Moulin Rouge! The Musical might have just kicked off the newest season of shows in the 313, but Broadway in Detroit is already looking towards the next show that is arriving in just a couple of weeks. Some Like It Hot, an adaptation of the 1959 film starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Marilyn Monroe, arrives in the Metro Detroit area on October 1st! Ahead of its arrival, we sat down with Stephen Michael Langton, who is a part of the ensemble as well as the understudy for Osgood!
In this interview, Langton spoke about how the show, which was only in previews at the time of recording, is developing, what some of the challenges are for learning two roles, how he balances his mental health on the road, and discusses his love of gaming. Thank you so much for listening, enjoy!
[Note: The highlighted excerpts below of this interview have been lightly edited for clarity. Warning for mild spoilers from Some Like It Hot. You can watch/listen to the full interview above, find it in most places where podcasts are available, or read on.]
Timestamps for this interview:
- 00:00 – Intro
- 01:30 – About Some Like It Hot, and what drew you to this show?
- 04:27 – Audition process
- 06:42 – Challenges to playing two different roles in the show.
- 10:20 – Getting into character
- 12:00 – How being in Newsies helped prepare you for Some Like It Hot
- 13:45 – Being a gamer: PC vs console and “comfort games.”
- 15:35 – Protecting your mental health while on the road.
- 17:40 – How your role in Some Like It Hot pushes you as an actor
- 19:30 – Is there anything special or specific you try to do as you visit different cities during the tour?
- 21:50 – Outros
Highlights from the interview with Stephen Michael Langton from Some Like It Hot
Brian Kitson: Can you tell us a little bit about the show, and what drew you to it?
Stephen Michael Langton: Yeah, absolutely. So it’s based on the MGM film, obviously, of the same name, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Marilyn Monroe, but it’s sort of like an old school, Broadway style show. There’s big dance numbers in it. It’s extremely quick and funny. Every scene feels like it flows like right in one into the other. And you know what really drove me to it is that, sort of, like, big Broadway feel, you know, there’s not a lot of shows that you go to now where the opening number, like, totally wows you, or you get that sort of like, 11 o’clock tap number, you’re laughing the whole time, like that. That’s the kind of show that this is, it moves, it moves quick. And it has all that wit that you’re looking for from the original film.
It’s also got a lot of heart. You know, our show has definitely changed from the film, right? It is based on Some Like It Hot and what you see within our show is a lot of beautiful relationships, a lot of characters, sort of coming into their own, being accepted for who they are and who they want to be. And you know, it’s everything about it, so feel good. I can’t help but smile in the show, not just because I’m an actor, but it really does. It feels good to do every night, and audiences are loving it. They’re they’re laughing the entire time they there’s like, literal aww moments. It’s great to have a show that really hits people hard and fast and then it touches them as well.
BK: What was your audition process like?
Stephen Michael Langton: My audition process? I first sent in a self tape. I had just moved back to New York City after having lived in LA for a couple years, I sort of thought I was done doing theater. To tell you the truth, a lot of things have changed, obviously, in the last few years. And I thought maybe it was time for me to pivot. I’m 33 years old, and
BK: That’s not that old.
Stephen Michael Langton: Thank you. I agree. I moved back to New York after a couple of years in LA, and this was actually my first audition back in the city in like four years. So I shot a self tape at my best friend’s house. A couple weeks later, they called me into the studio, and I was definitely a little nervous because, like I said, I thought I was done with theater. I hadn’t been like dancing in a long time, and suddenly, they’re like, 5-6-7-8, you’re going to do this crazy Broadway tap, and now you’re going to do swing dancing with this girl. And it’s the show itself, has a lot of energy.
The auditions were just the same way. Every time I got called in, it was more and more like more dancing I could do, more scenes I could do. I also understudy the character of Osgood, and so on top of the ensemble stuff, I had the opportunity to learn some awesome material and to work in the room with Casey Nicholaw, our Associate Director Steve Bebout. And after about three rounds of auditions in the month of March, I sat around in my hands for a couple of weeks and then heard about it in April.
