Character guide
Michael Dorsey
from Tootsie
Michael Dorsey is the difficult actor who disguises himself as a woman in Tootsie, the 2019 musical with music and lyrics by David Yazbek.
- Show
- Tootsie
- Broadway premiere
- 2019
- Role
- Lead
- Music by
- David Yazbek
Michael Dorsey: from the film to Broadway
Broadway compared with the 1982 film
Dustin Hoffman's Michael Dorsey becomes Dorothy Michaels to land a role on a TV soap opera, Southwest General. The 2019 musical, where Santino Fontana originated Michael and won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, moves the disguise to Broadway: Dorothy is cast in a new musical called Juliet's Nurse.
The men who fall for Dorothy change too. In the film, Julie's widowed father Les proposes to Dorothy and older soap star John Van Horn pursues her. The musical drops Les and turns the suitor into Max Van Horn, a reality star playing Romeo's brother in the show within the show.
Who is Michael Dorsey?
Michael Dorsey is a talented but famously hard to work with actor whose reputation has left him unable to get hired under his own name. In desperation, he reinvents himself as Dorothy Michaels, landing a role that becomes an unexpected hit and forcing him to maintain an elaborate disguise while his own personal and professional life grows more complicated around him.
As Dorothy, Michael begins to see the world differently, developing real feelings for his castmate Julie Nichols and slowly learning humility and empathy he never had access to as himself, even as his deception threatens to unravel at every turn.
Michael's role in Tootsie
Michael Dorsey is the lead role of Tootsie, requiring a performer capable of rapid, often mid scene, transformations between Michael and Dorothy along with the vocal stamina to carry the show's fast paced comic numbers. Santino Fontana originated the role on Broadway and won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance.
Audiences remember Michael for the sheer technical demands of playing two convincing characters at once, and for the way his journey turns a broad comic premise into a genuine story about growth, humility, and learning to see other people more clearly.
Michael Dorsey: frequently asked questions
What show is Michael Dorsey from?
Michael Dorsey is the lead character of Tootsie, which opened on Broadway in 2019.
Is Michael Dorsey a lead or supporting role?
Michael Dorsey is the lead role of Tootsie.
Who wrote the music for Tootsie?
David Yazbek wrote the music and lyrics for Tootsie.
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