Edward Juvier, Tavis Kordell, and Cast Photo by Matthew Murphy

The movie, in fact, has been made into two Broadway musicals. Sugar, opened in 1972, ran for over 500 performances, with a score by Jule Styne (Gypsy, Funny Girl), but never lifted off the ground and was not considered a hit. Enter Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman who, after mammoth success with Hairspray in 2002, had churned out several more shows looking for another big hit. Why not another go at Some Like It Hot? Teaming up with playwright Matthew Lopez and television comedy writer Amber Ruffin on the book, the musical arrived on Broadway in December, 2022. It was the brightest, splashiest show of the season, and scored thirteen Tony nominations – winning four. So what if it didn't last even as long as Sugar and closed without becoming that longed for hit? Some Like It Hot looks like, sounds like, and feels like an old-fashioned, full-blown Broadway musical.

Making one of its first stops on a national tour that kicked off last month, Some Like It Hot is playing at the Orpheum in Minneapolis, and if you are a fan of old-fashioned, full-blown Broadway musicals, I suggest you get a ticket. The Wittman/Shaiman songs are tuneful, with a range from brassy production numbers to torchy ballads. Though all originals, they contain hints of Rodgers and Hart's romance, Gershwin's wit, and Cole Porter's naughtiness. Moreover, they do what songs in musical theatre are meant to do–reveal character and propel the story forward, "Vamp" being a great example of the latter as our heroes hatch their escape plan. A generous number of those songs expand into extended dance breaks that display Casey Nicholaw's inventive, Tony-awarded choreography, performed by a grinning ensemble who keep going like the Energizer Bunny.

Lopez and Ruffin's book is funny, and makes pains to address aspects of the story that might have aged poorly between 1959 and 2022. Sugar Cane, the band singer memorably played by Marilyn Monroe in the movie as a classic "dumb blonde," has been smartened up a bit, no longer such a naïve bimbo in the woods. Of course, no one could have matched Marilyn's sexuality and charisma, but a sharper, more confident Sugar doesn't need to rely on innate appeal, and can be presented as a recognizable character. Also, the show is, happily, now populated by an integrated troupe. Rather than treat this as simple color-blind casting and leave the dialogue unchanged, there are pointed references to challenges that face its Black characters. For starters, with Sweet Sue, leader of the girls band, a Black woman, their destination is switched from Florida, which would have meant traveling through the Jim Crow south, to San Diego. (Ironically, the Hotel del Coronado, where Sweet Sue's band performs in the new show, is an actual hotel that was the location used to film scenes in the movie that were supposed to have been in Florida). There's also a well-crafted number to explain how Joe, a white guy, and Jerry, a Black man, are actually brothers, complete with terrific tap-dancing to hammer the point home.

The most notable change addresses the fact that we no longer find men wearing dresses to automatically be hilarious–lessons learned by the recent Tootsie and Mrs. Doubtfire. The focus shifts when we easily see the discomfort felt by one of the two musicians on the lam in lady's garb, and then see the other come into his–or her–own by bringing out a feminine identity. Given the chance, Jerry discovers a preference for being Daphne, a narrative development that wouldn't have sold in 1959 but fits well into the zeitgeist of the 2020s, even if detractors are determined to push the clock back on the progress that has been made in the realm of expressing ones gender identity.

But the book is not all about 21st century correctness. It is laden with jokes, along with the humor built into its far-fetched narrative. It culminates in a chase scene involving a bank of open-and-slamming-shut doors that is spectacular. The mind that figured out how to pull that off–and I'll throw the credit to Nicholaw, who directs as well as choreographs–could be dangerous in the wrong hands.

The cast is brimming with talent. Tavis Kordell plays Jerry, who hides and then emerges as Daphne, the role that won J. Harrison Ghee a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. The role calls for the actor to believably develop an awareness of their true gender identity, be a great singer, dance divinely, and look swell in both a suit and a gown. Kordell fills the bill, delivering a stunning dance break in "Let's Be Bad" and a knock-out vocal on "You Coulda Knocked Me Over with a Feather." If Jerry/Daphne's partner in their escape caper, Joe/Josephine, makes less of an impression as played by Matt Loehr, the fault is largely in the character grabbing less of our attention. Loehr does serve up a lot of funny lines, and holds his own in duets with Jerry, "You Can't Have Me (If You Don't Have Him)," and with Sugar, "Dance the World Away." Having him pretend to be a German magnate instead of an easterner with a mid-Atlantic accent as in the movie, when adapting yet another guise to woo Sugar, is an odd choice that might have seemed funnier on the page.

