Review of the Some Like It Hot Broadway Tour

Welcome! If you’re new here and have stumbled upon my blog through the magical and mythical powers of the Internet (aka: most likely Google, judging from my analytics), my name is Ashley. This is my blog and website; on the blog side of things, I tend to mainly document the shows, books, and movies I’m watching, but I do happen to catch theatrical shows every so often!

The Hippodrome in Baltimore City happens to be my nearest touring theater, but I also happen to work at a theater in New York City, so whenever I take extended trips up to New York, I try to catch whatever shows interest me at that time. Sometimes I miss some shows I really want to see, but usually I tend to get to whatever my top picks for that season before they close down.

I didn’t manage to see Some Like It Hot while it was still on Broadway. I’ve seen the movie and written about it before, but I feel like when this was on Broadway, I had more of a limited budget and had to be selective about the shows I was seeing. If I wasn’t excited about it, I planned on just skipping it.

And I wasn’t excited at that time. It was when the show was playing at the Hippodrome that I entered the lottery, which is pretty affordable compared to what we would pay for a Broadway seat. I only paid $78 for two tickets; the only questionable aspect is where they’re going to seat you. When I saw Moulin Rouge the lottery ticket seats were in the back of center orchestra; this time we were assigned to Row R of the Center Upper Balcony, but in the middle.

I liked our seats. The view wasn’t bad at all, and I felt like I was able to see everything quite clearly. My sister and I grabbed the parking that’s attached to the theatre at 7:30, then were comfortably in our seats by 7:45. The place was full on a Friday night except for the row in front of us; it was almost completely empty. Everything else was pretty packed I’d say.

Let’s get into the review! I don’t want to keep rambling during the introduction, as I know these can get quite long.

Two male musicians and dancers get caught up with gangsters, forcing them to flee and disguise themselves as women—creating some new, interesting scenarios.

For those who are familiar with the movie Some Like It Hot, which features the likes of Marilyn Monroe, you’re going to recognize the core story of this show. It’s very much updated and changed for a modern audience in some ways, as the 1950s audience who probably adored this movie couldn’t imagine how exactly this show was going to end now—although having two men crossdress is an interesting plot point for this time.

Anyways, the two male leads in this show are Joe and Jerry, two musicians who are trying to make it in the midst of the Great Depression. The show opens up with a number from Sweet Sue, who sets up the fact Prohibition is very much happening right now in the United States, as well as the underground movements happening.

While Sweet Sue decides to get together a group of women to tour the country, ending in San Diego, Joe and Jerry book a new gig at a spot that seemingly is paying really well. Joe is adamant about them needing to be a highlighting number and the fact they should be paid more, and, despite Jerry’s reluctance, they go up to the owner’s room.

The owner, Spats, happens to be a gangster and guns down some rivals with his associates just as Joe and Jerry walk into the room. The duo, afraid of what they just witnessed, flees the room and has to outrun Spats’ associates coming after them.

After being chased around the establishment, Joe has a new idea. We learn throughout the show he’s the one with the ideas, as he was inspired by the fact his own father walked out on the family when he was young, leaving Joe with a legacy of trying to run away himself.

Joe and Jerry are going to become Josephine and Daphne, two women with the exact same talents as their male counterparts, and they con their way into Sweet Sue’s all-women band. There, they meet Sugar, the lead singer who’s envied by the other girls and not afraid to break the rules.

While Joe is going to fall in love slowly but surely with Sugar, Jerry, as Daphne, learns they really like being a woman and feel comfortable with their two identities. There’s a lot more going on with the show, as Spats is still after them, and there are other romantic prospects on the horizon. And, of course, there’s some singing and dancing to do as they make their way across the country on a train.

Overall Thoughts

I was pleasantly surprised by the changes that were made and different from the movie. I came in expecting to know exactly what happens, but was curious to see how it unfolded, and found myself nodding along as they tweaked the details to make the story different and more contemporary for modern audiences.

I think it works in the end, but this isn’t a show I’m running to see I would say. I got that feeling when it was on Broadway and from the feedback I was seeing online. It’s a fun show with some decent choreography, but I don’t know if the songs were particularly memorable to me, or if it was something I would see again.

It’s what I would say is a good night out, but not something you come in with having high expectations. It’s not high art like Hadestown, nor would I cry like I saw people doing when I saw Maybe Happy Ending. But it’s still a solid show that we should ignore completely!

Go see it if it interests you and falls within your budget.

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