Show guide
Some Like It Hot
Some Like It Hot brings the classic 1959 film to Broadway as a Prohibition era musical comedy about two musicians who go on the run disguised as women in an all female band.
- Broadway premiere
- 2022
- Music by
- Marc Shaiman
- Genre
- Comedy
- Setting
- 1930s
Some Like It Hot: quick answers
What is Some Like It Hot about?
- Some Like It Hot follows Joe and Jerry, two Chicago musicians who witness a gangland murder and hide from the mob as Josephine and Daphne in an all-female band, where Joe falls for singer Sugar Kane and Jerry discovers he loves being Daphne.
When did Some Like It Hot open on Broadway?
- Some Like It Hot opened on Broadway on December 11, 2022, at the Shubert Theatre and closed on December 30, 2023, after a run of about 13 months. It won four Tony Awards.
What kind of musical is Some Like It Hot?
- Some Like It Hot is a musical comedy with an original swing-era score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, adapted from the 1959 film, not a jukebox musical. It is built around big tap and dance numbers staged by Casey Nicholaw.
Where and when is Some Like It Hot set?
- Some Like It Hot is set in 1933, at the end of Prohibition, moving from Chicago's speakeasies to San Diego's Hotel del Coronado, with a side trip to Mexico.
Is there a Some Like It Hot movie?
- The musical is adapted from Billy Wilder's 1959 film Some Like It Hot, starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon.
The story of Some Like It Hot
Set in 1933, at the end of Prohibition, Some Like It Hot follows Joe and Jerry, two musicians who witness a mob hit and flee the city disguised as Josephine and Daphne, joining an all female band led by Sweet Sue. Traveling west with the band to San Diego, they meet singer Sugar Kane, and Joe, still posing as a woman, tries to win her over while keeping his disguise intact.
Along the way Jerry, performing as Daphne, begins to enjoy the freedom of that identity and draws the attention of the wealthy, eccentric Osgood Fielding III. The stage adaptation leans into questions of identity and self-discovery more openly than the film, using the mistaken identity farce to explore gender and reinvention alongside its comedy.
The music and the makers
The score was written by Marc Shaiman, with lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman, the team behind Hairspray, and a book by Matthew Lopez and Amber Ruffin that updates the film's story for a modern audience. Directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, the production is built around big tap numbers and lush period orchestrations.
Songs built for the show's central performers give the score a brassy, big band sound rooted in 1930s swing while still carrying contemporary comic timing. The dance heavy staging, especially for Jerry and Daphne, became one of the production's signature calling cards.
Some Like It Hot on Broadway
Some Like It Hot opened on Broadway on December 11, 2022, at the Shubert Theatre, starring Christian Borle as Joe, J. Harrison Ghee as Jerry, Adrianna Hicks as Sugar Kane, Kevin Del Aguila as Osgood, and NaTasha Yvette Williams as Sweet Sue. The show won four Tony Awards, including Best Choreography for Nicholaw, with Ghee making history as one of the first openly nonbinary performers to win a Tony for lead actor in a musical.
The production closed on Broadway on December 30, 2023, after a run of a little over a year, and went on to tour nationally. It stands as one of the more acclaimed film to stage adaptations of its era, praised for updating a beloved comedy without losing its farcical energy.
Some Like It Hot: frequently asked questions
When did Some Like It Hot open on Broadway?
Some Like It Hot opened on Broadway on December 11, 2022, at the Shubert Theatre.
Who wrote the music for Some Like It Hot?
Marc Shaiman composed the music, with lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman.
What is Some Like It Hot about?
It follows two musicians who disguise themselves as women to join an all female band after witnessing a mob hit, based on the classic 1959 film.
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