« Back “Some Like It Hot” Filmed at Hotel del Coronado In 1958, Hotel del Coronado made Hollywood history when it became the setting for director Billy Wilder’s classic comedy, Some Like It Hot, starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon. Released in 1959, this romantic romp was voted the #1 comedy of all time by the American Film Institute and named #14 on its list of the 100 Greatest Movies. As film historian Laurence Maslon – who authored a companion book about the film – noted: With the addition of “the famously photogenic Del Coronado, it’s easy to see why this movie has stood the test of time.” The Plot The Prohibition-era story follows the exploits of Lemmon and Curtis, two out-of-work musicians who accidentally witness Chicago’s 1929 “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.” In a run for their lives, the men disguise themselves as women and join an all-girl band traveling by train to a “Florida” resort, with Hotel del Coronado’s vintage architecture providing the era-appropriate backdrop.

The band’s ukulele-strumming singer, played by Monroe, catches the eyes of both cross-dressing men, but it is Curtis’ character who assumes still another identity to successfully woo and win Monroe, reinventing himself as an unlucky-in-love millionaire. Lemmon’s female character, meanwhile, is vigorously pursued by a bona fide millionaire played by Joe E. Brown. Sunshine … California-Style At least one Floridian was less than happy with Wilder’s decision to shoot the movie in San Diego, that being Miami Mayor Robert King High, who reportedly said it was “a sacrilege” to allow Southern California to assume the role of Florida’s “Sunshine State.” This sour criticism was ably met by Coronado’s mayor, who wired back: “Some like it hot, but not as hot as Miami in September.” The mayor’s rebuttal also referenced Florida’s gnats, mosquitoes, and hurricanes, none of which plagued the temperate, insect-free island of Coronado.

The Del Plays a Starring Role Like many American resorts, Hotel del Coronado had endured some benign neglect during the Depression and World War II, which helped preserve the 1888 resort, making it the perfect setting for Wilder’s 1929 story. Said Wilder, “We looked far and wide, but this was the only place we could find that hadn’t changed in thirty years. People who have never seen this beautiful hotel will never believe we didn’t make these scenes on a movie lot. It’s like the past come to life.” Unfortunately, at least one critic didn’t believe the hotel was real, describing The Del as “an uproariously improbable set,” an apt reference to the resort’s fanciful Queen Anne architecture, complete with a rambling seaside silhouette and castle-like turreted roof. Although only exterior scenes were shot at The Del, interior sets were designed to replicate the hotel’s spaces, right down to the placement of the lobby’s stairs and the design of the paneling.

Only at The Del: The Stars Align The 200-member cast and crew – most of whom made the trek from Los Angeles to the hotel via train – were housed at The Del for the duration of the shoot, a little more than a week. During filming, Marilyn Monroe was accompanied by her husband, esteemed playwright Arthur Miller, who made a special trip from the East Coast to join her at The Del. Also in Monroe’s entourage was acting coach Paula Strasberg, along with Monroe’s secretary and press agent; Coronado policemen were assigned to guard Monroe throughout her stay. Tony Curtis’ wife, Janet Leigh – pregnant with their second child, Jamie Lee Curtis – accompanied him. Jack Lemmon’s wife, Felicia Farr, also joined the troupe. By almost everyone’s account, Monroe was very difficult to work with throughout the film’s production – her tardiness and inability to remember lines have become legendary. Interestingly, however, quite a few reports confirm that Monroe was “on her mettle” during the entire Coronado portion of filming.

In fact, in his book Conversations with Wilder (1999), writer/director Cameron Crowe addressed this aspect of the film with the director, saying: “I grew up in San Diego [and] the legend is that the hotel was the most magical part of the filming … that Marilyn felt relaxed there.” To which, Wilder replied, “… that was fun. We had a good time there. Marilyn remembered her lines … everything was going according to schedule.” According to another source, Wilder speculated that Monroe was inspired at The Del – where adoring spectators were plentiful – because she preferred a live audience. Although the production attracted many onlookers, security in Coronado was relaxed by today’s standards, and many fans were able to come in close contact with the stars, including one small boy who remembers declining Monroe’s request for a kiss. A last bit of Del trivia: During her stay, a hotel chef reported that Marilyn fancied his cold soufflé vanilla pudding with egg-white decoration, which she requested daily.

