Sounds like a drag: “Some Like it Hot” is coming to Broadway this fall in a very cool production.
The book is by Matthew Lopez of “The Inheritance” and — get this — the marvelous Amber Ruffin. Christian Borle is one of the stars. The songs are by Marc Shaiman. Casey Nicholaw is directing.
The producing team includes the Shuberts, Jimmy Nederlander, Neil Meron, Kenny Leon, Roy Furman, and Bob Greenblatt. They’re like the all -stars of people who are loved on the Great White Way.
If this isn’t the 2024 Tony winner, I’d be very surprised.
The rest of the cast includes J. Harrison Ghee, Adrianna Hicks,Kevin Del Aguila, NaTasha Yvette Williams, Adam Heller, and Mark Lotito.
You know that “Some Like it Hot” was Billy Wilder’s very famous and hilarious 1959 movie starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Marilyn Monroe. Jack and Tony are being chased by gangsters after witnessing a mob murder. So they join an all girl jazz band in 1930s Chicago and dress as women — in drag — and fool the bad guys.
The movie is on every best of list for the 1950s and all time. It was nominated for six Oscars and won 1 for Best Costume Design-Black and White.
Back in 1972, super producer David Merrick tried a musical adaptation of “Some Like It Hot.” They called it “Sugar.” Tony Roberts and Robert Morse starred with Elaine Joyce, but the whole thing flopped even though it was directed by Gower Champion and Jule Styne songs. The new show is NOT connected to that one, which ran for only 505 performances.
This version has been looming for two years. It was supposed to preview in Chicago before the pandemic started, but then got stuck in all that madness. So this team is ready!