Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The hugely entertaining SOME LIKE IT HOT rides on an unstoppable wave of nostalgia and refreshed wisdom

• By drediman
• December 12, 2022
• No Comments

Last night, the hugely entertaining new stage musical adaptation of Some Like It Hot opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre. Based on the classic 1959 Billy Wilder film of the same name, the musical tells the story of two scrappy entertainers who flee Chicago disguised as women to escape from gangsters (The reason? The duo accidentally walks in on a murder they shouldn’t have witnessed). In the company of a traveling all-woman jazz band, they embark on their own journeys of self-discovery to find love and romance, as well as a whole lot of madcap fun.

Broadway has been starved for this kind of zippy, energized “golden age” entertainment – to be sure, a dying breed that’s slowly being replaced by more contemporary fare (just witness the deserved success of Six and & Juliet) – for a while now. Indeed, Some Like It Hot, riding on an unstoppable wave of nostalgia, is defiantly old fashioned, and proudly so. Notably, however, it remains a remarkably fresh and vital piece of musical comedy, and a far cry from being a museum piece. I credit the top notch creative team, who know exactly what they’re doing.

Even at this relatively early juncture in the season, I would venture to claim that Marc Shaiman (music) and Scott Wittman (lyrics) – of Hairspray fame – have penned the score of the season. Their joyous work transcends expert pastiche and works on a visceral level. The book by Matthew López (The Inheritance) and Amber Ruffin (The Amber Ruffin Show) builds upon the basic framework of the Wilder film, introducing layers of refreshed wisdom that bring dimension and relevance to the material, balancing the the musical’s exuberance – the zingers just keep coming! – with loving poignancy.

Director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw (who also helmed the hit musical The Book of Mormon) plays it fast and loose, ensuring that audiences are sent on a giddy and exhilarating ride on a fast train to musical theater heaven. His production – which has been choreographed to the brim (kudos to the excellent ensemble, the engine of the show, who dance up a storm) – shoots out of the canon from the get-go, delivering one show-stopping number after another. The musical culminates in a a giddy tap number cum chase scene that sends the audience into delirium.

Suffice to say, the principal cast – Adrianna Hicks, Kevin Del Aguila, Christian Borle, J. Harrison Ghee, and NaTasha Yvette Williams – are top notch from top to bottom. Like Shaiman and Wittman’s score, they deliver performances that transcend mere parody, creating portrayals that transmit real heat and genuine emotion on top of being technically thrilling musical theater performances. They exude such natural charisma and chemistry with each other that the ample comedy never feels forced nor gratuitously over the top.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

SOME LIKE IT HOT
Broadway, Musical
Shubert Theatre
2 hours, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Open run