>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY!
WELCOME BACK.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY NEXT GUEST THIS EVENING IS THE STAR
OF THE NEW HIT BROADWAY MUSICAL "TOOTSIE."
PLEASE WELCOME SANTINO FONTANA!
♪ ♪ ♪
>> Stephen: THANKS IT FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> Stephen: NICE TO MEET YOU.
>> NICE TO MEET YOU.
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE BEEN GETTING RAVE REVIEWS PLAYING
DOROTHY MICHAELS.
>> SURE.
>> Stephen: AND MICHAEL...
>> DORSEY.
>> Stephen: IN THE MUSICAL BASED ON THE 1982 FILM STARRING
DUSTIN HOFFMAN.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: HOW IS-- AND HERE IS THE PLAYBILL RIGHT THERE.
>> THAT'S IT.
YOU GET THOSE IF YOU COME TO THE THEATER FOR FREE.
>> Stephen: AT THE MARQUEE THEATRE.
>> WE ARE GIVING THEM OUT.
YOU CAN KEEP THAT ONE.
>> Stephen: REALLY?
>> ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY.
>> Stephen: BECAUSE I'M A TV STAR?
>> AND BECAUSE DREAMS HAPPEN.
IT'S YOUR S.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> YOU'RE WELCOME.
>> Stephen: WHAT CAN WE EXPECT DIFFERENT FROM-- FROM THIS PLAY,
THIS MUSICAL, THAN THE MOVIE WE KNOW?
>> WELL, PEOPLE THAT KNOW THE MOVIE ARE GOING TO SEE WHAT THEY
LOOFD ABOUT THE MOVIE, ABOUT SOMEBODY SO DESPERATE THEY'RE
WILLING TO DO ANYTHING FOR WHAT THEY LOVE.
AND IN THIS CASE, THIS ACTOR MAKES A TERRIBLE DECISION TO
PRETEND TO BE A WOMAN.
IT'S A TERRIBLE DECISION, BUT AN INCREDIBLY ENTERTAINING ONE FOR
THE ENTIRETY OF THE SHOW.
>> Stephen: IS HE TRYING TO BE IN A.
>> MUSICAL.
>> Stephen: IT'S NOT A SOAP RA.
>> IT'S A MUSICAL.
HE'S TRYING TO BE IN A MUSICAL.
HE SUCCEEDS.
HE GETS IT.
BUT IT'S ALSO, IT'S UPDATED.
THAT WAS 37 YEARS AGO.
SO 2019, WHAT'S CHANGED TODAY IS A LOT.
AND WE HAVE ADDRESSED ALL OF THOSE ISSUES I THINK VERY WELL.
THEY'RE TERRIFYING.
AND WE DEALT WITH THEM.
>> Stephen: AND-- AND--
>> AS WELL AS WE COULD.
>> Stephen: IN A MUSICAL COMEDY FASHION.
THERE YOU GO.
>> ABSOLUTELY!
>> Stephen: AND HERE YOU ARE AS THE LOVELY DOROTHY MICHAELS
RIGHT THERE.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: YES.
( APPLAUSE )
SHE'S SINGLE.
SHE'S SINGLE, LADIES, AND GENTLEMEN.
EVERYBODY.
>> Stephen: AND SO YOU MAKE THIS TRANSFORMATION EVERY NIGHT,
MULTIPLE TIMES, RIGHT?
>> YES, I DO.
>> Stephen: LIKE QUICK CHANGES AND EVERYTHING.
>> UH-HUH.
>> Stephen: WHAT IS IT LIKE GOING FROM SANTINO TO DOROTHY?
>> WELL, IT TAKES A VILLAGE.
THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WITH FLASHLIGHTS.
IT'S LIKE A WAR MOVIE.
THERE'S HAIR, THERE'S NAILS, THERE'S GLASS, THERE'S MAKEUP.
>> Stephen: I DON'T REMEMBER HAIR AND NAILS IN THE WAR MOVIE
BUT-- >> THEY'RE OUT THERE.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
WHAT'S YOUR KEY TO MAKING SANTINO INTO DOROTHY?
>> WELL, I GET A LOT OF HELP.
PAUL HUNTLY, OUR CREATIVE TEAM THAT HELPS CREATE HER.
ALSO I WAS IN A BROADWAY SHOW LAST WE'RE WITH BERNADETTE
PETERS I PLAYED OPPOSITE.
AND I WENT OFTEN AND I PUT MY HEAD IN ONE OF THOSE SOFTWARE
PROGRAM WHERE'S YOU CAN GET ALL THE DIFFERENT HAIR-DOS, AND I
BROUGHT TARND TO HER, AND I SAID, "WHICH ONES DO YOU LIKE?"
