>> MOVIES HAVE LONG BEEN SOURCE

MATERIAL FOR BROADWAY MUSICALS

AND NOW ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS

MOVIES OF 1980s HAS BEEN GIVEN

THE MUSICAL THEATER TREATMENT.

TOOTSIE STARRED DUSTIN HOFFMAN

WHO AN ACTOR BECOMES A TV SOAP

OPERA SENSATION AFTER MAKING

PEOPLE BELIEVE HE IS A WOMAN AND

DELVED INTO GENDER ROLES DECADES

BEFORE IT BECAME PART OF OUR

CONVERSATION.

THE MUSICAL VERSION IS ONLY IN

CHICAGO FOR A FEW MORE DAYS AND

HERE TO TELL US MORE ABOUT IT

ARE TWO STARS.

LILLY COOPER PLAYS THE ROLE

PLAYED BY JESSICA LANG WHICH

EARNED LANG AN OSCAR.

AND SAN CONTINUE KNOW FONTANA

TAKES ON THE ROLE THAT DUSTIN

HOFFMAN PLAYED.

SANTINO WAS THE VOICE OF PRINCE

HANS IN FROZEN.

I'M HEARING GREAT THINGS TELL US

ABOUT THIS VERSION OF TOOTSIE.

HOW DIFFERENT IS IT FROM THE

FILM THAT PEOPLE REMEMBER?

>> I THINK WE KEEP THE CORE

STORY AND THE HUMOR OF THE

MOVIE.

BUT IT IS SET TODAY AND WE HAVE

A BROADWAY MUSICAL INSTEAD OF A

SOAP OPERA.

IT'S DIFFERENT BUT I THINK WE

KEEP THE HEART OF IT FOR SURE.

>> HAVE BOTH OF YOU SEEN THE

MOVIE?

HOW MUCH OF THAT DID INFLUENCE

THE CHARACTER?

>> I SAW THE MOVIE TWO YEARS AGO

WHEN THE DIRECTOR CALLED ME TO

READ THE SCRIPT AND I SAW IT

AGAIN FIVE OR SIX MONTHS LATER

WITH MY FAMILY BUT THAT IS IT.

I'VE READ THE SCREEN PLAY AND

GONE BACK TO THAT AND ROBERT

HORN WHO ADAPTED THE BOOK AND

THE FILM HAS DONE A GREAT JOB.

>> YOU HAVE TO DO QUITE A BIT OF

TRANSFORMATION AS DUSTIN HOFFMAN

DID.

TELL US ABOUT THE PROCESS AND

HOW YOU PULL IT OFF?

>> THERE IS A LOT OF SHAVING

INVOLVED.

A LOT OF UNDER GARMENTS AND

ELASTIC.

A LOT OF MAKEUP.

THERE IS A LOT.

IT'S A LOT BUT IT'S FUN.

>> AND WE ARE SEEING IT AND YOU

TRANSFORM WELL AND BELIEVABLELY.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

>> YOU THINK HE IS A WOMAN FOR A

WHILE?

>> I DO.

>> LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT

THIS SHOW.

BECAUSE THE DIRECTOR, SCOTT

ELLIS, TOLD THE TRIBUNE CHRIS

JONES QUOTE THIS IS 100% NOT

YOUR GRANDFATHER'S TOOTSIE.

YOU SAY IT'S BEEN UPDATED TO BE

SET IN THE THEATER AND A OPEN

OPERA BUT DOES IT DELVE INTO THE

ISSUES OF GENDER THAT WERE KIND

OF BROUGHT UP IN THE MOVIE?

>> YES, ABSOLUTELY.

I MEAN --

THE STORY IS A MAN WHO IS SO

DESPERATE AN ACTOR WHO IS SO

DESPERATE HE IS WILLING TO DO

ANYTHING TO GET THE JOB AND

MAKES THE TERRIBLE DECISION OF

TRYING TO PERPETRATE BEING A

WOMAN.

AND RUINS SEVERAL RELATIONSHIPS

ALONG THE WAY.

>> BECAUSE HE IS A JERK?

AT FIRST?

>> ANYBODY WHO TRIES TO DEFRAUD

EVERYONE THEY MEET IN THEIR NEW

JOB AND RELATIONSHIPS, DID NOT

MAKE THE BEST CHOICE.

HE WASN'T PROBABLY THINKING, I

WOULD LIKE TO THINK HE IS NOT

THINKING ABOUT IT AHEAD OF TIME.

