Some Like It Hot
Book by Matthew Lopez and Amber Ruffin
Music by Marc Shaiman, Lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman
Based on the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Motion Picture “Some Like It Hot”
Directed and Choreographed by Casey Nicholaw
The Fox Theatre
February 26, 2025
Tavis Kordell, Matt Loehr
Photo by Matt Murphy
Some Like It Hot North American Tour
Some Like It Hot is a classic American film that has the unusual distinction of having been adapted into two different Broadway musicals. While 1972’s Sugar was a more straightforward adaptation (which I have seen because my high school performed it in the 1980s), the newer, Tony-winning Some Like It Hot is more of a thoughtful reinvention and recontextualization of the source material, with some clever homages to the original film and a catchy, jazz-influenced score. With a great cast and fantastic production design, this production is a lively, entertaining show with energy, style and a whole lot of heart.
Taking place at the tail-end of Prohibition in 1933, the action starts in Chicago, as does the film. This time, however, Sweet Sue (Tarra Connor Jones) starts her “all-girl” band after having been arrested in a police raid at a speakeasy, and their tour leads them to California rather than Miami, in an entirely logical change (explained in the show) that also pays tribute to the real filming location of the movie, the Hotel Del Coronado near San Diego. The main characters, Joe (Matt Loehr) and Jerry (Tavis Kordell), are musicians but also song-and-dance performers who grew up together and are looking for a new job. When they accidentally witness a mob hit by new boss, nightclub owner and gangster Spats (Devon Goffman), they go on the run, taking Joe’s idea to disguise themselves as women in order to join Sweet Sue’s band and flee to California and, eventually, Mexico. While on tour, however, “Josephine” and “Daphne” get to know their fellow band members, with Joe becoming attracted to singer Sugar Kane (Leandra Ellis-Gaston), and Jerry/Daphne starting to feel more accepted and at home as Daphne than as Jerry. The situation gets more complicated when they arrive in California and prepare for their performance at the Hotel Del Coronado, where Joe assumes an “alter ego” in order to woo Sugar and the band meets hotel owner Osgood (Edward Juvier), who is instantly smitten with Daphne. Meanwhile, Spats has also arrived in California hoping to silence the witnesses to his crime, and various characters face moments of truth about who they are and what they want to do with their lives.
The adaptation, while making some clear changes to the original film, is impressively well thought-through, with every change making sense and adding much in the way of character development and advancing the theme of self-discovery and expression. It also recontextualizes the source material to allow for a diverse cast, adding layers of complexity to the story. Also, making the central characters singers and dancers as well as musicians makes sense in the context of a stage musical and lends a level of pizzazz to production numbers featuring some excellent tap-heavy choreography by director Casey Nicholaw. The show also explores issues of racism and prejudice, gender roles, individual identity and expression, and more while maintaining a lively, musical comedy atmosphere and featuring overall upbeat atmosphere and glitzy, glamorous Broadway and 1930s Hollywood style.
The cast is excellent, led by strong, charismatic and athletically dancing performances by Loehr as Joe/”Josephine”/”Kip” and Kordell as Jerry/Daphne. These two form the emotional core of the show, supported well by fantastic work from Ellis-Gaston as the talented, Hollywood-aspiring Sugar, Jones as the tough-talking Sweet Sue, and Juvier as the kindly, enthusiastic Osgood, who has a secret of his own. There are also strong turns from Goffman as the shady Spats and Jame LaVerdiere as the persistent FBI Agent Mulligan. There’s also a top-notch ensemble who lend much energy and comic timing to the story as well as terrific singing and dancing.
In a technical sense, the show featuring eye-catching scenic design by Scott Pask and colorful, detailed costumes by Gregg Barnes that are in keeping with the era and tone of the production. There’s also dazzling lighting by Natasha Katz and stylish hair design by Josh Marquette. The sound by Brian Ronan is fine for the most part, although there are some issues with volume and clarity on some of the songs.
Ultimately, this show does what it sets out to do–entertain in style. It’s more of a reimagining of the film than a straightforward adaptation, but that had already been done. Here, Some Like It Hot dazzles with songs, dances, and laughs, but also thoughtfully recontextualizes the source material in a way that makes sense without changing the overall tone of the story. It’s a lively tribute to the film while also managing to be its own unique thing. It’s a lot of fun, and well worth checking out.
Leandra Ellis-Gaston (Center) and Cast
Photo by Matthew Murphy
Some Like It Hot North American Tour
The North American Tour of Some Like It Hot is running at the Fox Theatre until March 9, 2025
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