 8:00pm; and Sunday, November 6 at 2:00pm. Tickets range from $40-$98. 

The creative team for Tootsie includes director Dave Solomon (Broadway associate director), Broadway choreography by Denis Jones, associate choreographer Chip Abbott. The design team for Tootsie includes original scenic designer David Rockwell, tour scenic designer Christine Peters, costume designer William Ivey Long, associate costume designer Christopher Vergara, lighting designer Donald Holder, associate lighting designers Vivien Leone & Coby Chasman-Beck and assistant lighting designer Colleen Doherty, sound designer Brian Ronan, associate sound designer Cody Spencer, hair and wig design by Paul Huntley, assistant hair and wig designer Loryn Pretorius, make-up design by Angelina Avallone. Casting is by Binder Casting, Chad Murnane CSA. Supervising Music Supervisor Andrea Grody, Music Supervision by Dean Sharenow, vocal & incidental arrangements by Andrea Grody, dance arrangements by David Chase, orchestrations by Simon Hale, and music coordination by Talitha Fehr. 

 

Advertise with New Jersey Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info

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Tootsie is based on the story by Don McGuire and Larry Gelbart and the Columbia Pictures Motion Picture produced by Punch Productions and starring Dustin Hoffman. This production of Tootsie was licensed by Music Theatre International. The national tour of Tootsie is produced and managed by TROIKA Entertainment. 

For tickets, more information, or group discounts, call State Theatre Guest Services at 732-246-SHOW (7469) or visit online at STNJ.org. State Theatre Guest Services, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open by phone and email only, Tuesday through Friday from 11:00am to 5:00pm. For in-person purchases, Guest Services is open Tuesday through Friday from 12:00pm to 4:30pm. Additional ticket and transaction fees may apply. 

After major renovations, State Theatre New Jersey reopened and celebrated its 100th Anniversary in December 2021 in a fully renovated theater including newly renovated lobbies, all new restrooms, upgraded HVAC systems, a new elevator for access to all levels, and brand-new theater seats. Originally built as a silent film and vaudeville palace, State Theatre’s historic significance was honored by PBS by featuring it in its documentary series, Treasures of New Jersey, in the fall of 2018. “Treasures of New Jersey: State Theatre New Jersey” can be streamed online.

Today, State Theatre is the largest performing arts center in Central New Jersey and has welcomed more than six million people through its doors since reopening as a non-profit performing arts center in 1988. State Theatre New Jersey is a cornerstone of the cultural vitality of Middlesex County and averages a total economic impact on New Brunswick and the surrounding area of more than $18 million a year. The mainstage programs have featured high-caliber artists such as Diana Ross, Tony Bennett, Kevin Hart, Ringo Starr, Melissa Etheridge, John Leguizamo, Harry Connick, Jr., Diana Krall, and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Program offerings include Broadway, orchestra, family, dance, comedy, rock/pop, jazz, Performances for Schools, and Sensory-Friendly Performances. 

State Theatre New Jersey’s programs are made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.