HOWEVER ROBERT HAS THE BOOK

AGAIN IN BRINGING IT TO 2018 HAS

TO DEAL WITH WHEN YOU PERPETRATE

A WOMAN TODAY, WHAT ARE YOU

DOING?

AND AT THE SAME TIME COMING TO

TERMS WITH REALIZING AS IN ANY

SHOW, ANY ACTING JOB WHEN YOU

STEP INTO THE SHOES OF ANOTHER

PERSON, YOU BEGIN TO IDENTIFY

WITH THEM AND UNDERSTAND WHAT

THEY GO THROUGH AND HOW THAT IS

DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU GO

THROUGH.

AND HOPEFULLY YOU BECOME A

BETTER PERSON FOR IT.

AND THAT IS THE SAME WITH OUR

SHOW.

AND WE DEFINITELY DEAL WITH ALL

OF THAT.

>> AND THERE IS A LOT OF SINGING

AND DANCING IN-BETWEEN.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

>> DO THE LYRICS AND THE MUSIC

ARE BY DAVID WHO IS MOST FAMOUS

FOR THE FULL MONTY AND THE

BAND'S VISIT WHICH RECEIVED 10

TONY AWARDS.

THAT MIGHT BODE WELL FOR BOTH OF

YOU AT NEXT YEAR'S TONY AWARDS.

AND SEEING A LITTLE BIT OF THE

CONCLUSION OF THE SHOW WE ARE

NOT SEEING CLIPS BECAUSE IT'S

BEING TWEAKED HERE AND THERE.

NOW LILLY WE ARE SEEING YOU

BOWING BUT YOU HAVE DONE A

PREBROADWAY SHOW.

SPONGE BOB THE MUSICAL.

TELL US ABOUT THE WHOLE TRIAL

PERIOD IN CHICAGO HERE WHAT THAT

IS LIKE?

>> IT'S REALLY, REALLY SO FUN.

WE GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO TO

SORT OF PREVIEW THE SHOW WITH A

DIFFERENT AUDIENCE AND WHILE WE

ARE STILL WORKING ON IT AND

FINE-TUNING IT AND MAKING IT THE

BEST SHOW POSSIBLE.

SPONGE BOB WAS SUCH A FUN

EXPERIENCE.

WE WERE HERE TWO YEARS AGO.

>> AND YOU PLAYED SANDY CHEEKS.

>> I DID.

THE SCIENCE SQUIRREL.

UNDERWATER.

QUITE A DIFFERENT CHARACTER.

>> THE BIKINI BOTTOM.

>> AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN.

I GET TO PLAY A HUMAN THIS TIME

WHICH IS NICE.

>> AND WE SHOULD NOTE THAT YOU

COME FROM QUITE THE PEDIGREE YOU

COME FROM A THEATER FAMILY.

YOUR DAD IS CHUCK COOPER WHO I

TOLD YOU I SAW ON BROADWAY 20

YEARS AGO IN HIS TONY

AWARD-WINNING ROLE IN THE SHADE

OF LIFE AND THERE HE IS WHEN HE

WON THE TONY AWARD.

>> AND THAT IS MY BROTHER.

>> YOUR BROTHER EDDIE THAT IS A

BEAUTIFUL NAME, BY THE WAY.

YOUR AND MOTHER WAS AN ACTRESS

ALSO?

>> YES, SHE WAS.

AND I HAVE A SECOND BROTHER ALSO

WHO IS AN ACTOR.

IT IS A THEATRICAL DRAMATIC

FAMILY.

>> ARE YOU IN COMPETITION FOR

ROLES?

>> LUCKILY I AM THE ONLY GIRL I

DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT.

>> WELL, IF THEY TRYOUT FOR

TOOTSIE --

>> YOU NEVER KNOW, I GUESS.

>> AND YOU ARE KNOWN FAR AND

WIDE FOR OTHER ROLES.

YOUR ROLE ON CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND

AS GREG WHERE YOU HAD A STRANGE

RELATIONSHIP WITH REBECCA,

RACHEL BLOOM AND AT POINTS YOU

BURST OUT IN SONG.

YOU WERE ABLE TO USE SOME OF

YOUR THEATRICAL CHOPS YOUR

MUSICAL THEATER CHOPS IN THE

SHOW.

WAS THAT FUN?

