Broadway at TPAC
We All Like it Hot
The musical comedy Some Like it Hot is a charming spectacle, with huge dance numbers, delightful sets and costumes, and fabulous orchestrations. It is based on the 1959 film, which is 22nd on the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 greatest American films ever made. The lighthearted comedy follows two down-and-out musicians, Joe and Jerry, struggling in Prohibition-era Chicago, who accidentally witness a mob-shooting. Broke and needing to get out of town, they disguise themselves as women (Josephine and Daphne) in order to join an all-girls band on its way to Florida. They meet Sugar (played by Marilyn Monroe in the film), who is the band’s singer, and soon begin to compete for her affections, complicated by the fact that she thinks they’re both women. Osgood, a wealthy man staying at the hotel, wants to date Daphne, and hijinks and confusion ensue.
Many people have complaints about adaptations of older IP, but this musical evades those: not only is it a tight adaptation, but the American film was itself an adaptation, and not even the first one of those. The story originated with the French film Fanfare d’amour, which was also adapted into the German film Fanfaren der Liebe. Judging from their online summaries, there are marked changes between each version. I’ve only seen the American film version, but there appear to be fascinating sociological adaptations with each new version.
The musical Some Like it Hot makes a few major changes from the American film. [Spoiler alert: skip to the next paragraph to avoid it] The biggest change is that Jerry finds that dressing as Daphne has unlocked a whole new aspect of identity, and that the relationship with Osgood isn’t just a comic misunderstanding, but true romance. The taboo broken for escape and survival becomes an understanding and expression of self, and the musical ends with everyone happy and successful together in Hollywood.
Another change is that all the main characters are supposed to be good people that the audience admires. In the film each person is a stereotype: womanizer, golddigger, dirty old man, etc, and their personal flaws are what create and add momentum to the wacky plot. The musical attempts to flesh each person out and make them genuinely likable with story arcs of personal development. Adding depth to shallow characters is great, but the way the musical does it limits and slows the available comedy, since time needs to be taken to sympathetically justify their actions. But sometimes having everyone be a terrible person is the funniest: just look at Chicago.
Unlike the film, the musical’s cast is diverse and the play is not color-blind, so some characters deal with overt racism. I appreciate this choice, as it allows for a diverse cast without pretending that the period didn’t have horribly limited civil rights for minorities. This change also adds a new aspect of bravery to their characters, whose hopes and dreams of artistic success courageously defy the arbitrary societal restraints of race.
Nothing adapts better to a musical than a story about musicians, since it organically provides moments for both diegetic and non-diagetic music. Some Like it Hot does this very successfully. This musical is fun and lighthearted, with a lot of high-energy numbers. The dialogue and lyrics are witty and funny, but my favorite aspects of the show are the orchestration, the choreography, and the costumes. They’re just so good: each of these categories won a Tony in 2023. The orchestration is rich and imaginative, with the full sound of big band brass. My favorite music in the entire show is a brief bit as they are at a train station, when the orchestra imitates train sounds. There are several extended musical moments that really let the orchestra shine, and these are when the extensive choreography occurs. A variety of dance styles are used, including tap. Excellent use is made of the ensemble dancers, and the big chase scene at the end is hilarious and gets funnier and funnier as it continues. The bright costumes are delightful, giving glamour to the on-stage characters, and the ensemble dancers have enviable uniforms as employees at the train station and at the hotel.
This whole show is a treat to look at, with its art deco style and perfectly calibrated use of scenery. There are so many backdrops for different locations, and while some moments use simple props to indicate the scene, like a doorway and a desk, others are very detailed, like the cramped train bathroom that three characters squeeze into, complete with wallpaper and toilet paper.
The performers are talented, and the lead roles are perfectly cast, which is saying something, as each role requires a triple-threat. Joe is played by Matt Loehr, who is hilariously unsuccessful at acting feminine and delivers his lines with excellent timing, Tavis Kordell gives Jerry/Daphne charming sweetness and is a wonderful dancer. Sugar is played by Leandra Ellis-Gaston, who has a skilled voice and an endearingly balanced naivete and world-weariness. DeQuina Moore as Sweet Sue is high energy fun, and Edward Juvier made me laugh the most with his gleefully agile dancing.
Some Like it Hot is a fun, glamorous night out. Nobody wants to go back to the Great Depression, but most people wouldn’t mind going to a speakeasy with a big band. This show gives us the spectacle we want and would pair perfectly with a classic cocktail at Pullman Standard. I attended Tuesday April 21, and more people were dressed up for the theater than usual, adding to the energy of the night.
Some Like it Hot will be at TPAC’s Jackson Hall through April 25th. Check out their website for tickets and more information.
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A Nashville native and MTSU graduate, Grace Krenz is a reader, a writer, and an arts enthusiast. She lives in Nashville with her husband and two children.
