Review: SOME LIKE IT HOT at The Hippodrome, Baltimore

The movie, Some Like It Hot, has long been a favorite of mine. As a kid growing up in Dayton and then Cincinnati, Ohio, I loved seeing Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon don women’s clothing, outrun the bad guys, and the line that Lemmon says, ‘now look what you did – you tore off one of my chests!’ struck me then and now as hilarious. There was nothing gay about the portrayals; at best the guys were mercenary ne'er-do-wells just trying to stay alive and not get shot up by the gangsters, after witnessing no less a caper than the St. Valentine’s Day massacre in Chicago.

That part of the story is essentially unchanged from the original Billy Wilder script. And the two characters follow the plot line made famous by the introduction of Marilyn Monroe. So what’s changed? Well, I’ll tell you – it’s  a throwback to the big box musicals we’ve come to know and love, with some of the best toe-tapping music (and the whole cast taps its shiny hineys off!)

The production that is currently running at The Hippodrome is the first national tour of this Tony award winning hit. And, having seen the original Broadway company, I can accurately report that the touring company mostly holds its own. So let’s do a little recap, shall we?

Joe and Jerry have recently traded in their tap shoes to become legit musicians, playing in speakeasies and any place else they can make a buck but they are not above resurrecting the old tapping act if that’s what it takes to get by. They land a gig at the famous nightclub owned by the notorious gangster, Spats. Just as they are getting some recognition, they stumble on Spats and his henchmen shooting some rivals. When they’re discovered, they take it on the proverbial lam and end up joining an all-girl band, Sweet Sue and her Society Syncopators, dressing like women to hide from the baddies. Along the way, Joe(sephine) falls for Sugar Kane, the band’s singer. Meanwhile, Jerry, now as of Daphne, has an ardent admirer of his own, the super-rich Osgood Fielding III. Osgood is either wonderfully clueless or simply doesn’t care that Daphne is not exactly as she appears to be – he is smitten.

So Joe(sephine) steals some clothes and passes himself off as a German screen writer, which is right up Sugar’s alley, as she longs to be a movie star. And despite Daphne’s initial reservation at pulling off this farce, he, I mean she, or maybe they? (Lawd, don’t let me get all tangled up in pronouns or we’ll never get through this), the romance with Osgood takes a surprising turn when Daphne discovers that wearing dresses and high heels actually speaks to her/him/them on a level they were unaware existed.

When Sweet Sue announces she has found a wealthy benefactor who will bankroll the band, little do any of them know that the Mr. Money Bags is none other than Spats himself. With the FBI hot on all their trails, to coin a cliché, hijinks ensue.

In a script that focuses on self-discovery, right and wrong in pursuit of survival, and gender identity, all wrapped in a script that is by turns funny, poignant, and sometimes downright silly, the writers encapsulate the best points of the gender-bending movie. And while staying essentially true to the original, those elements that speak directly to the pursuit of the characters’ revelations about who they truly are is what sets this musical version apart from the movie. A decidedly contemporary slant to a story that is set in the 1930s.

As for this production, I have to be honest – there were a couple of glitches, one involving a complete break down of the sound system that resulted in the curtain being rung down, house lights up, for about 10 minutes, which extended the length of the show opening night. Hey, it happens in the best of theatres.

The other little glitch involved a newly polished floor and an actor who slipped and hit the floor. As a former dancer, I know all too well how terrifying that can be, but I have to give to the actor, who got on their feet, and without missing another beat, was back in form for a lovely pas de deux, reminiscent of the great Astair and Rogers routines.

Casey Nicholow has racked up a slew of hits on Broadway, with the Tonys and Drama Desk nominations and awards to prove it. His duties on Some Like It Hot extended to designing the dances – especially the tap routines- that kept the audiences toes a’tappin’. Truly an uber talent in the tradition of other director/choreographers like Fosse, Strohman, Robbins, and more recently Jerry Mitchell and Rob Marshall.

Other notable achievements by the creatives on this team would include either Tony wins or nominations for  Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Scott Pask), Best Costume Design (Gregg Barnes), and Matthew Lopez and Amber Ruffin for Best Book of a Musical and, oh yea, the show just happened to pick up the award for Best Musical of 2022. And let’s not forget Scott Whittman and Marc Shaiman might have had a little to do with it – they won the Tony for Outstanding Lyrics.

The cast is terrific – way too good to single everyone out, so how ‘bout we hit a couple of high lights that tickled my fancy (where exactly is my fancy?) Sweet Sue’s Society Syncopators and the male chorus as well were superb. I think I saw actual wings on some of their feet, they were leaping and spinning and carrying on so.

As for the supporting cast, I loved the powerful voice of Tarra Conner Jones as Sweet Sue, Edward Juvier’s excellent comedic timing as Osgood, Devon Goffman’s spot-on Edward G. Robinson or maybe he was channeling Cagney’s scary/funny gangsters of old, and speaking of classic portrayals, Jamie LaVerdiere did a  fine job as the FBI Agent, Mulligan.

But this show swings and sings on the strength of the two leads, and Matt Loehr as Joe/Josephine and Tavis Kordell as Jerry/Daphne were both fire! These boys were funny, touching and great actors. I do wish Mr. Kordell had smiled a bit more, but that’s a personal note because I loved his smile that I didn’t get to see nearly enough of. And Matt Loehr is side splitting with his spit takes and eye rolls.

With the climate for the arts as imperiled as it seems to be these days, I am afraid that shows that celebrate the trans community and espousing the philosophy that so many of us live by – namely, Love is Love – will be stifled. But as long as they keep making them, I’ll keep writing about them and encouraging readers to go buy a ticket and show their support as often as possible. Now more than ever.

Some Like It Hot The Musical runs through May 11 at The Hippodrome, 12 North Eutaw Street, Baltimore, MD. Click Here for information and tickets. Photo Credits: Matthew Murphy

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