Leandra Ellis-Gaston is wonderful as Sugar, delivering the smarts that balance out her sass and sadness, making her a believable whole. Ellis-Gaston's voice is especially suited to the torchy "A Darker Shade of Blue" and "Ride Out the Storm," and the wistful "At the Old Majestic Nickel Matinee." The strongest performance comes from Edward Juvier as Daphne's pursuer, Osgood, who introduces himself as "The Poor Little Millionaire," sets the bar for gayety high with "Dance the World Away," and delivers the lovely "Fly, Mariposa, Fly," the show's loveliest song that reveals how a life hidden beneath our exterior can take wing. Juvier is funny, a strong singer, a lithe dancer, and an endearing presence. Tarra Connor Jones plays bandleader Sweet Sue, all shout and swagger. There's not much subtlety to the character, and Jones' performance follows suit.

The ensemble works overtime singing and dancing to deliver the robust score and cornucopia of choreography. A quartet of Sweet Sue's band members played by Nissi Shalome, Devon Hadsell, Ashley Marie Arnold and Emily Kelly bring extra lilt to a couple of numbers. Devon Goffman is suitably nasty as mobster Spats Colombo, and Jamie LaVerdiere is spunky as Mulligan, the detective out to put Spats behind bars.

The music, with its Tony-winning orchestrations by Charlie Rosen and Bryan Carter, sounds great performed by a sizzling band under Mark Binns' direction. Gregg Barnes' Tony-winning costumes are on full display, and they are stunning, with multiple wardrobe changes for the lovely ladies, both genuine and not-so. The sets, designed by Scott Pask, do not have any super-effects, but beautifully summon up the range of lavish locales, with a dazzling interior of Hotel del Coronado and a beautiful Mexican cantina setting–one advantage of having the action shift from Florida to southern California is the opportunity for a south-of-the-border night out–when Tijuana was romantic. Natasha Katz's lighting and Brian Ronan's sound complete the package of strong design elements that bring Some Like It Hot to life onstage.

For everything I loved about Some Like It Hot on stage, it is not nearly as great a musical as the movie is a film comedy. But, friends, that's a ridiculously high bar to strive for. These days, it seems most of our new musicals are juke box affairs, focused on serious subjects, or based on film comedies that were pretty good but don't touch Some Like It Hot. What we have on stage at the Orpheum is genuine, old-school, musical comedy, with all bells ringing and whistles blowing. The show absolutely heats up the theater, and I am happy to be one of those who likes it hot.

Some Like It Hot runs through October 20, 2024, at the Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis MN. For tickets information, please call 612-339-7007 or visit hennepintheatretrust.org. For information on the tour, visit www.somelikeithotmusical.com.

Book: Matthew Lopez and Amber Ruffin, based on the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture "Some Like It Hot"; Music: Marc Shaiman; Lyrics: Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman; Additional Material: Christian Borle and Joe Farrell; Director and Choreographer: Casey Nicholaw; Orchestrations: Charlie Rosen and Bryan Carter; Scenic Design: Scott Pask; Costume Design: Gregg Barnes; Lighting Design: Natasha Katz; Sound Design: Brian Ronan; Hair Design: Josh Marquette; Make-up Design: Milagros Medina-Cerdeira; Music Supervision: Mary-Mitchell Campbell and Darryl Archibald; Music Director/Conductor: Mark Binns; Vocal Arrangements: Marc Shaiman; Dance and Incidental Music Arrangements: Glen Kelly; Music Coordinator: Kristy Norter; Casting: The Telsey Office, Bethany Knox, CSA; Production Stage Manager: Andrew Bacigalupo Associate Director: Steve Bebout; Associate Choreographer: John MacInnis.

Cast: `Ayla Allen (swing), Ashley Marie Arnold (Ginger/ensemble), Kelly Berman (ensemble), Darien Crago (Nellie/ensemble), Leandre Ellis-Gaston(Sugar), Drew Franklin (ensemble), Tim Fuchs (swing), Devon Guffman (Spats), Devon Hadsell (Minnie), Devin Holloway (ensemble), Rachael Britton Hart (swing), Bryan Thomas Hunt (swing), Tarra Conner Jones (Sweet Sue), Edward Juvier (Osgood), Emily Kelly (Vivian/ensemble), Brianna Kim (ensemble), Tavis Kordell (Jerry/Daphne), Stephen Michael Langton (Man with Suitcase/ensemble), Jamie LaVerdiere (Mulligan), Matt Loehr (Joe/Josephine), Jay Owens (Sonny/ensemble), Ranease Ryann (ensemble), Nissi Shalome (Dolores/ensemble), Michael Skrzek (Toothpick Charlie/Bar Manager/ensemble), Tommy Sutter (Mack/ensemble).