CELIA IPIOTIS REVIEWS "SOME LIKE IT HOT"

Photo by Matthew Murphy New York, New York December 18, 2022 --
Hallelujah! A smart, entertaining, boisterous musical landed on Broadway. Some Like It Hot directed and choreographed by the masterful Casey Nicholaw soars at the Shubert Theater. The brilliant mixed cast tosses zingers worthy of Chris Rock, Lindy Hops their hips off, sing to the rafters and swing that 1930's jazz music off the charts.

Originally a wildly popular Billy Wilder film, Some Like It Hot starred the inimitable Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe. Hard to top? Perhaps. Yet, the Broadway transformation renovated by Matthew Lopez and Amber Ruffin injects freshness into an old-fashioned musical, the likes of which we haven't seen in ages.

Chased by an AL Capone-style thug after witnessing a murder, two itinerant jazz musicians Joe (Christian Borle) and Jerry (J. Harrison Ghee) disguise themselves as females and join an all-female jazz band featuring the gorgeous vocalist Sugar (Adriana Hicks). When the vulnerable star Sugar sings, she stands behind an oversized microphone, breaks at the waist, tilting her torso forward and exerting an uncommon sensuality.

Entranced by Sugar, Joe dons a wealthy "male" disguise in order to woo her, while Jerry finds they feel very comfortable communing inside female society. In a manically funny turn, the eccentric millionaire, Osgood Fielding III (Kevin Del Aguila) is smitten by Jerry who finds his attention pleasing.

In a new twist, Osgood reveals he's really Mexican and takes the ladies for a flashy night across the border. His delicious vocal delivery melts into an implausibly rubbery physicality and Latin dance pizazz. In truth, the whole ensemble shines, sending the audience out the door smiling and humming the knock-out songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.
EYE ON THE ARTS, NY -- Celia Ipiotis

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