Cast Set For SOME LIKE IT HOT at Olney Theatre Center
Jason Loewith directs the musical with choreography by Karla Puno Garcia and music direction by Christopher Youstra.
Olney Theatre Center will open its renovated Bernard Family Theatre with a new production of the musical comedy Some Like It Hot (September 18 - November 8, 2026). The show stars Jacob Tischler as Joe/Josephine, who just finished his acclaimed run in A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder this past Sunday, and Tavis Kordell as Jerry/Daphne, a role they also performed as part of Some Like It Hot's national tour. The pair are joined by fellow national tour veteran Edward Juvier as Osgood, as well as Montria Walker (Little Miss Perfect) as Sugar Kane. Local favorite and Helen Hayes Award-winner Ashleigh King returns to the Olney Theatre stage as bandleader Sweet Sue. Some Like It Hot features a book by Matthew López & Amber Ruffin, music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, all of whom were Tony-nominated during the show's original Broadway run in 2023. Olney Theatre's Artistic Director, Jason Loewith directs the production, assisted by Emmy-winning choreographer Karla Puno Garcia (Senior Class), and music director Christopher Youstra.
Praising the adaptation, Loewith says, “While the show remains a hilarious, fast-paced spectacle, the characters' journeys have been significantly deepened. Through Osgood and Jerry/Daphne, the musical explores what it means to embrace a dual identity, to be nonbinary. At a moment when nonbinary people are characterized as an existential threat to our country, the love story between Osgood – who is neither Mexican nor American but both – and Jerry/Daphne – who can't be one without the other – gives us the opportunity to find empathy, and walk in the shoes of people whose identity can't and shouldn't be limited to a single dimension.”
The production features a set designed by Ryan Douglass and includes 18 cabaret tables for audience members on either side of the thrust stage, meant to evoke the clubs and speakeasies of Some Like It Hot. Colin K. Bills is the lighting designer, with costumes designed by Frank Labovitz and sound designed by Matthew Rowe. The Alaska House Design group of Kelly Colburn, Dylan Uremovich, and Mark Costello are the projection designers for the production. Larry Peterson is the wig designer, Jenny Male is the Fight and Intimacy Consultant, and Ethan Watermeier is the dialect coach. Ben Walsh is the Production Stage Manager, and the assistants are Becky Reed and Jay Dews. Loewith is also aided by Assistant Director Solomon Parker III.
The rest of the cast features some familiar faces returning to the Olney Theatre stage, including Karen Vincent (A Gentleman's Guide…) as Minnie, Todd Scofield (Our Town) as Agent Mulligan, and Greg Twomey (Waitress) as Spats Columbo. Returning members of the ensemble include Ariel Kraje (Frozen, she also serves as Dance Captain/Associate Choreographer), Jay Frisby (Waitress), Nico Nazal (Little Miss Perfect), Jessica Bennet (Waitress), Robert Mintz (Hello, Dolly!), and Caroline Graham (Little Miss Perfect). Ensemble members making their Olney Theatre Center debuts are Nicky Kaider and Kaya Julie Harrison. Gianna Vasquez Bartolini and Ben Yantis will swing for the production.
Based on the MGM film that starred Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Marilyn Monroe, this Broadway hit gives a classic story new life with music and lyrics from the creators of Hairspray, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. The super-smart book and lyrics by Tony Award-winning playwright Matthew Lopez (Inheritance) and Late Night star Amber Ruffin update the vibe to suit 21st-century audiences, telling the hilarious story of two 1930s jazz musicians who go on the run from the mob disguised as women as part of an all-female band headed to California. Just like in the movie, Joe and Jerry become Josephine and Daphne, become “friendly” with the band's star singer Sugar Kane, and find themselves transformed by the experience – and in ways a 1950s film could never make explicit. This tap-heavy, dance-intensive, Prohibition-era spectacle retains a comic heart of pure gold as co-author Lopez reminds us, “we don't think men in dresses are funny, but we think idiots in trouble are always funny.” Patrons can enhance their experience with seats at a limited number of cabaret tables “inside” the club, complete with champagne service.
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