Yeah, it was a lot of fun and I met a lot of people in the that process that ended up being in the show with me. And, you know, it’s cool to, like, watch other people’s process grow, and then feel like you already know the people that you’re going to be working with, just based on the rooms that they put us in, and how they wanted us to start to work as an ensemble.
BK: You played Davey in the first national tour of Newsies. How do you feel like that will maybe help you prepare for Some Like It Hot?
Stephen Michael Langton: Newsies is/was a very big show, you know, we were traveling with, like the Broadway set and large, giant mechanical towers, and you’re always running around while this huge thing is dancing around. What I learned there was that, even on a crowded stage, and our stage could be real crowded too… I mean, we are doing everything I did on Broadway, and we’re moving set pieces in and out the whole time. Safety First is, I think, is what I learned with Newsies.
You know, you got 300 something shows to do a year, and that’s tough on your body, that’s tough on your mind, and you can’t get comfortable with it because, you know, we’re not… it is a play, but we are not playing. Sure, everything is very detailed, down to the second, and you have to take care of each other, and you got to take care of yourself. I think it taught me how to work. You know, eight shows a week, how to prepare myself, how to get myself ready for a show every day. It also taught me how to travel and how to relax. I spent a lot of time in my hotel rooms. I brought all my toys with me. I know I’m getting my Steam deck. I got my Switch here. I paint Warhammer models. You have to take care of yourself every day for the show and off-stage.
BK: They had informed me that you were a gamer, and our sister site [The Cosmic Circus] is very into comics and gaming and stuff, so I was going to ask you, PC or console? But it sounds like it’s a little bit of both.
Stephen Michael Langton: Yeah, but definitely PC. Everyone was like, are you going to miss New York? I was like, Yeah, I really miss my computer. I built like a tower or whatever. Right now, I’m on my work computer, but sure, definitely, definitely a PC gamer.
BK: What are some of your comfort games?
Stephen Michael Langton: My comfort games, you know, they have the remakes of Katamari Damacy, and We Love Katamari. Those are two of my comfort games. And like some of my all-time favorite soundtracks, at night, I play a game called Blood Bowl, which has a tabletop alternative as well. So I paint figures for that, but then I also play the digital version of it. I’m in like a Discord league with a bunch of other dudes in their 30s. And I love to play that sort of like football meets chess meets fantasy combat, where you have 11 on 11, and your orcs and elves trying to score touchdowns, and you can kill each other.
BK: I’m a psychologist in my day job, so I always want to know, how are you prioritizing your mental health on the road? And obviously, gaming is part of that. But do you feel like you’re taking time for yourself?
Stephen Michael Langton: Oh yeah, you have to, you know, preparation for the show is paramount on the road, right? You know it’s you gotta take care of your body, your voice, your mind, your stomach, what you’re eating is also very important. Sort of like how you regiment your day because it does take up a pretty weird chunk in the middle of your day, not to mention rehearsals and stuff like that.
But, you know, I work hard, play hard. as soon as I’m home, I’m popping on the headphones. I’m on my Discord. I keep in touch with, you know, friends in New York, as well as a large group of childhood friends I have, and it helps to feel like you’re not stuck in a hotel room all the time. I fostered sort of an online community that always helps me to feel like I’m home, no matter where I am.
And on top of that, the company that I’m traveling with are amazing, lovely, wonderful people. And we have the privilege of being in so many great cities and going out for food or cocktails or just exploring on our days off like that. That’s the job, really, is the traveling portion of it. You know, singing, dancing, acting, with all these great- I mean, you don’t have to pay me for that. Please do. But that’s… the people I work with, you know, we all take care of one another where we can, but, you know, the job is the traveling portion of it, and that’s what I learned the first time I toured, too, is like, how can I be my best self on and off the stage?
Catch Some Like It Hot on its national tour!
Some Like It Hot is just beginning its tour across North America, so don’t miss it when it arrives in a city near you! And if you’re in the Metro Detroit area, you can see the musical at The Fisher Theater from October 1st through the 13th!
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