Leandra Ellis-Gaston and Cast (Matt Loehr on sax and Tavis Kordell on standup bass) Photo by Matthew Murphy

From a producer's standpoint, the transformation of Some Like It Hot into a musical makes total sense: you have a known property, and the movie already has music at the core of its plot. And with the increased visibility of the trans community, there was an opportunity to use cross-dressing for something more than cheap laughs. On many levels, the creative and production team have succeeded: there's a lot of energetic, jazz-influenced music, some terrific dancing, and a sparkly art deco set and jazz age costumes. But in the journey from screen to stage, Wilder's taut script–adapted by Matthew Lopez and Amber Ruffin and directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw–ends up feeling a little flaccid and uninspired.

The plot of the source material is mostly unchanged: Joe (Matt Loehr) and Jerry (Tavis Kordell) are two out of work musicians in depression-era Chicago. Hungry for a gig–and turned down by bandleader Sweet Sue (Tarra Conner Jones) because her band, the Society Syncopators, is all-female–they turn to local mob boss Spats Colombo (Devon Goffman). But when they later witness Spats and his gang gunning down a suspected informant, Joe and Jerry need to skip town–and fast. To prevent their being tracked down, Joe wheedles Jerry into disguising themselves as women in order to join Sweet Sue and Her Society Syncopators as they head out on a cross-country tour, with the ultimate destination being sunny San Diego.

This road trip is where Some Like It Hot begins to drag (pun not intended). For, unlike the original, where the train trip consumes a relatively brief amount of screen time, here the journey occupies a significant portion of the first act, with the Syncopators stopping in several midwest destinations before ending up at the Hotel Del Coronado (which stood in for a Miami resort in the film).

Once in San Diego, Joe–now Josephine–falls hard for the band's vocalist and ukulele player, Sugar Kane (a charming, pixie-ish Leandra Ellis-Gaston in the role played in the film by Marilyn Monroe). Meanwhile, local millionaire Osgood Fielding III (Stephen Michael Langton, probably the most entertaining performer in the cast) is besotted by Jerry, who has become Daphne. Despite all their protestations, Daphne can't shake Osgood's relentless wooing. In the film, there are several instances where the "girls" have to do some clever maneuvering to maintain their feminine charade. Here there are only a few moments when Joe/Josephine and Jerry/Daphne are in danger of being caught with their wigs off, which is disappointing, as a few theatrical quick changes could have made for some stellar comic moments.

Fortunately for director Nicholaw, and the audience at BroadwaySF's Orpheum Theatre, the cast is strong, especially Ellis-Gaston as Sugar, who stands up for herself in ways Monroe's character did not. Matt Loehr is a little frenetic in the early scenes with Joe, but finds his footing when he dons a dress to become Josephine. It's a mystery to me how the same mugging that seemed a little over the top when Loehr is Joe seems to sparkle more with the addition of some lipstick and rouge.

As Daphne, Tavis Kordell plays more of a straight man/woman to Joe, but gets one of the biggest laughs of the night when Daphne announces, "I'm engaged," at which Joe asks "Who's the lucky girl?" and Daphne deadpans "I am."

The chorus do a great job backing the action as the Society Sycophants plus various gangsters, cops, bell hops and train conductors. It's easy for actors to simulate playing their instruments, but much harder to fake dancing. Fortunately, the cast is filled with terrific hoofers. The score, composed by Marc Shaiman with lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman, feels very '30s in its arrangements, and the songs are pleasant enough, though the lyrics are rather pedestrian, a letdown from the usual verbal brilliance of Shaiman and Wittman. My favorite number was probably "Let's Be Bad," which would feel right at home in a Cole Porter musical.

Though act one drags the show down a bit, there are some lovely moments, especially in the second half when Jerry/Daphne uncovers a previously undiscovered side of themself. This is beautifully handled by writers Lopez and Ruffin, and brings the genderqueer aspects of the show to the fore in a subtle but powerful way.

Some Like It Hot runs through January 26, 2025, at BroadwaySF's Orpheum Theatre, 1182 Market Street, San Francisco CA. Performances Tuesdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, and Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 1:00pm. Tickets range from $55.50-$239.50. For tickets and information, please visit broadwaysf.com or call 888-746-1799. For information on the tour, visit somelikeithotmusical.com.