The American Theatre Guild will make a stop in Colorado Springs next week to indulge audiences with the hilarious musical comedy “Tootise.”
Pikes Peak Center is hosting the show as part of its Broadway series, with performances set for 7:30 p.m. Monday-Wednesday.
The Tony Award-winning musical tells the story of Michael Dorsey, a talented actor with an attitude problem. Dorsey struggles to find work until reinventing himself, which lands him a starring role.
The musical is based off the 1982 movie but has been adjusted for the stage, said Jared David Michael Grant, who plays Dorsey’s roommate Jeff Slater in the production.
“Everyone just came in with an open heart and open mind to really create something new,” he said. “We really tried to make this work where we’re laughing at the situation.”
For example, instead of landing a role on a soap opera like he does in the movie, in this rendition Dorsey is hired to star in a new musical.
“Our production is like a love letter to theater. You’ll see different hints from other musicals, or little things like little dance moves from other musicals,” Grant said. “You’ll laugh the whole time basically.”
Grant’s character Slater, who is Dorsey’s best friend, is a writer who hasn’t had success in years. He serves as the voice of reason in the story, Grant said.
“I like to say that I’m his Jiminy Cricket,” he said. “He’s not afraid to say what’s on his mind, just a very forward-thinking person. I feel like we all kind of need those kinds of people in our life.”
Written by Robert Horn, who won a Tony for the work, Grant called the writing “impeccable.” The team was able to work with Horn on the production’s script.
“The book is just very hilarious. It’s been one of my favorite scripts to work with,” Grant said. “You’ll get the laugh. It’s been very fun. We have beautiful storytelling, great voices and a great ensemble as well.”
Each performance is unique because of the different audiences, which makes it exciting, Grant said.
“It’s always just interesting to see the different audience reactions and what they’ll laugh at,” he said.
Broadway associate director Dave Solomon directed the production, which also includes Broadway choreography by Denis Jones.