Review: SOME LIKE IT HOW at Overture

Some Like it Hot, set in the 1930’s during prohibition and segregation, was a delight to behold. Based on the1959 movie of the same name (which was in turn inspired but the1935 French film, Fanfare of Love) Some like it Hot, drags jazz musicians, Jerry (Tavis Kordell) an upright bass player, and Joe (Matt Loehr), a saxophonist, on a perils journey across country in the company of an all female traveling show.

   A fantastic cast helps in this telling, with the matriarchal Sweet Sue (DeQuina Moore) leading the ladies, Spats (Devon Goffman) heading up the gangsters, and Mulligan, (Matt Allen) leading the coppers in their pursuit of, well, everyone. Of course the star of the traveling show, Sugar (Leandra Ellis-Gaston) rounds out this amazingly talented cast.

   There are a few notable differences between this and the 1959 film version. But the biggest and most appreciated is diversity. Jerry (whom later becomes Daphne) and Joe (who later will portray Josephine) view each other as brothers, while not by blood, they are brothers through and through. Jerry being black and Joe being white, this is explained through song, and beautifully refreshing on this old white theme.

   The audience is immediately blown away by the powerful vocals of DeQuina Moore, breaking into “What are you Thirsty for?” And she never lets up through the n tire show. This woman’s voice is a force to be reckoned with. I got chills.

  Seemingly opposite of that was the sweet vocals of Leandra Ellis-Gaston, who’s portrayal of Sugar was a fantastic juxtaposition to Sweet Sue’s bravado.While initially portrayed as a hard drinking, party girl, who’s always late, Sugar’s sweetness and innocence soon enough shined through. It was a beautiful thing to witness.

   The dancing was phenomenal in this show, hats off to not only the dancers (It was exhausting to watch, So much energy!) but to the choreographer who hatched such an elaborate plan. Every time (and this is not hyperbole!) the dancers, in any combination, broke into tap the audience lost it’s collective mind! There was hooting and hollering and screaming every single time. It was pretty amazing! And the dancers themselves were well deserving of all that praise.

   The stand out person in this show (as I’m sure it was written to be) was Tavis Kordell, and his incredible portrayal of Daphne. Combining beautiful vocals, with the talented dancer that he is (Especially in heals!) created an electricity that few ill soon forget. The number, “Let’s be Bad” had the audience on their feet and screaming for more.

    All in all, between the comedic timing of Minnie (Devon Hadsell) and the poignancy of the show (I can’t give it all away, no spoilers here!) it was a great night of theater at The Overture Center. And with that I will leave you with my favorite and most validating line from the show as stated by Sweet Sue, “We don’t have to make history, we just have to survive it”.

   Now get your tickets before they’re gone!

Madison, Wis. (Oct. 27, 2025) — The producers of “Some Like It Hot,” All-Out Song-And-Dance Spectacular!” (The New York Times), are excited to announce the full cast for the North American tour coming to Overture Center for the Arts from Tuesday, Nov. 11 through Sunday, Nov. 16. The cast includes Sun Prairie High School graduate Jamal Stone! Tickets ($38.40-$183) are available at overture.org.   

In September, the tour welcomed DeQuina Moore as Sweet Sue and Matt Allen as Mulligan. They join returning principal cast members Matt Loehr as Joe/Josephine, Tavis Kordell as Jerry/Daphne, Leandra Ellis-Gaston as Sugar, Edward Juvier as Osgood, Devon Goffman as Spats, and Devon Hadsell, who was a member of the original Broadway company, as Minnie. 

Joining the ensemble are Devin Cortez, Jonathan Duvelson, Madeline Kendall, Kelly Sheehan, Jamal Stone and Julia Yameen. Rounding out the company are returning cast members Ashley Marie Arnold, Kelly Berman, Ian Campayno, Darien Crago, Austin Dunn, Adena Ershow, Drew Franklin, Tim Fuchs, Bryan Thomas Hunt, Emily Kelly, Stephen Michael Langton, Ranease Ryann, Nissi Shalome and Michael Skrzek. 

Headshots and bios for the full cast are available here. 

Set in Chicago when Prohibition has everyone thirsty for a little excitement, “Some Like It Hot” is the “glorious, big, high-kicking” (Associated Press) story of two musicians forced to flee the Windy City after witnessing a mob hit. With gangsters hot on their heels, they catch a cross-country train for the life-chasing, life-changing trip of a lifetime. 

And what a trip it is! With its irresistible combination of heart and laughs, song and dance, “Some Like It Hot” won more theater awards than any show in its season, and was named Best Musical by the Drama Desk, The Drama League, and the Outer Critics Circle. No wonder Deadline calls it “a tap-dancing, razzle-dazzling embrace of everything you love about musical theater.” 

“Some Like It Hot” features a book by Matthew López (The Inheritance) & Amber Ruffin (“The Amber Ruffin Show”), music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman (Hairspray), and direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon). The musical is based on the classic MGM film “Some Like It Hot,” which has been named the “Funniest American Movie of All Time” by the American Film Institute.  

The creative team also includes Scott Pask (Sets), Gregg Barnes (Costumes), Natasha Katz (Lights), Brian Ronan (Sound), Josh Marquette (Hair), Milagros Medina-Cerdeira (Makeup), Christian Borle & Joe Farrell (Additional Material), Mary-Mitchell Campbell and Darryl Archibald (Music Supervision), Kristy Norter (Music Coordinator), Charlie Rosen and Bryan Carter (Orchestrations), Marc Shaiman (Vocal Arrangements), and Glen Kelly (Dance and Incidental Music Arrangements). The production team also includes Steve Bebout (Associate Director), John MacInnis (Associate Choreographer) and Juniper Street Productions (Production Management). 101 Productions, Ltd. serves as the general manager.  

The “Some Like It Hot” tour stage management team is led by production stage manager Donavan Dolan. The company management team is led by company manager Deann L. Boise. The orchestra is led by music director Mark Binns.  

“Some Like It Hot” is produced on tour by The Shubert Organization and Neil Meron, and co-produced by Hunter Arnold, Roy Furman, John Gore Organization, James L. Nederlander, The Dalgleish Library Company Group, Cue to Cue Productions, Robert Greenblatt, Sheboygan Conservatory Partners, ATG Productions, Bob Boyett, Janet and Marvin Rosen, The Araca Group, Concord Theatricals and Independent Presenters Network; Jennifer Costello is Executive Producer. 

The North American tour is booked by The Booking Group (www.thebookinggroup.com) with casting by The Telsey Office.  

Concord Theatricals Recordings released the Grammy Award-winning SOME LIKE IT HOT (Original Broadway Cast Recording) on streaming and digital platforms worldwide in March 2023 with CD and vinyl now available.  

https://somelikeithotmusical.com/ 

Follow SOME LIKE IT HOT on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. 

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