# Some Like It Hot (musical)

Some Like It Hot is a 2022 musical comedy with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman, and a book by Matthew López and Amber Ruffin. It is based on the 1959 MGM/UA feature film Some Like It Hot, which in turn was based on the 1935 French film Fanfare of Love. The musical, like the film, follows the story of a pair of male musicians who disguise themselves as women to escape from gangsters after witnessing a murder.
The show received positive reviews from critics, and went on to receive a leading 13 nominations at the 76th Tony Awards, including Best Musical, with J. Harrison Ghee getting a nomination for and subsequently winning Best Leading Actor in a Musical,. This makes Ghee one of the two first openly non-binary performers to be nominated for and win a Tony Award.

## Plot
### Act I

In 1933, right before the end of Prohibition, Chicago speakeasy performer Sweet Sue is arrested in a raid ("What Are You Thirsty For?"). After being bailed out of jail, Sue decides to form an all-female band that will tour the western U.S., playing its final engagement in San Diego. Meanwhile, the club's saxophonist Joe and bass player Jerry, desperately in need of a paycheck, seek out a job with Spats Colombo, the proprietor of the Cheetah Club and a powerful gangster. Colombo's hiring manager is impressed by Joe and Jerry's musical abilities, but only offers to hire Joe; the manager is prejudiced against Black people and therefore refuses to hire Jerry. Joe and Jerry explain that Jerry's parents raised Joe after his own outlaw parents abandoned him, and as such, they come as a package deal ("You Can't Have Me (If You Don't Have Him)"). Colombo, impressed by their tap dancing act, "The Tip-Tap Twins", agrees to hire them both.
That evening, Colombo receives a tip from FBI Agent Mulligan that he will be arrested imminently if he doesn't turn state's evidence. Suspecting he has been betrayed, Colombo calls Toothpick Charlie and two of his associates into his office and has them shot. At this moment, Joe and Jerry walk in and witness the murder. Fleeing from Colombo’s goons, the pair find themselves in a women's dressing room. Joe makes a plan: he and Jerry will disguise themselves as women and join Sweet Sue's band to get to San Diego, then flee to Mexico. Jerry is doubtful that Joe's plan will work, but seeing no alternative, he goes along with the plan. ("Vamp!")
The next day, Joe and Jerry arrive at the train station as the band is departing, posing as two music students named Josephine and Daphne. Sweet Sue hires them to replace the original sax and bass player, whose instruments were dumped in the river by Joe and Jerry. The last to arrive is the band's singer, Sugar Kane ("I'm California Bound"). On the train, Sugar confesses to Josephine and Daphne that she is joining the all-female band because of her weakness for male musicians, particularly saxophone players ("A Darker Shade of Blue").
As the show travels west, Josephine, Daphne and Sugar develop a new version of the Tip-Tap Twins act, "The Tip-Tap Trio." ("Take It Up A Step") Joe, who struggles to fit in as Josephine, marvels at Jerry’s ease in behaving femininely as he leads the girls in telling off a greedy bar manager ("Zee Bap"). Sugar and Josephine grow closer, and Sugar shares her childhood dreams of movie stardom ("At the Old Majestic Nickel Matinee"). Joe begins to fall for Sugar. Meanwhile, Colombo recognizes the Tip-Tap Trio as Joe and Jerry's act.
The band arrives at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. The hotel's owner, Osgood Fielding III, an eccentric millionaire in search of love, takes an immediate interest in Daphne ("Poor Little Millionaire"). Joe insists to Jerry that they flee to Mexico immediately, but Jerry doesn't want to leave the band yet, feeling more at home as Daphne than he ever has. Joe attempts to escape alone by stealing the luggage of Austrian screenwriter Kip von der Plotz, but bumps into Sugar. Impersonating Kip, he woos her, and she invites him to see her perform that evening. When Kip shows up in place of Josephine that night, Sugar and Daphne perform the act as a duo. Daphne angrily eyes "Kip" from the stage while Osgood admires her. Colombo arrives in town, with Agent Mulligan hot on his tail ("Some Like It Hot").