Through the Years Hotel del Coronado has continued to host Some Like It Hot events, including the film’s 25th anniversary in 1984 (with Wilder, Curtis, and Lemmon in attendance); the Marilyn Monroe U.S. postal stamp dedication in 1995; and the film’s 50th anniversary in 2009, when Tony Curtis, the last-surviving cast member, was joined by some of the original “girls in the band.” Some Like It Hot Stills. Red Carpet Pictures. Event Photos. Some Like It Hot Movie Posters. Movie Set Images USA Wikipedia Text Some Like It Hot is a 1959 American comedy film set in 1929, directed and produced by Billy Wilder, starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon. The supporting cast includes George Raft, Pat O'Brien, Joe E. Brown, Joan Shawlee, and Nehemiah Persoff. The plot is based on a screenplay by Robert Thoeren and Michael Logan from the French film Fanfare of Love. The film is about two musicians who dress in drag in order to escape from mafia gangsters whom they witnessed commit the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre.

The film was produced in black and white, even though color films were increasing in popularity. Adsafe Sugar (Some like it hot) | Městské divadlo Brno Sugar (Some like it hot) Genre Musical Price 430 - 480 Kč a musical comedy The musical was created on the basis of the legendary film Some Like It Hot starring Marilyn Monroe. It seems unbelievable but this film was shown for the first time fifty years ago, in 1959. The musical of the same name then celebrated unusual success all over the world; in December 2008 it was also brought to the City Theatre in Slovenian Ljubljana by director Stanislav Moša, and it is he who will now be involved in directing this production at our theatre. Two poor musicians accidentally get involved in a war between mafia gangs. They are hunted and have no other option but to seek safety by going into hiding. They dress in women’s clothing and find employment in a band which is leaving for a tour to Miami Beach. For the forsaken musicians, Florida becomes a great opportunity to disappear from the eyes of the mafia… However, their crazy adventure is far from over!

They experience a great many comical situations and on top of that, both our heroes fall in love with a charming singer and ukulele player called Sugar. And as if this all wasn’t enough, an elderly millionaire asks one of our charming musicians in women’s clothing to marry him… Sugar! (Some Like it Hot) David Kroča 3. October 2011 zdroj Český rozhlas 3 - Vltava Sugar! (Some Like it Hot) The musical Sugar! is one of the theatre classics of the Czech stage and I have to admit straight away that I hardly ever expect something new from its production. However, Brno´s production convincingly shows that theatre is still an inventive and surprising art form. Director Stanislav Moša used his own adaptation of the musical, which was originally created for a production in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It is founded on a reduction of the number of characters to twenty actors and an effort to make the most of the potential of the original film ‘model’. It is also rightly assumed that the story of two musicians who accept an engagement in an all-girl band while trying to escape from gangsters is well known to the spectators.

The director chose a black and white artistic design which evokes old films but also the poetic atmosphere of classic inter-war comic-books. A speech bubble with the name of the title heroine hovers above Jaroslav Milfajt´s black and white stage with its drawn scenery by Petr Hloušek, and the chosen style is also supported by Andrea Kučerová´s costumes, which combine black and white in the form of stripes, dots and other variations. Of course, the acting conception is fundamental, consisting in comic-book-style exaggeration and making use of innovative parody. The arrival of the gang of criminals on the stage quickly changes into a tap dance number and the actors are sometimes also seconded by life-size drawn characters. Roman Vojtek, who is definitely the real star of the production, returned to the site of his first acting experience as Joe alias Josephine after some years. However, Petr Štěpán, who played the character in alternation, also cannot be forgotten, as he equipped the suitor in girl´s clothing with refined rationalism. The funny and crazy Jerry, otherwise known as the double bass player Daphne, is acted by Milan Němec and Aleš Slanina in alternation.

