Character guide
Ron Carlisle
from Tootsie
Ron Carlisle is the demanding director of the show within the show in Tootsie, the 2019 musical with music and lyrics by David Yazbek.
- Show
- Tootsie
- Broadway premiere
- 2019
- Role
- Supporting
- Music by
- David Yazbek
Ron Carlisle: from the film to Broadway
Broadway compared with the 1982 film
In the 1982 film, Dabney Coleman's Ron Carlisle is the amoral, sexist director of the soap opera Southwest General, and he is also Julie's boyfriend until Dorothy's advice helps her end the relationship. In the 2019 musical, Reg Rogers originated Ron as the director and choreographer of a new Broadway musical, Juliet's Nurse.
The change moves Ron from a television control room to a rehearsal studio, making him the man staging the show within the show that Dorothy is cast in.
Who is Ron Carlisle?
Ron Carlisle is the director staging the musical that Dorothy Michaels stars in, a self important figure whose ego and controlling instincts make him an easy target for the show's satire of the theatre industry. He clashes repeatedly with Dorothy over creative decisions, unaware that he is being outmaneuvered by Michael Dorsey in disguise.
Ron's relationship troubles with his own girlfriend, one of the production's cast members, run alongside the main plot, adding another layer to the show's tangle of backstage romantic entanglements.
Ron's role in Tootsie
Ron Carlisle is a supporting role built for broad comic satire, requiring a performer who can play pompous self regard while still landing genuine laughs. His scenes poke fun at directorial arrogance and theatrical vanity throughout the show.
Audiences remember Ron as the show's send up of self serious theatre directors, a character whose blustering confidence and tangled love life provide a steady stream of comic subplot even as the main story revolves around Michael and Dorothy.
Ron Carlisle: frequently asked questions
What show is Ron Carlisle from?
Ron Carlisle is a supporting character in Tootsie, which opened on Broadway in 2019.
Is Ron Carlisle a lead or supporting role?
Ron Carlisle is a supporting role as the director of the show within the show.
Who wrote the music for Tootsie?
David Yazbek wrote the music and lyrics for Tootsie.
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