Review: SOME LIKE IT HOT at Keller Auditorium

The national tour of SOME LIKE IT HOT is a big, flashy song-and-dance musical comedy based on the 1959 film of the same name. It follows jazz musicians Joe and Jerry as they flee Prohibition-era Chicago after witnessing a mob hit. To get out of town safely, they don dresses and wigs – becoming Josephine and Daphne – so they can join an all-women band headed for California. Things get complicated when Joe falls for Sugar, the band’s singer, while Daphne is pursued by Osgood Fielding III, the adorable heir to a soda pop fortune.

In many ways, the show feels straight out of 1959, which was during the Golden Age of musical theatre. It is a prime example of Broadway maximalism, featuring a huge cast, jazzy music, brilliant costumes (which won Gregg Barnes a Tony Award), and an embarrassment of dance riches (Casey Nicholaw also won a Tony Award for his direction and choreography).

While it is a firmly rooted comedy – full of slapstick, running gags, and one-liners – Matthew López and Amber Ruffin's book also weaves in the racial realities of the time (1933) as well as contemporary perspectives on gender. When you dig beneath the surface-level laughs, you’ll find a thoughtful commentary about identity and acceptance.

The pace is fast, and the huge cast works overtime to maintain the production's frenetic energy. Matt Loehr is equal parts funny and frustrating as the constantly scheming Joe/Josephine, while Tavis Kordell delivers a transformational performance as Jerry/Daphne. Edward Juvier is delightful as Osgood Fielding III, with strong turns from Tarra Connor Jones as band leader Sweet Sue and Leandra Ellis-Gaston as Sugar. The large ensemble also delivers, particularly in the dance sequences.

Unfortunately, my experience was compromised by Keller Auditorium's notorious acoustic problems, compounded by either microphone malfunctions or missed sound cues. The sound quality at the Keller varies drastically depending on where you sit, but from my seat, the vocals were largely inaudible, rendering most of the numbers all but incomprehensible. Meanwhile, the uneven sound amplified other noises to distracting levels – when Daphne opened a fan, it sounded like the roof was cracking open, and pre-recorded tap tracks during the large dance numbers boomed unnaturally loud, breaking the theatrical illusion.

SOME LIKE IT HOT succeeds as a visual spectacle – the costumes are gorgeous, the choreography is inventive, and the cast commits fully to both the comedy and the deeper themes. I hope they get the sound worked out!

SOME LIKE IT HOT runs through September 7. Details and tickets here.

Portland Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. WAITRESS (Broadway Rose Theatre)

7.7% of votes

2. FUN HOME (Metropolitan Performing Arts)

6.3% of votes

3. SWEENEY TODD (Twilight Theater Company)

6.3% of votes

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