Slanina´s performance in particular is one of those which shows the enjoyment of the role by the actor in all its aspects. And finally, Ivana Skálová and Mária Lalková alternate in the popular role of sweet Sugar who is the archetype of a charming but not very clever blonde. Brno’s relatively long production, which lasts nearly three hours, is a well thought out show which doesn´t bore the spectators. This time, its success is due to the whole production team as well as the quality and skill of the orchestra, and of course the actors, who make full use of all the possibilities of this cross-dressing comedy. A cross-dressing comic book comedy shakes up Brno Vít Závodský 31. May 2011 zdroj Týdeník Rozhlas A cross-dressing comic book comedy shakes up Brno Brno CityTheatre’s musical productions, which make up a large part of its repertoire, have marked two remarkable moments recently.

For the fifteenth anniversary of the production of West Side Story, which has toured many European countries with success and has already had 650 (!) repeats, an extraordinary performance with the more or less original - and still filled with the initial energy - star cast took place. Shortly before, the musical Sugar! (1972) by the American trio Jule Styne – Peter Stone – Bob Merrill had its premiere. This was also produced by Stanislav Moša, the director of Brno City Theatre. The story of two musicians who hide away from a mafia gang in an all-girl band and who experience a lot of crazy situations in disguise is one of those classic world-famous cross-dressing comedies. It’s already the fourth time the director has worked with it both here and abroad; on this occasion he has created a variation of an approach which was first used in Ljubljana two years ago.

The production uses Jiří Josek´s brisk translation and is an overall adaptation of the Broadway original due to having been brought closer to the script of the older film by Wilder, Some Like it Hot, and given a special artistic stylization (Jaroslav Milfajt, Petr Hloušek) into the form of an on-stage ‘comic book’. Accompanied by a live orchestra, conducted by Ondřej Tajovský, and with inventive choreography by Vladimír Kloubek, which includes tap dance numbers, we can enjoy cascades of tasteful gags by actors consistently dressed in black-and-white costumes alongside flat figures incorporated into the drawn scenery.

All the key participants enjoy the welcome acting opportunity with well-controlled appetite, creating both spoken and situational comedy which is either more robust or more suppressed depending on which actor is alternating – whether it be the titular naïve girl (Mária Lalková), whose depiction avoids caricature, sober saxophonist Josephine (Roman Vojtek), the wilder double bass player Daphne (Aleš Slanina), the hen-pecked manager Bienstock (Michal Isteník) or the millionaire Osgood Fielding (Jan Apolenář). The longish two-part evening maintains its unifying interpretative concept and is a good solid helping of hearty entertainment. The new Sugar! has style Iveta Macková 10. March 2011 zdroj Kult The new Sugar! has style Roman Vojtek (Joe and Josephine) and Milan Němec (Jerry and Daphne) excel in Moša´s Brno production of Sugar! Mária Lalková´s performance in the role of charming young Sugar is flawless, though it couldn´t compete with the brilliance and esprit of her more experienced colleagues who clearly dominated the premiere.

The new production has style and pace; its wild and grotesque plot moves from scene to scene at varying speed. Apart from the excellently performed acting, singing and dancing numbers, a great number of various situations, exchanges, gags and, of course, beautiful live music by the Brno City Theatre orchestra conducted by Ondřej Tajovský, with songs by Bob Merrill in Jiří Josek´s playful translation, all work together to “warm up” the satisfied audience. The play is acted in inventive and well-fitting black and white costumes by Andrea Kučerová, on a comic-book-like stage by Jaroslav Milfajt decorated with drawings by Petr Hloušek. Vladimír Kloubek´s playful choreography, including the mafia tap dance numbers, also contributes to the overall playfulness and wit. Simply speaking, the new production of Sugar! presents what a majority of contemporary spectators welcome – a perfectly executed work of art which will entertain, empty your head of troubles for a while and make you laugh from the heart. Comic-book-style Sugar! draws on actors’ creativity Lenka Suchá 7.

