When you think of a classic Broadway show, what comes to mind? West Side Story? The Sound of Music? Perhaps Oklahoma! or The Music Man? Everyone has different answers to that simple question, but all the choices have one thing in common: larger-than-life shows with those big Broadway vibes. These shows may be small in their scope but are expansive in their song, dances, and stories. These classics have a feel that transfers audiences back to a different time, to a theater experience of yesteryear. It’s this feeling of a gold age of Broadway that the musical comedy Some Like It Hot brings to the stage every night.
Adapted from the 1959 film of the same name, Some Like It Hot came to the stage in 2022. Featuring music from Marc Shaiman, who also wrote the lyrics along with Scott Wittman, Some Like it Hot’s book was created by Matthew López (director of Red, White and Royal Blue) and Amber Ruffin. While many aspects of the story remain intact, this isn’t a straight adaptation of the film that predates it. Instead, the stage show of Some Like It Hot brings the classic tale to a modern audience, featuring critical changes to a dated story.
Having just begun its journey across North America, Some Like It Hot is coming to a city near you. If I can implore one piece of insight from this review, it’s that this musical is not one to miss. Have doubts about catching it on tour? Read on, as I hope I can squash those thoughts and convince you that Some Like It Hot might be one of the best and most important shows in the world currently.
[Warning: spoilers from Some Like It Hot are below!]
Some Like It Hot: running away from your problems never looked so good
Joe (Matt Loehr) and Jerry (Tavis Kordell) are in deep trouble. It’s not every day that you witness a murder at the hands of a mob boss, but that’s just what happens one faithful day in 1933 Chicago when the duo stumbles in on Spats Colombo (Devon Goffman) burying bullets into Toothpick Charlie (Michael Skrzek). Spat doesn’t like a rat willing to show his belly to the FBI, ultimately putting him behind bars, meaning he has to take care of business before business comes knocking on his door.
Sadly, for Joe and Jerry, it’s a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but that moment changes the trajectory of their life. Once having aspirations of being the tapping, music-playing duo of Spats’ Club, they now have to find a way to hop the border to Mexico and never return. How exactly are they going to do that? By joining an all-women band setting out on a North American tour led by the incomparable Sweet Sue (Tarra Conner Jones).
With quick costume changes and some crafty deception, Jerry and Joe assume new lives as Daphne and Josephine, respectively. Now comes the difficulty of making it to Mexico before Spats and his cronies find them first.
Journeys of self-discovery lie at the heart of Matthew López and Amber Ruffin’s story
When Joe first proposes to dress up as a woman and run away with the traveling band, it’s a means of survival. Staying around means impending doom for the musicians. Spats is no good, only bringing trouble and death. They need to escape, and traveling with the women-only band seems like the only logical solution for the desperate musician.
I’ll be honest: I was worried about how the show would handle the cross-dressing aspect, especially knowing the original story was from the 1950’s. Stemming from that time when men dressing in women’s clothing was the butt of a joke when Joe introduced the thought, I cringed. I tried to remind myself that the show is from a dated story with antiqued ideas, but the idea was difficult to swallow from a modern perspective. However, as Some Like It Hot progressed, the worries quieted, and it became clear that a new story was unfolding for Joe and Jerry.
The more obvious journey of self-discovery among our two leads is that of Jerry/Daphne. When the friends decide on their plan to make it to Mexico, Jerry is rather hesitant. Not because they didn’t want to live but because the idea of dressing in feminine clothing felt like such a foreign concept. However, throughout the musical, Jerry embraces the role and learns something important about themselves; perhaps they aren’t as cis-gendered as they thought.
As my friend who also saw the show pointed out, the first instance that clued audiences into the trans story for this character was when they took on the name of Daphne. Unlike Joe, who took on a name close to his own, Daphne was vastly different than Jerry, which signaled that this wasn’t just a means to an end but the beginning of Daphne living her truth. As Some Like It Hot continues, audiences see Daphne embrace their uniqueness, resulting in a new trajectory for their life.
