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Santino Fontana and the Broadway company of Tootsie the Musical
Santino Fontana and the Broadway company of Tootsie the Musical

Tootsie, which has been nominated for a multitude of accolades this awards’ season, will head out on tour in the Fall of 2020. Producers Scott Sanders and Carol Fineman announced that the hit musical with a score by David Yazbek (The Band’s Visit) and a book by Robert Horn (13), will begin its journey across North America at Shea’s Buffalo Theater in Buffalo, New York. Casting and tour dates will be announced at a later date. Scott Sanders Productions and Carol Fineman will partner with Michael Harrison and David Ian to bring the acclaimed musical to the West End in 2021. Additionally, an Australian production that will also play New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Taiwan was announced. A Japanese production is also planned with details forthcoming as they evolve.

Tootsie is a classic musical comedy in the grand Broadway tradition and we cannot wait to launch the National Tour in Fall 2020,” said President of Shea’s Performing Arts Center Michael G. Murphy and Co-Presenter of Broadway productions at Shea’s Buffalo Theatre, Albert Nocciolino.  “Tootsie delivers comedy with a capital “C” and we know our audiences will embrace this hilarious new American musical as much as Broadway theatergoers have.”

“We are thrilled that audiences and critics alike have fallen in love with Tootsie — from our world premiere engagement in Chicago to Broadway — and we are very excited to share the laughs with audiences across the country and globe,” said Sanders and Fineman.

Under the direction of Scott Ellis (On the Twentieth Century, She Loves Me), with choreography by Denis Jones (Holiday Inn, Honeymoon in Vegas) and music direction by Andrea Grody , Tootsie has been nominated for eleven 2019 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book, Best Lead Actor in a Musical (Santino Fontana) among them. Joining Fontana on the stage at Broadway’s Marquis Theatre is Tony Award nominee Lilli Cooper as Julie Nichols, Sarah Stiles as Sandy Lester, John Behlmann as Max Van Horn, Tony Award nominee Andy Grotelueschen as Jeff Slater, Julie Halston as Rita Marshall, Michael McGrath as Stan Fields, and Reg Rogers as Ron Carlisle.

The company Includes Sissy Bell, Barry Busby, Paula Leggett Chase, Britney Coleman, Leslie Donna Flesner, Jenifer Foote, John Arthur Greene, Drew King, Jeff Kready, Harris Milgrim, Adam Monley, Shina Ann Morris, James Moye, Katerina Papacostas, Nick Spangler, Diana Vaden, and Anthony Wayne.

Tootsie’s design team is composed of scenic designer David Rockwell, costume designer William Ivey Long, lighting designer Donald Holder, sound designer Brian Ronan, hair and wig design by Paul Huntley, make-up design by Angelina Avallone. Casting is by Jim Carnahan C.S.A. Music supervision is by Andrea Grody & Dean Sharenow, vocal & incidental arrangements by Andrea Grody,dance arrangements by David Chase, orchestrations by Simon Hale, and music coordination by Dean Sharenow.

Mark Robinson is the author of the two-volume encyclopedia The World of MusicalsThe Disney Song Encyclopedia, and The Encyclopedia of Television Theme Songs. He maintains a theater and entertainment blog at markrobinsonwrites.com.

Learn More About Tootsie