Some Like It Hot

 Some Like It Hot
Shubert Theatre
December 9, 2022 

Photo courtesy of Some Like It Hot

The creators of Some Like It Hot have taken a much loved Hollywood classic and transformed it into a brand new Broadway musical.  The story has the same premise and structure as the film, yet develops the characters in unexpected ways that ring with sheer joy, while making direct and honest statements about the time period.  Marc Shaiman’s score is filled with one show stopper after another.  When he hits you with a ballad, you drink it in for all it’s worth.  The book by Matthew López and Amber Ruffin is sharp, funny, and full of surprises.  Casey Nicholaw masterfully directs and choreographers with a clear vision and potent delivery.

When Joe (played by Christian Borle) and Jerry (played by J. Harrison Ghee) witness a mob hit while playing a club in Chicago, they are forced to put on dresses and join an all girl’s band that is headed to California.  Sweet Sue (played by NaTasha Yvette Williams) formed the band as a way to get out of playing Speakeasies.  She hired Sugar (played by Adrianna Hicks) as her lead singer, who is always late and breaks all the band’s rules.  Joe, now called Josephine, is strongly attracted to Sugar, while Jerry, who now goes by Daphne, is finding himself very comfortable dressing as a woman.  When they get to California, Daphne meets Osgood (played by Kevin Del Aguila), a wealthy hotel owner.  Osgood sweeps Daphne off to Mexico for a romantic night of dancing, where Daphne gains her confidence.  Meanwhile, Joe, disguised as a film director, takes Sugar for a date on Osgood’s yacht.  They talk (and dance) and fall in love (Fred and Ginger style).  When the gangsters show up in California to invest in Sweet Sue’s all girl band, all hell breaks loose, and it’s time to face the music. 

Christian Borle & J. Harrison Ghee
Photo courtesy of Some Like It Hot

Christian Borle and J. Harrison Ghee are a dynamic team.  Their comic timing is perfect and they dance as one.  Adrianna Hicks is vibrant as Sugar.  Her character belts out the ballads in the score, creating grounded, truthful, and riveting moments.  NaTasha Yvette Williams creates the through line of action for the show as the no-nonsense, sarcastic Sweet Sue.  She keeps the pace moving.  Her singing rocks the house.  Kevin Del Aguila plays both comedy and romance with equal dexterity as Osgood.  He takes the funniest moments and shifts to heartfelt sincerity in an instant.   

Adrianna Hicks as Sugar
Photo courtesy of Some Like It Hot

While in Mexico, the character of Jerry realizes that Daphne is more than just a disguise, but an opportunity to be himself.  J. Harrison Ghee plays this as a genuine awakening.  It is touching and truthful, yet Mr. Ghee finds the timing that brings the laughs.  His warmth and vulnerability are magnetic.  His song, “You Coulda Knocked Me Over With a Feather” is flawlessly performed and impeccably written (lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman).  

The climax of Act II is a tap dancing, door slamming, farcical chase that ends with a bang.  It is like nothing you’ve ever seen before.  Some Like It Hot is sure to be a big hit.  You’ve got to see it!   

Domenick Danza