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

Falsettos

Falsettos

Lincoln Center Theater

Walter Kerr Theatre

October 15, 2016

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Lincoln Center Theater is celebrating William Finn’s Falsettos with a poignant revival at the Walter Kerr Theatre.  Under the directions of James Lapine, this powerhouse cast delivers breathtaking performances.  The production offers a chance to stop and think of not only how far we have come in just a few short decades, but what took place that propelled us forward and how important it is to not fall back.

Act I takes place in 1979.  Marvin (played by Christian Borle) has left his wife, Trina (played by Stephanie J. Block), and son, Jason (played by Anthony Rosenthal), for his lover, Whizzer (played by Andrew Rannells).  In an attempt to maintain a sense of connection, Trina and Jason see Marvin’s psychologist, Mendel (played by Brandon Uranowitz).  The entanglement intensifies when Mendel falls in love with Trina and they get married.  The emotional upheaval that comes with the breakdown of the traditional family is tenderly illustrated in this act.  Uncertainty is felt by all the characters.  Stephani J. Block keeps the humor high in her rendition of the song “I’m Breaking Down.”  She and the men in the cast comically illustrate her point of view about this tough transition in the song “March of the Falsettos.”

The cast of Falsettos
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Act II takes place in 1981.  Marvin has split with Whizzer and befriended his neighbors, Dr. Charlotte (played by Tracie Thoms) and her girlfriend, Cordelia (played by Betsy Wolfe).  When Jason invites Whizzer to his baseball game, Marvin and he start up again.  While plans for Jason’s Bar Mitzvah are underway, Whizzer is diagnosed with AIDS.  Tracie Thoms succinctly expresses the helplessness and confusion that was felt at the beginning of the AIDS crisis.  Christian Borle creates a number of sincere and honest moments that connect to what he tells his son in Act I, that love is most important.  It is the chemistry of this amazing ensemble that allows the message of Falsettos to ring true and come full circle.

This production lacks the groundbreaking effect that it had when it was originally produced at Playwrights Horizon in 1981.  It does, however, allow us to reminisce on decades past and reflect on what is important to carry forward in the decades to come.

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