BECAUSE IF I COULD BE A WOMAN, I'D WANT TO LOOK LIKE YOU.
SO-- AND BERNADETTE PETERS WAS NICE ENOUGH TO WRITE, "PRETTY
GIRL," ON THE ONES SHE LIKED, AND "NOT SO PRETTY GIRL" ON THE
ONES SHE DIDN'T LIKE.
WHICH WAS HER KIND WAY OF SAYING STAY AWAY FROM THE SHORT HAIR
CUTS, THE SUPER-SHORT HAIR CUT S.
>> Stephen: TELL ME ABOUT THE WOMEN YOU ARE BASING THE
CHARACTER ON ITSELF.
IT'S A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT CHARACTER THAN WE SAW IN THE
MOVIE.
WHO ARE THE WOMEN THAT-- THE VOCALIZING, THAT SORT OF THING?
>> SURE.
I THINK A LOT OF IT IS BASED IN THE SCRIPT, ADOPTED BY ROBERT
HORN, AND OUR DIRECTOR SCOTT ELLIS GUIDING ALL OF THAT.
BUT IT'S REALLY THE WOMEN IN MY LIFE.
I THINK DOROTHY MICHAELS IS SOMEBODY WE WANT TO WALK INTO
THE ROOM AND YOU WANT TO MEET HER.
YOU WANT HER TO DEFEND YOU.
YOU WANT HER TO STAWND FOR YOU, AND SHE WILL.
>> Stephen: BUT MICHAEL DORSEY NOT SO MUCH.
>> ABSOLUTELY NOT!
>> Stephen: HE'S-- HE'S AN EGOTISTICAL COMPLAINER.
>> HE'S GOT SOME ISSUES, I LIKE TO THINK OF IT LIKE THAT.
>> Stephen: YES.
BUT DOROTHY MICHAELS IS ACTUALLY A BETTER PERSON.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
HE STARTS WITH A CON AND ENDS WITH A CONSCIENCE, AND THAT'S
BECAUSE OF DOROTHY MICHAELS.
>> Stephen: WOW.
>> YEAH.
( APPLAUSE )
DOWN?
>> Stephen: THAT WAS NICELY DONE.
BACKSTAGE VISITS AT BROADWAY THEATERS ARE A TRADITION, AND
LEGENDARY, AND I'M SURE YOU HAVE BEEN ON BROADWAY MANY TIMES.
WHAT'S BEEN THE MOST MEANINGFUL ONE FOR YOU.
>> OPENING NIGHT A COUPLE OF DAYS ANOTHER CAROL BURNETT CAME
BACKSTAGE.
YEAH!
THAT WAS MY REACTION.
>> Stephen: IS THAT WHAT'S GOING ON.
>> I IMMEDIATELY-- YES, THAT'S THAT.
I WENT DOWN TO THE FLOOR, I STARTED, YOU KNOW, GENUFLECTING.
SHE GAVE ME A HUGE HUG.
SHE SAID THINGS, MANY OF WHICH I DON'T REMEMBER FROM THE LIVE
MOMENT, BUT SOMEONE RECORDED IT.
>> Stephen: OH, THAT'S LOVELY.
>> IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST GRACIOUS WOMEN THAT I'VE HAD THE
PLEASURE OF SPEAKING TO.
>> Stephen: SHE'S ABSOLUTELY LOVELY.
>> SHE'S ABSOLUTELY LOVELY.
AND HILARIOUS AND WARM AND I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS.
>> Stephen: NOW, YOU ALSO, PEOPLE KNOW YOU, EVEN IF THEY
DON'T RECOGNIZE YOU, THEY KNOW YOU FROM PRINCE HANS IN
"FROZEN."
>> YTHAT'S TRUE.
SMALL MOVIE.
INDEPENDENT FILM.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE HEARD OF IT.
IT'S BASED ON A FAIRY TALE.
>> Stephen: DO YOU EVER GET RECOGNIZED BY YOUR VOICE?
>> ?
>> I NEVER GET RECOGNIZED BY MY VOICE WHICH I AM FINE WITH.
>> Stephen: REALLY?
>> I LOVE IT.
IT'S A GREAT SECRET.
"FROZEN" WAS FIVE DAYS OF MY LIFE OVER TWO YEARS.
SO I FEEL LIKE I WAS A SPERM DONOR TO A KID WHO BECAME
PRESIDENT.
I WAS KIND OF INVOLVED.
I WASN'T REALLY THERE.
BUT -- >> Stephen: DISNEY IS GOING TO
LOVE THAT METAPHOR >> WELL...
( LAUGHTER )
( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: "TOOTSIE" IS AT THE MARQUIS THEATRER NOW.
SANTINO FONTANA, EVERYBODY!