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

Tuck Everlasting

Tuck Everlasting

Broadhurst Theatre

April 2, 2016

Photo courtesy of Tuck Everlasting

If you ever read Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt and thought it would make a great musical, you’ve got to see the Broadway production now in previews at the Broadhurst Theatre.  Composer Chris Miller, lyricist Nathan Tyson, and book writers, Claudia Shear and Tim Federle, exquisitely interpret this magical story for the Great White Way.  Director / Choreographer Casey Nicholaw invigorates the production with grace and panache.  The entire cast provides the heart and verve that entice and engage all your senses.

Eleven year old Winnie Foster (played by Sarah Charles Lewis) feels confined by the fence around her front yard and trapped in having to always be a “good girl.”  She escapes into the woods behind her house.  There she meets seventeen year old Jessie Foster (played by Andrew Keenan-Bolger).  He talks her into climbing to the top of the tallest tree in the forest, where Winnie gets a glimpse of her home from a new perspective.  Jessie tells Winnie his secret.  He and his family have not aged since they drank from a spring in the forest over one hundred years ago.  Neither of them knows the dangers that lie ahead when this secret gets out.

Andrew Keenan-Bolger & Sarah Charles Lewis
Photo courtesy of Tuck Everlasting

Sarah Charles Lewis is making her Broadway debut as Winnie Foster in this production.  She is warm-hearted, energetic and truly amazing.  Andrew Keenan-Bolger is adventurous and trusting as Jessie Foster.  Carolee Carmello and Michael Park play his parents, Mae and Angus Tuck.  Together they give authentic and grounded performances.  Their relationship deepens as they open their hearts to eleven year old Winnie Foster.  Robert Lenzi is strong and endearing as Jessie’s brother, Miles.  His character opens up with honesty and vulnerability in Act II, when he tells the story of his son and how having an everlasting life caused them to separate.  Michael Wartella is witty and charming as Hugo, the impeccable side kick to Fred Applegate’s steadfast Constable Joe.  One of the highlights of the show is Terrance Mann as the Man in the Yellow Suit.  He is funny, evil, and superb.

Terrance Mann as the Man in the Yellow Suit
Photo courtesy of Tuck Everlasting

The set, designed by Walt Spangler, and lighting, designed by Kenneth Posner, give the production the magic and whimsy it deserves.  The tree is most astounding.  As Winnie and Jessie climb up the stylistically designed trunk and walk out on its bridge-like branches, it fills the stage like a green fortress.  The costumes by Gregg Barnes are perfect for the characters, setting, and time period.  Casey Nicholaw’s direction is seamless, but it is his choreography that brings the show to life.  The dancing connects the story elements, enhances the emotion of each scene, creates an atmosphere of enchantment, and brings the story to a stunning conclusion.

Tuck Everlasting opens on April 26.  It is sure to be a hit, so get your tickets now!

Domenick Danza

Something Rotten!

Something Rotten!

St. James Theatre

August 4, 2015

Photo courtesy of Something Rotten!

Unique!  Brilliant!  Witty!  Intelligent!  Bold!  Bawdy!  Crisp!  Ingenious!  Yes, I have seen Something’s Rotten! and those are only a few words to describe it.  It’s a farce, a parody, a slapstick comedy, a musical.  It’s Shakespeare meets the Carol Burnett Show (I mean that in a good way).

The plot is original and surprising.  The play takes place in 1595 in the South of London, where William Shakespeare is the most revered playwright of the day.  The Bottom Brothers, Nick and Nigel, want to write a play that supersedes the work of the Bard.  When Nick’s wife announces she is going to have a baby, he begins to feel desperate.  He employs a soothsayer to look into the future to see what the next popular theatre style will be.  He sees something new and different… the musical.  Zaniness ensues as the soothsayer’s visions become vague and muddled, leading the Bottom Brothers on a journey to perplexing hilarity.

Brian d'Arcy James as Nick Bottom
and Christian Borle as William Shakespeare
Photo courtesy of Something Rotten!

Brian d’Arcy James as Nick, John Cariani as Nigel, and Christian Borle as William Shakespeare are all amazing.  Their characters are boldly written and their portrayals are skillfully tremendous.  Heidi Blickenstaff, as Nick’s wife Bea, and Kate Reinders, as Nigel’s love interest Portia, bring the perfect blend of tenderness and humor to their roles.  The only way to mention other strong performances would be to list every name in the program.  The stage consistently exudes vibrant energy, as every cast member does an impeccable job delivering top notch material.

Photo courtesy of Something Rotten!

The production is superbly directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw.  The book and lyrics, by Karey Kirkpatrick, John O’Farrell, and Wayne Kirkpatrick, are highly intellectual and witty.  The Shakespeare references are right on and the musical theatre spoofs are priceless.  The score, by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Kary Kirkpatrick, is excellent.  It delivers a pace and tone that makes you tap your feet and sway in your seat.  Sets, by Scott Pask, and costumes, by Greg Barnes, are designed with broad strokes and bright humor.  They take you back to Shakespeare’s time grinning with delight.

Something Rotten! is sure to be a long running favorite.  No matter how much you pay for your ticket, it is worth five times the price.

  

Domenick Danza