The musical Tootsie couldn’t have arrived at the Winspear Opera House at a more opportune time. The Texas Senate voted just last week to make performances of the show illegal in a public venue. So run to see the show while drag’s still legal in this state.

But Tootsie isn’t here for politics. When Julie asks Michael why he posed as Dorothy, he says, “I just did it for the work.”

The musical follows the structure of the 1982 hit film even though several major details have been changed. Instead of hearing about an opening on a soap opera, his friend Sandy is trying out for a role in a Broadway musical. Michael, who has just been fired by the director of that musical for being such a perfectionist, becomes Dorothy and lands the part.

Michael does so well during the first rehearsal, they rewrite the script to give Dorothy a bigger role and rename the show Juliet’s Nurse from Juliet’s Curse. Ironically, one this year’s biggest hits on Broadway is & Juliet, which has a similar story as Tootsie’s musical-within-a-musical.

Drew Becker plays Michael/Dorothy. Not only does he have quick costume changes that he pulls off flawlessly, but sings in both his natural register and convincingly and naturally as Dorothy. He even mimics Dustin Hoffman’s slight southern accent when he assumes his female self just enough to give homage to the character, not enough to be distracting.

As roommate Jeff, Jared David Michael Grant is the stable one throughout the chaos. His reactions are perfect. As Act II opens, he and Michael are sitting in their living room, staring at the audience. You know there’s going to be a sly comment but Grant makes you wait for it. Then be makes you wait a little longer before he says, “Let’s recap,” and bursts into “Jeff Sums It Up,” a hilarious song does exactly what the title says in a perfect welcome to the second act.

Payton Reilly as ex-girlfriend-trying-to be-best-friend Sandy is the third character taken directly from the film. She infuses her own brand of mania into the role played on screen by Teri Garr. She’s over-the-top, but in the end, has a more satisfying resolution to her story than in the film.

Ashley Alexandra as Julie plays Juliet in the musical within a musical with comic delight and Julie, who’s surprised by Dorothy’s kiss, with pathos.

While Tootsie is one of my favorite all-time films, the stage version is actually gayer — and that’s a good thing. Rather than the male love interest being Julie’s father as in the film, Romeo’s brother in Juliet’s Nurse is young, hot (especially in his own mind) and inexplicably drawn to the older Dorothy. But he’s straight, right? But there’s something just drawing him to Michael, I mean Dorothy.

Another character is the director who is ambiguously gay. He has an assortment of past wives and girlfriends but is as straight as — and resembles — Paul Lynde. And his choreographic direction — screw in the light bulb, screw in the light bulb, bunny ears, bunny ears — is a great send-up of overdone Bob Fosse routines.

While Tootsie isn’t a great musical, it’s certainly very good. The evening is a lot of fun and worth a trip to the Winspear, especially to honor one of the great drag roles that is completely non-offensive. And, yes, there were teens in the audience with their parents who stood for the ovation for Becker. Drag in Tootsie was just fun to watch and entertaining and the young people in the audience enjoyed it — drag and all.

— David Taffet