March 2011 zdroj Brněnský Deník Comic-book-style Sugar! draws on actors’ creativity A stage version of the famous crazy gangster film Some Like it Hot brings the fading glory of black-and-white film back to life at Brno City Theatre This is already the second retro production added to Brno City Theatre’s repertoire this season. After Bureš´s adaptation of School, the Foundation of Life, they produced a theatrical version of the immortal film Some Like it Hot and performed it at the more enclosed Drama Theatre. It was the fourth production of this crazy comedy so far for Stanislav Moša, as he had already had a go at it in Ljubljana, Slovenia, at the Prague Theatre Pod Palmovkou, and in Bautzen, Germany. It was mainly the actors with their singular handling of their roles that made the Brno production different from just being a copy of the previous performances. Tango as well as a shooting cake Moša deliberately didn´t use the musical version of Sugar!

created on Broadway in 1972 (it had five hundred and five reprises!), but made his own production as close as possible to Billy Wilder´s film, released thirteen years earlier than the musical. Those spectators that have the memory of the unconquerable trio of Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon still fresh in their minds will enjoy the production even more as they will also see several scenes known from the film. Apart from the shooting cake and the tango of Daphne and Osgood, Sugar will also sing the hit I Wanna Be Loved By You, accompanied by a twenty-five-member live orchestra under the leadership of head conductor Ondřej Tajovský. However, those who might like to recite some of the lines in their mind together with the protagonists will probably sometimes have a difficult time. The creators used a new Czech translation by Jiří Josek, similarly as at the Theatre Pod Palmovkou two years ago, which offers its own specific way of playing with all the double meanings and wordplay. Moša has projected his fascination with what was then still a black-and-white film into the artistic form of the production.

With the help of Jaroslav Milfajt and Petr Hloušek, he has created the stage as well as the drawn scenery in a comic book style that is strictly kept to. Andrea Kučerová used flashy silver as well as black and white in the costumes, which follow in the same spirit and suited the actors well. Perhaps the most inventive interpretational shift is the tap dance stylization of the group of Chicago gangsters around Spats. Their perfectly synchronized dance number Tear the Town Apart is one of the highlights of the production. The chosen concept is based on simplicity, symbols and a sense of detail (for example, the drawn characters also get covered in blood and fall onto the table after the shooting in the garages on Clark Street). The main strong point of Brno’s production is the acting performances, and not only the actors in the main roles were engaging. Guest actor Roman Vojtek made an eagerly-awaited return to the stage where he had gathered his first professional experience. He endowed the triple role of Joe, Josephine and the millionaire Junior with natural elegance, gracefulness and movement skills.

Thanks to his more attractively written part, the actor in the role of Jerry as Daphne gets more attention out of the duo of poor musicians. With his confident acting, Milan Němec gives the impression that he was born to act female roles (let´s remember his Stepmother in Snow White last season). The fact that he had played the same character during his previous engagement in Pardubice and thus had a small advantage over the others made his performance no less impressive. Němec puts on a show in this role in the good sense of word; he enjoys every little detail of it, entertains with a variety of acting approaches and what appears to be spontaneous comic humour. Most importantly, he keeps the level of stylization under control for the whole time, never slipping into cheaply popular burlesque or transvestite caricature. Relaxing retro Blonde Sugar, from whom a one-string stylization of a simple-minded naïve girl is usually expected, is also a pleasant little devil in Mária Lalková´s performance.

Other well-performed and captivating secondary roles were those of Jan Apolenář’s Osgood Fielding, Michal Isteník’s Bienstock (his etude with the flower won applause) or Pavla Vitázková’s Sweet Sue (her exclamation “Biiiiiienstoooooook” will sound in one´s ears for a long time). Brno´s Sugar! is not and doesn´t even aim to be a grand show with stunning effects. However, it offers a pleasantly relaxing retro experience with a live orchestra and rewarding demonstrations of acting creativity – a far more than adequate experience. Sugar! Jiří P. Kříž 22. February 2011 zdroj Xantypa Stanislav Moša has now produced Sugar! for the fourth time. After Ljubljana in Slovenia, Wendish Bautzen and the Prague Theatre Pod Palmovkou it is now in Brno, and in an unprecedented creative form.

Who hasn´t been thrilled at least once by Marilyn Monroe’s sexy Sugar and the best known men in women´s clothing - the characters of Josephine and Daphne, otherwise known as the hammy musicians Joe and Jerry – that is, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon? The idea was simple: to revive the silent film grotesque, which had already been dead for twenty years by the end of the 1950s. The thirteen-year-younger musical version (1972) was a success. Moša, with artists Jaroslav Milfajt and Petr Hloušek, turned the grotesque into a comic book – by drawing the gangsters, members of Sweet Sue’s orchestra, people roasting on the beach, all as part of the American comic-book-style scenery. The gangster tap dance numbers by choreographer Vladimír Koubek are very enjoyable. Otherwise, the villains are peace-loving, as the famous lethal fast-and-furious shooting scene with the birthday cake takes place under the brotherly motto “We welcome the delegates of the tenth anniversary meeting of Free Italian Opera!” As pious as politicians.

