‘Some Like It Hot’ Review: Camp and Vamp
A beloved classic film is adapted into a grand musical that retains the original's humor but reflects progressive values.
Those who proclaim the extinction of good old-fashioned musicals can rejoice. Others who declare that classic tuners are dusty, dated, and out of touch with our contemporary values should also cheer. Folks simply craving high-quality, escapist entertainment will also approve. In other words, Broadway’s fresh Some Like It Hot (★★★★★) should appeal to all — or at least anyone not averse to unadulterated fun.
It’s been quite an undertaking to bring justice to the original source material. The Billy Wilder comedy starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Marilyn Monroe is a crowd and critic favorite. It racked up six Oscar nominations when it opened in 1959.
In true Hollywood style to squeeze as much as possible from a franchise, a television pilot was taped in 1961 but went nowhere. Sugar, a 1972 musical stage adaptation was by all accounts a modest flop. Other global attempts, though some favorable, failed to achieve staying power.
Finally, a slick adaption from a splendid creative team may just be the spoonful of medicine to keep seats filled at New York’s Shubert Theatre for some time to come.
Little has changed from the core story: Two musicians, Joe (Christian Borle) and Jerry (J. Harrison Ghee) have just witnessed a mafia hit in Prohibition-era Chicago and are now on the lam from Spats (Mark Lotito) and his cohorts.
The two-take refuge in Sweet Sue’s (NaTasha Yvette Williams) traveling jazz band. The catch? It’s an all-female group and the two must don frocks to disguise themselves as women. As Josephine and Daphne (respectively) they find themselves at the center of even more complications.
Until recently, men in dresses was fodder for laughter and proved to be challenging territory in the theatrical landscape. In recent years, musical adaptations of Tootsie and Mrs. Doubtfire were chastised by the trans community for careless and irresponsible depictions of men in drag.
Many were left wondering if Some Like It Hot would fall prey to the same criticism, and whether this is a story worth repeating in 2022.
Book writers Matthew Lopez (Broadway’s The Inheritance) and television writer Amber Ruffin rose to the challenge. Humanity and compassion are now intertwined with the comedic framework of the original. Rather than Jerry using his incognito disguise strictly to hide, he realizes that it’s now a part of his identity he wishes to fully express. “I don’t have the word for what I feel. I just feel more like my self than I have in all my life,” Jerry (as Daphne) tells Joe. When asked whether he’ll wear a dress for the rest of his life, Daphne replies, “Today. Tomorrow might be a suit and tie. I like having options.”
Race issues also infuse this update. Leading lady Sugar, originally portrayed by Monroe in the film, is now played by Adrianna Hicks and Lemmon’s original role of Jerry has now been filled by Ghee. Williams assumes the baton of bandleader Sweet Sue — all three are phenomenally talented Black actors.
Ruffin, who is also Black, and Lopez make this aspect less about diversity casting and instead weave it into the plot. Rather than have the band travel south to Florida, they now head west to California. This is one of several minor tweaks to the tale that add extra depth and nuance.
So often, contemporary entertainment tries too hard to convey societal issues to the point where we feel lectured and forced to learn a lesson. How refreshing it is when it can be done in such a subtle manner that we still walk away with a deeper understanding and compassion for humanity.
Borle and Ghee are an ideal pair. Their stage chemistry, vocal prowess, dance chops, and limber antics are nothing short of delightful. Hicks is an absolute dream. Some audiences may remember her gifted vocals as Catherine of Aragon in Six. That pop score showcased her talent but here she’s given jazz- and blues-spiked melodies that elevate her singing to a whole new level. Williams shares Hicks’ gift of delivering big, brassy numbers and provides some zippy one-liners with razor-sharp timing.
Kevin Del Aguila’s Osgood Fielding III is both campy and endearing. As a millionaire pining for the affection of Joe, he instantly steals the audience’s hearts and nearly runs away with both the show and his sweetheart.
Director and Choreographer Casey Nicholaw once more lives up to his reputation for splashy spectacle and hijinks. With The Prom, Aladdin, The Book of Mormon, and The Drowsy Chaperone on his resume, he’s a pro at mining comedy gold from actors and choreographing them in ever-inventive ways.
Broadway veterans Marc Shaiman (composer, co-lyricist) and Scott Wittman (co-lyricist), the mellifluous duo whose hits include Hairspray and Catch Me If You Can have created what may well be their most exciting score. Scott Pask’s scenic design, Gregg Barnes’s costumes, and Natsha Katz’s lighting all combine to eye-popping, visually appealing effect and evoke the period setting.
There are solid, quality Broadway productions to see right now. Then, there are shows so well-crafted and magnificent that leave you floating out of the theater on a giddy high. Some Like It Hot earns its place among the latter.
Some Like It Hot is playing on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre, 225 West 44th St. New York. Tickets are $58 to $278. Visit www.somelikeithotmusical.com or call 212-239-6200.
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