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FYI January 15-21, 2023 What's up! 5 Like NASCAR With Wigs tour of 'tootsie' redefines quick changes "I relate to his passion for wanting to do the best that he absolutely can and his love for the work itself," says Drew Becker (center) of his character Michael Dorsey in "tootsie." "[But] he forgets that it's a collaboration and not just a solo act." (Courtesy photo/ Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade) MONICA HOOPER NWA Democrat-Gazette A musical adaptation of the 1982 film "Tootsie" comes to the Walton Arts Center Jan. 17-22. Unlike the movie, this version is touted as a "love letter to the theater" with more wigs and costume changes than the original. "I feel like it's a love letter to theater because we've taken it out of the soap opera world, and we placed it in the world of musical theater," explains Drew Becker, who plays the lead character, Michael Dorsey. "I think we get to pay tribute to the artform of theater. You see what it's like in person. You see what it's like in auditions. You see what it's like for people on opening night. It gives you a little bit of a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to be involved in a show while you're watching the show itself." Bryon McDonald, who has one of the most important jobs for this production — supervising hair and makeup — says he feels the same way. "It is a love letter because there's so many costume changes, there's so many wig changes in the show that it just creates a fun atmosphere. This is one of the funnest shows that I've worked on — the first in a long time — where you get to have just a lot of fun with the hair and the makeup and the costumes," McDonald adds. "Drew has eight wigs per show. He has 15 in all," McDonald adds. "With the ensemble, we have 70 wigs that are in the show." On top of all the wigs, there are 12 costume changes with the shortest change happening in under 30 seconds. "The shortest one is actually 25 seconds, or we've gotten it shorter sometimes," McDonald says. In order to pull off the ever-changing looks, McDonald explains that a team is assigned to follow Becker around during the brief moments when he is actually off stage. "We're all there to make sure that everything is set up properly. So all he has to do is really come offstage. And we move around him, and he just stands there, and we get him dressed and get him back on stage as fast as we can," McDonald says. "We've done this in rehearsal and so many times that it just kind of comes as second nature now; it's just so easy. And Drew is so easy to work with, too, that it just comes naturally at this point." It's a process not unlike when a race car pulls off the NASCAR track mid- race. "That is 100% accurate," Becker says. This is the seventh touring show that McDonald has been involved in his 11 years backstage. "On this show, it's different because you have Drew going from Dorothy Michaels back to Michael, back to Dorothy Michaels, so there's a lot of that changing going back and forth. I've never really worked on a show where you've had somebody change so many times so quickly," he says. "Most shows you have some time, and you know there's a song or two before the actor has to go back on stage. This one is just so quick and fast that this one is definitely different than most shows that I've worked on. "We travel three wardrobe people, and they hire 14 people in each city to help dress everyone," McDonald says. "Tootsie" is even more demanding for Becker, who is in nearly every scene of the show. When he's not on stage, Becker is changing costumes and wigs. "I've really had to focus on finding stamina to be able to do the show, but it's been an immensely fun challenge," Becker says. Building up to play that role, Becker says that he relied on both rehearsals and support from others — unlike his character, Michael Dorsey. "The first year that we were putting this up, we had about three weeks of rehearsal, and then about two weeks Faq 'Tootsie' WHaT — A musical comedy adaptation of the 1982 film about a talented but difficult actor who struggles to find work until one show-stop- ping act of desperation lands him the role of a lifetime. The "love letter to theater" features Tony-winning book by Robert Horn and score by 2018 Tony-winner David Yazbek. Recommended for ages 13 and older. WHEN — 7 p.m. Jan. 17-18; 1:30 & 7 p.m. Jan. 19; 8 p.m. Jan. 20; 2 and 8 p.m. Jan. 21; and 2 p.m. Jan. 22 WHERE — Walton Arts Center, 495 W. Dickson St. in Fayetteville COST — $41-$82 INFO — waltonartscenter.org Video — nwaonline.com/ 115tootsie/ Who's Drew? Drew Becker hasn't yet made it to the top, but he has reached a pinnacle at a very early stage of his career. He's only four years out of college and already has the lead role in the touring production of a Broadway musical, doing eight performances a week as Michael Dorsey in the first national tour of "Tootsie." "This is only the second job I've had since I got out of college," he says. After graduating from Shenan- doah Conservatory in 2018, he got work on a cruise ship until covid-19 shut that down in 2020. "I auditioned for this during the pandemic," he explains. "'Toot- sie' was one of the only things casting at the time." It's his second time playing a female character; the first was as Miss Trunchbull in a regional theater production of "Matilda." — Eric Harrison Arkansas Democrat-Gazette See Tootsie Page 6 FAYETTEvIllE