This is one of the best examples of a trans story from a Broadway show, at least in my knowledge and experience with theater. Earlier in the year, I spoke about how well & Juliet handled a similar story, but there’s something more raw and exceptional about what Some Like It Hot does with Daphne’s journey. My breath was taken away at multiple moments at how accurate and beautiful their story was, which is not something I expected from an adaptation of a film from the 1950s.
The love and respect that the writers and actors have put into Some Like It Hot to understand the trans experience is evident in the story they present, which made this musical top-tier for me. They took an outdated story from a period when we didn’t have the language to properly explore gender identity to the degree we can today and decided to tell a story of an under-represented population in all forms of media. This is exactly how we should adapt films and shows from yesteryear, through a new lens that reflects today’s population while also respecting those who didn’t have a voice during the period when it was initially created. For this reason alone, I hope that the musical has a long life and is welcomed with open arms by members of the LGBTQ+ community and those who love them.
That being said, Daphne’s journey to fully understand and embrace themselves isn’t the only self-discovery we see in this musical, as Joe also grows through his time with the traveling band. Before donning the Josephine persona, he’s a Casanova in every sense of the word. He’s playing the field, sleeping with as many women as possible. However, after jumping the train, he meets Sugar (Leandra Ellis-Gaston), the group’s lead singer, and his entire mentality changes.
Through becoming Josephine, he learns what it’s like to be a good man and wants to do everything in his power to do right by Sugar. Sugar has dreams and ambitions to see someone like herself on the screen, and he wants to set aside his ego and help her achieve her goals. He would not have done this before joining the band, as his motives at that time were selfish and self-centered. His growth is more subtle than Daphne’s, but it is still present throughout Acts one and two.
Talent all around in Some Like It Hot
Like most touring shows, Some Like It Hot features simplistic sets, which makes traveling easier. However, it’s not the lights and design that will draw people in; the talented cast brings the show to life and draws audiences in. There wasn’t a person on the stage—and let me tell you, it was quite a large cast—who wasn’t talented in their own right. From the singing to the dancing, the show was bursting with powerful performances that the audience ate up from the beginning to the end.
Of those singing parts, Leandra Ellis-Gaston and Tavis Kordell were the shining stars of Some Like It Hot. Ellis-Gaston took the character of Sugar, who is not much more than a blonde love interest in the film, and created some spectacular. Sugar is strong and determined to fulfill her dreams. She wants to see someone like herself on film and is willing to work hard to pave the road not just for her but for other women like her. Ellis-Gaston’s voice is powerful, as is her acting, giving me chills and making her one of the best parts of Some Like It Hot. It was no surprise to learn that she recently starred in Six because her singing abilities are that of a queen among men.
However, Tavis Kordell is in a league of their own, with a vocal range that is out of this world. They could easily hit low baritone notes and then jump a few octaves to hit notes out of this stratosphere. It was like watching a goddess work their magic on stage, making me cry more than once. Kordell is exceptional in the role of Jerry/Daphne, carrying the weight of such an important story on their shoulders and doing it with ease. To say I’m in awe of their abilities is an absolute understatement, as there is no proper way to describe the level of intense emotions Kordell’s portrayal of Daphne brought me.
Some Like It Hot is an incredibly active show, with non-stop dancing for most of the cast. It’s a tap-heavy show, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it fits the jazz club vibes of the show. It’s impressive to watch the ensemble, who do most of the tapping, move across the stage, changing in and out of costumes in mere moments. There’s an electric energy that helps to bring the show to life and as an audience member, you can’t help but get drawn into it.
Check out Some Like It Hot when it visits a city near you!
For so many reasons, Some Like It Hot is a must-see show. From the updated storylines reflective of our times to the impressive singing and dancing, this show deserves a long life in the public eye. This musical blew me away in ways I never saw coming and will stay in my mind as one of the best Broadway musicals I’ve seen. The care that everyone involved in the production put into it is astounding, especially with the trans storyline, which should set the precedent for telling LGBTQ+ stories across all media. It’s exciting, heartwarming, and the perfect night out at the theater.
Some Like It Hot is currently touring North America! Have you seen this show? Let us know on social media @mycosmiccircus or @boxseatbabes!