### Act II

The performance ends, and Kip invites Sugar out after the show. Sweet Sue storms into Josephine and Daphne's room, demanding to know why Josephine missed the performance. Still dressed as Kip from the shoulders down but covered by a blanket, Josephine explains that she was waylaid by food poisoning. Osgood visits Daphne, and Josephine convinces him to take Daphne out so "Kip" can use his yacht without Osgood knowing. Osgood convinces a reluctant Daphne to come with him to Mexico, and Daphne receives a makeover from the other girls ("Let's Be Bad"). On the yacht, Sugar falls in love with Kip and teaches him how to dance, fantasizing about the movies they’d make together ("Let's Dance the World Away").
In Mexico, Osgood explains to Daphne that his father, Osgood Fielding II, was disowned by Osgood I for falling in love with a Mexican barmaid, Osgood's mother. Though Osgood II regained his fortune by inventing root beer, it left Osgood III with a feeling of a dual identity, his Mexican name being Pedro Francisco Alvarez. Daphne is inspired by his allegorical story about a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, and Osgood proposes ("Fly, Mariposa, Fly").
Returning early the next morning, Daphne tells Joe that she is both Jerry and Daphne and that she is engaged to Osgood ("You Could've Knocked Me Over With a Feather"). Daphne also encourages Joe to be honest with himself. Realizing that Sugar can never love someone she doesn't know, Joe resolves to be a better friend to Daphne and tell Sugar the truth ("He Lied When He Said Hello"). Sweet Sue introduces the band to their new investor, Colombo, and later walks in on Joe out of disguise. They explain the whole story, and she agrees to keep their secret until the end of the show, at which point they will flee to Mexico. Sue also encourages Joe to let Sugar down easy without endangering her life.
Josephine informs Sugar that Kip left a note breaking up with her. Heartbroken and with her dream in tatters, Sugar nevertheless performs ("Ride Out the Storm"). Colombo and his associates recognize the trio's dancing and Joe unmasks himself, stunning Sugar. The gangsters and the FBI chase the trio through the hotel. Eventually, Agent Mulligan, dressed as Josephine, is able to corner and arrest Colombo ("Tip-Tap Trouble"). Joe testifies against Colombo without implicating Daphne.
Sugar is furious at Joe's multiple deceptions, but she comes to realize that she did have real affection for Josephine and Kip and does indeed love Joe. Joe offers to be Sugar’s agent and go with her to Hollywood to make up for his deceptions. Sweet Sue is glad everyone is okay, but upset that the band has lost their investor, prompting Osgood to offer his investment instead. Daphne tries to admit the truth to Osgood, but he assures her that he understands and still considers her perfect, even if Daphne counters that "nobody's perfect." Sometime later, the 21st amendment is ratified, ending Prohibition. Daphne marries Osgood, Sugar has become a movie star for MGM, and Osgood opens a club called "Daphnecita's," where Daphne and Joe continue to perform together every night ("Baby, Let's Get Good").

## Production history
### Broadway (2022-2023)

The musical was originally scheduled to have its out-of-town engagement in Chicago at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, but was later announced that the engagement was canceled following the COVID-19 shutdown.
The show began previews at the Shubert Theatre on Broadway on November 1, 2022, with an opening night on December 11, directed by Casey Nicholaw and features Christian Borle as Joe/Josephine, Kevin Del Aguila as Osgood, J. Harrison Ghee as Jerry/Daphne, and Adrianna Hicks as Sugar. The show received mostly positive reviews from the critics. On March 23, 2023, due to a large absence of cast members and understudies, director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw filled in for Lotito as Spats.
In May 2023, the show received 13 Tony Award nominations, more than any of the 2022 season, including Best Musical. At the 76th Tony Awards, the show won four awards including Best Choreography and Best Leading Actor for Ghee.
The show played its final performance on December 30, 2023.