OR DID IT HELP?

>> IT WAS FUN.

IT'S RARE AS YOU KNOW, THERE ARE

FEW MUSICAL TELEVISION SHOWS.

SO PART WAS A THRILL AND

EXCITING TIME IN MY LIFE.

>> THE SONG WHERE YOU SAY

GOOD-BYE TO REBECCA WHICH WE

CANNOT PLAY ON TV BUT IT WAS

REALLY CLEVER.

>> THANK YOU.

>> EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT YOU

ARE WALKING AWAY AND SHE IS

CRYING AND YOU ARE NOT COMING

BACK AND YOU LEAVE THE SHOW.

>> SOMETIMES PEOPLE HAVE TO DO

WHAT THEY THINK IS BEST FOR

THEIR FUTURE AND FAMILY THAT WAS

THE SITUATION WITH GREG.

>> SINCE THE TWO OF YOU ARE NOT

GOING TO SING FOR US TONIGHT

BECAUSE YOU ARE TIRED AND BUSY,

WE WANT TO HEAR WHAT YOU SOUND

LIKE AND WE WILL BEGIN WITH YOU.

LET'S TAKE A LISTEN TO YOUR

VOICE HERE...

♪I'VE BEEN SERVING MY WHOLE LIFE

TO FIND MY OWN PLACE.

MAYBE IT'S THE PARTY TALKING OR

THE CHOCOLATE FONDUE♪

♪BUT WITH YOU I SEE YOUR FACE

AND IT'S NOTHING LIKE I'VE EVER

KNOWN BEFORE♪

>> THERE YOU ARE AS PRINCE HANS.

>> YES.

>> WHO STARTS OUT AS A GOOD GUY

LIKE REVERSE TO TOOTSIE HE

STARTS AS A GOOD GUY AND BECOMES

KIND OF A JERK.

IT'S CAUSED CONTROVERSY.

>> REALLY?

>> BECAUSE IT SAYS WELL IT MIGHT

HAVE SCARED CHILDREN WHO THOUGHT

YOU WERE --

THEY --

>> REALLY?

THE OLD MERMAID THAT IS SCARY

VILLAINS AT DISNEY.

>> I THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE

FRIGHTENED ME WHEN YOU TURNED

THERE.

HOW WAS THAT?

>> I HAD A BLAST.

WE RECORDED THAT SONG WHEN I WAS

IN CINDERELLA.

I HAD TO FLY TO LA TO RECORD

THAT WITH KRISTEN BELL EIGHT

MONTHS PREGNANT AT THE TIME AND

I FLEW RIGHT BACK AND WENT BACK

INTO THE SCHEDULE AT CINDERELLA.

I LOVED DOING THAT.

AND IT WAS FIVE DAYS.

>> WE KNOW IT MADE A FEW BUCKS

ALONG THE WAY AND BECAME ONE OF

DISNEY'S BIGGEST HITS.

HOPEFULLY YOU SAW SOME OF THAT

MONEY.

>> DISNEY GOT MOST OF THE MONEY

AND THEY DESERVE T.

>> BUT YOU GOT THE FAME.

>> YES.

>> LILLY LET'S HEAR YOU.

BECAUSE YOU HAVE A BEAUTIFUL

VOICE AS WELL.

♪AND NOW AND NOW

[♪♪♪]

>> THAT IS A GREAT SONG THAT MY

FRIEND ZOE WROTE AND IT WAS A

GALA FOR THE WOMEN'S PROJECT

WHERE I DID A PLAY LAST YEAR.

>> WOW.

WELL, YOU BOTH HAVE GREAT VOICES

AND IF PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR THEM

THEY HAVE TO GO TO TOOTSIE.

SO 0 YOU'RE ONLY HERE FOR A WEEK

AND THEN YOU TAKE TIME OFF

BEFORE IT OPENS NEXT MARCH.

WHAT DO YOU DO IN THAT

INTERVENING TIME?

>> VACATION.

SLEEP.

>> DON'T SING.

>> DON'T SHAVE.

>> WELL, THAT IS GOING TO HAVE

TO CHANGE ONCE YOU GET BACK.

>> FOUR MONTHS TO GROW A BEARD

AND BODY HAIR EVERYWHERE.

>> OK.

>> YOU LAUGHED.

>> THANK YOU.

IT'S GREAT TO MEET YOU AND

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE SHOW AND

HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE A SUCCESS