A beloved 1959 film gets an exuberant makeover in the ‘Some Like It Hot’ musical

Some Like It Hot, the 1959 Marilyn Monroe film, is considered a Hollywood classic. Now, it has a whole new life on stage as a musical (or rather, a second-life if you count 1972’s short-lived musical Sugar).

This new version, which uses the original movie title and premiered in New York in 2022, takes the iconic tale and updates it, creating a touching narrative with hummable music and hilarious high jinks.

Set in 1930s Chicago, Some Like It Hot tells the story of Jerry (Tavis Kordell) and Joe (Matt Loehr), friends who witness a murder. They flee town dressed as women, joining an all-women band led by notable bootlegger Sweet Sue (Tarra Conner Jones) and starring the enigmatic Sugar Cane (Leandra Ellis-Gaston). They tour the country, as they learn more about themselves, their identities, and the hilarious lengths they’ll go to stay alive.

The touring production on stage at the Forrest Theatre has a lot going for it, and while it occasionally drags or feels overstuffed, Some Like It Hot largely succeeds for its heart and reverence for its source material.

Adapting a classic film into a two-act musical is no easy feat, but book writers Matthew Lopez and Amber Ruffin do admirable work here. They keep the general plot the same, but work in a wonderfully textured narrative about one’s self-discovery — whether that‘s in relation to their gender, their morals, or otherwise.

In a show where actors, a cisgender man and a nonbinary person, don dresses, it is refreshing to see a sense of humor that doesn’t punch down with the tired “man in a dress equals funny” trope. Instead the hilarity is rooted in the characters, their surroundings, and situations.

The cast of this show is jam-packed with talent.

Jones exudes a Nell Carter-like sensibility as Sweet Sue, combining humor and jazz vocality effortlessly. Kordell (Jerry/Daphne) and Ellis-Gaston (Sugar) both showcase strong singing voices, particularly for their respective solo numbers in the second act. Loehr milks every bit of humor out of Joe/Josephine, and is able to cut a rug with the best of them.

However, it‘s Edward Juvier as Osgood, the millionaire in love with Daphne, who truly steals the show. His overeager smiling and desperate pining is a surprising emotional through line of the show. His Act 2 song “Fly, Mariposa, Fly” is arguably the strongest song in the production, perfectly embodying the message: to be true to one’s self and allow your inner truth to be free.

Choreography was also a clear standout, with several high-energy dance breaks. While these are all thrilling to watch, the highlights are two sequences that can only be described as tap-dancing Scooby-Doo-esque chase scenes. They were deeply comical and as technically impressive as they were entertaining.

There are a few minor aspects of the production that aren’t as successful. The sound quality occasionally felt like the audio levels between the performers and orchestra were unbalanced, making several key moments hard to hear over the brassy, big band score. There was an overall issue with diction as well, with musical numbers having moments where it was slightly tricky to understand the performers clearly.

While I love a splashy musical number as much as the next person, Some Like It Hot feels almost overstuffed with songs. The large musical numbers are often entertaining, but after the fourth big dance scene on a train, you start to wonder which will move first: the plot or the train.

These are, however, minor complaints in what is otherwise an exuberant and heartwarming show. A shining example of how to adapt a classic Hollywood film for a modern audience, while preserving what made the original film so iconic. Some Like it Hot expertly captures the feel of 1930s Chicago, while also making the show contemporary.

(Community/Arts) A 1959 Hollywood classic gets a Broadway makeover and bold update, complete with excellent choreography, hummable music, and a stellar cast.

⌚️ Through June 1,📍 1114 Walnut St., Phila. 🌐 ensembleartsphilly.org

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