Critical Review at Hennepin Theatre Trust

Some Like It Hot is everything modern theatre can be and everything traditional theatre could never achieve. The 2022 Broadway adaptation of the 1959 UA/MGM film barreled onto the scene like a freight train, racking up awards and raking in reviews. Two months after its Broadway closing, It would win the 2024 Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album, and within the year, would be arriving at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Minneapolis. Some Like It Hot is the story of a duo of dancing gig musicians, who adopt feminine personas to join an all-women's traveling band, and escape from prohibition-era Chicago. Both the 2022 stage adaptation, and the 1959 film sit squarely within the comedy genre, and on top of the comedy gold mine that is gender; but while the 1959 film finds humor through mocking those who deviate from the norm, the 2022 musical finds humor in mocking the norm itself. Some Like It Hot is empathetic in all the ways its progenitor could never be, and from that empathy,

One of the better screen-to-stage adaptations of its time, Some Like It Hot is a must-see performance that recently danced its way to the Orpheum Theatre. Sending the audience back in time to the infamous Prohibition, Some Like It Hot follows two musicians on the lam who disguise themselves as ladies and join an all-female band. Based on the classic 1959 film, this show brings its audience on a chaotic musical odyssey across the country filled with dazzling choreography, sharp humor, expressive costumes, and a deeper dive into gender identity. What stood out to me right away was the sheer talent these actors expressed through the power of dance. The “Tip-Tap Twins” Joe and Jerry swept the audience off their feet almost immediately with the intricate tap number “You Can’t Have Me (If You Don’t Have Him)” bursting with energy and excitement. Perfectly in unison, the satisfyingly crisp sounds of Matt Loehr and Tavis Kordell’s outstanding tapping talent set the stage for this dance-heavy

As the curtain rises and smooth jazz fills the Orpheum Theatre, Some Like It Hot whisks you back to a golden age of comedy, music, and extravaganza. It’s a show that oozes the energy of old Hollywood while giving a fresh twist on a classic comedy. Based on the 1959 film, the core plot remains: two musicians, Joe and Jerry, disguise themselves as women and join an all-female band to escape the mob. However, the musical modernizes the characters, motivations, and plot points, turning it into a hilarious and heartfelt journey through friendship, love, and, most importantly, acceptance in 1930s America. Having seen this show on Broadway, I was eager to see how the national tour would hold up. After all, the Broadway cast recording was my top album on Spotify last year, so I had high expectations—and this production did not disappoint. Matt Loehr’s portrayal of Joe/Josephine was a standout, blending comedic charm with genuine heart. His physical comedy and seamless transitions between Joe,

Bold, brassy and unapologetic, the touring production of Some Like It Hot that opened Tuesday is a good old-fashioned spectacle that skillfully remasters the original source material. Based on the 1959 film of the same name and composed by songwriting partners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman ( Hairspray, Catch Me If You Can, NBC’s Smash), Some Like It Hot follows two musicians, Joe (Matt Loehr) and Jerry (Tavis Kordell), on the lam from gangsters after witnessing a hit. Disguising themselves as women, they join an all-female band headed for California, where they meet singer Sugar Kane (Leandra Ellis-Gaston) and try to stay two steps ahead of their pursuers. The show does its best to provide Sugar with a measure of her own agency, a quality largely lacking in the doe-eyed sexpot portrayed by Marilyn Monroe in the original film. We learn Sugar’s compelling motivation to pursue stardom in Hollywood is to become the actress she would have liked to see on screen as a young Black girl. The n

  What do you get when you combine jazz, Prohibition, romance, and breaking the gender binary? Why, Some Like It Hot, of course! Written by Matthew López, Amber Ruffin, Marc Shaiman, and Scott Wittman, Some Like It Hot tells the story of two Chicago brothers, Joe (Matt Loehr) and Jerry (Tavis Kordell), who witness a mob hit. To make their escape, they pretend to be women (transforming into Josephine and Daphne*) and join an all-girl band headed for California. But where the 1959 film makes cross-dressing a spectacle, in the updated Broadway version, Daphne simply realizes that they don’t quite mind wearing a dress. This brilliant, reclaimed blend of classic and contemporary will leave you both entertained and inspired, and it’s here through October 20. Although it deserves some grace, considering I attended the production’s opening night of this tour stop, there were abundant technical issues. Several lines were delivered without mics; the spotlights were often nowhere near their t