### North American Tour (2024)

In May 2023, it was announced that the Broadway production will embark on a North American national tour in the fall of 2024. The cities include (but are not limited to) Chicago, Cleveland, St. Louis, San Diego, Seattle, San Francisco, and Boston. The tour will launch in September 2024 at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, New York.

### West End (2025)

Following the announcement that the Broadway production would be closing, it was announced that the production is scheduled transfer to London's West End in 2025. Specific dates, casting, and venue are still to be announced.

## Cast and characters

| Characters | Broadway | First National Tour |
| Characters | 2022 | 2024 |
| Joe/Josephine/Kip | Christian Borle | Matt Loehr |
| Jerry/Daphne | J. Harrison Ghee | Tavis Kordell |
| Gertrude "Sugar Kane" Mudd | Adrianna Hicks | Leandra Ellis-Gaston |
| Osgood Fielding III/Pedro Francisco Alvarez | Kevin Del Aguila | Edward Juvier |
| Sweet Sue | NaTasha Yvette Williams | Tarra Conner Jones |
| Agent Mulligan | Adam Hellen | Jamie LaVerdiere |
| Spats Colombo | Mark Lotto | Devon Goffman |
| Minnie | Angie Schworer | Devon Hadsell |
| Mack | Casey Garvin | Tommy Sutter |
| Sonny | Jarvis B. Manning | Jay Owens |

## Musical numbers

Notes:
† Not included in the cast recording

### Recordings

The original cast album featuring the musical numbers performed by the theatre cast was released through Concord Theatricals on March 10, 2023. At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, it won the Best Musical Theater Album.

## Awards and nominations
### 2022 Broadway production

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Best Musical | Nominated |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Matthew López and Amber Ruffin | Nominated |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score | Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman | Nominated |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | Casey Nicholaw | Nominated |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Actor in a Musical | Christian Borle | Nominated |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Actor in a Musical | J. Harrison Ghee | Won |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Featured Actor in a Musical | Kevin del Aguila | Nominated |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Featured Actress in a Musical | NaTasha Yvette Williams | Nominated |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Musical | Scott Pask | Nominated |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Musical | Gregg Barnes | Won |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Natasha Katz | Nominated |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Choreography | Casey Nicholaw | Won |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Orchestrations | Charlie Rosen and Bryan Carter | Won |
| 2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Musical | Outstanding Musical | Won |
| 2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Matthew López and Amber Ruffin | Won |
| 2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lyrics | Scott Whittman and Marc Shaiman | Won |
| 2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical | J. Harrison Ghee | Won |
| 2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical | Kevin Del Aguila | Won |
| 2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical | Gregg Barnes | Won |
| 2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Casey Nicholaw | Won |
| 2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Charlie Rosen and Bryan Carter | Won |
| 2023 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | J. Harrison Ghee | Nominated |
| 2023 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Musical | Outstanding Production of a Musical | Won |
| 2023 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Musical | Casey Nicholaw | Nominated |
| 2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | Won |
| 2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Matthew López and Amber Ruffin | Nominated |
| 2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Score | Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman | Won |
| 2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Casey Nicholaw | Nominated |
| 2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical | J. Harrison Ghee | Won |
| 2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical | Kevin Del Aguila | Nominated |
| 2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical | NaTasha Yvette Williams | Nominated |
| 2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical) | Gregg Barnes | Won |
| 2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Bryan Carter and Charlie Rosen | Won |
| 2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Casey Nicholaw | Nominated |
| 2023 | Chita Rivera Awards | Outstanding Choreography in a Broadway Show | Casey Nicholaw | Nominated |
| 2023 | Chita Rivera Awards | Outstanding Dancer in a Broadway Show | J. Harrison Ghee | Nominated |
| 2023 | Chita Rivera Awards | Outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway Show | Outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway Show | Nominated |
| 2023 | Grammy Award | Best Musical Theatre Album | Best Musical Theatre Album | Won |