Character guide
Julie Nichols
from Tootsie
Julie Nichols is Michael Dorsey's castmate and love interest in Tootsie, the 2019 musical with music and lyrics by David Yazbek.
- Show
- Tootsie
- Broadway premiere
- 2019
- Role
- Lead
- Music by
- David Yazbek
Julie Nichols: from the film to Broadway
Broadway compared with the 1982 film
Jessica Lange won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress as Julie Nichols in the 1982 film, where Julie is a single mother and soap actress stuck in an unhealthy relationship with the show's director, Ron Carlisle. In the 2019 musical, originated by Lilli Cooper, Julie is instead playing Juliet in the Broadway musical Juliet's Nurse.
The stage Julie gets her own songs, There Was John and Gone, Gone, Gone. Her family shrinks on stage: Julie's father Les, who proposes to Dorothy in the film, does not appear in the musical.
Who is Julie Nichols?
Julie Nichols is a talented actress starring alongside Dorothy Michaels, unaware that her new friend and confidante is actually Michael Dorsey in disguise. Sharp, guarded from past disappointments, and wary of the industry around her, Julie forms a genuine bond with Dorothy that becomes complicated once Michael's feelings for her, as himself, begin to surface.
Julie's friendship with Dorothy gives her a rare space to be honest about her frustrations and insecurities, which makes the eventual revelation of Michael's deception land as a real betrayal rather than just a farcical twist.
Julie's role in Tootsie
Julie Nichols is a lead role in Tootsie, requiring a performer with both comic timing and emotional depth to sell her genuine friendship with Dorothy and her later anger and hurt toward Michael. Lilli Cooper originated the role on Broadway, earning praise for grounding the show's farce with real feeling.
Audiences connect with Julie as the character whose trust is tested by the show's central deception, and her clear eyed reaction to that betrayal helps keep Tootsie's comedy honest rather than merely broad.
Julie Nichols: frequently asked questions
What show is Julie Nichols from?
Julie Nichols is a lead character in Tootsie, which opened on Broadway in 2019.
Is Julie Nichols a lead or supporting role?
Julie Nichols is a lead role opposite Michael Dorsey.
Who wrote the music for Tootsie?
David Yazbek wrote the music and lyrics for Tootsie.
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