Brno is the central European Mecca of the musical and it isn´t just because of their singing, dancing or acting but everything together. You’d have to travel a long way to find an ensemble to match them. Sugar! – A title which always pleases Karla Hofmannová 18. February 2011 zdroj Sugar! – A title which always pleases Brno City Theatre has chosen a title which is, so to say, a sure bet. The musical based on the film Some Like it Hot is a best-seller, and if witty direction and several comic actors of good quality are added to it, the theatre putting it on has a sure crowd-pleaser. In this case, their efforts were one hundred per cent successful. A lively, witty and charming performance was created that sparkles like good champagne. Director Stanislav Moša has a great eye for hyperbole and gags and he knows what goes down well with the audience. Simultaneously, he also lets the actors “enjoy” their roles. The black and white set by Jaroslav Milfajt and Petr Hloušek is based on the film version and is, in fact, like a comic book in style.

The most impressive scene is the classic moment at the railway station where the smoke coming out of the pictorial depiction of a locomotive is blown onto Sugar. The combination of live and drawn gangsters is charming. The costumes by Andrea Kučerová are black and white like the set, and are rich in their combination of shapes and materials. The music production is the work of Ondřej Tajovský. The orchestra plays reliably and respects the singers, who sing with the help of micro ports. However, as the spoken parts are not heard via the sound system, the soundman and conductor take care to balance the sound and make listening comfortable for the spectators. Mária Lalková is charming as Sugar; it’s almost as if she were the real Marilyn Monroe, not only as far as her appearance is concerned but also in the way she acts. At the same time, she is truthful and pleasant. However, the main protagonists of the play are Roman Vojtek as Joe (Josephine) and Milan Němec as Jerry (Daphne). They are shabby and featureless as men, but when they come onto the stage as women, they light it up.

Their movement skills are particularly admirable, as the choreography by Vladimír Kloubek is highly demanding. The favorite of the performance is Milan Němec, whose Daphne is fiery and flexible – ‘her’ voice is also good. His comic duets with Osgood (Jan Apolenář) are unbeatable. Even though neither of them can avoid hyperbole and even hamming it up, they always remain within the framework of their roles. Sugar! at Brno City Theatre will entertain and it won’t disappoint you. It has all that an entertaining performance should have: professional detachment and production quality, style, humour and poetry. It is charming and pleasing. Brno’s Sugar! turned out wonderfully Josef Mlejnek 12. February 2011 zdroj MF Dnes –Víkend Magazine Brno’s Sugar! turned out wonderfully The famous musical Sugar! has returned to Czech theatres after roughly a quarter of century – the most recent performance so far being that produced by Stanislav Moša at Brno City Theatre.

The unbeatable story of two musicians, who, fleeing from mortal danger, ended up disguised as women in an all-girl band, was made into a film by Billy Wilder in 1959. In 1972, the film Some Like It Hot, considered to be the best film comedy of the 20th century, was transformed into a musical called Sugar! For Stanislav Moša this is already his fourth encounter with the work: he has produced it twice abroad, and once at the Prague Theatre Pod Palmovkou. Let’s pretendOne can hardly imagine, even purely hypothetically, this famous musical being purposefully directed so that it does not bear the slightest relationship to the original, so strong is the cult power of the film. Stanislav Moša has also tried to bring the musical version as close as possible to the original in his productions without making the result a slavish copy. It may be the case that it wasn’t until he staged it ‘at home’ that he finally found an ensemble which could bring his ideas to fruition almost completely.

The author of the set is Jaroslav Milfajt, as it was at the theatre Pod Palmovkou, and the story takes place amidst “two-dimensional” comic-style set pieces. Stylized gangsters tap dance perfectly and the famous scene from the garage in Chicago’s Clark Street received a special treatment in which Toothpick Charlie, his card-playing friends and subsequently also their murderers speak like criminal monsters from a computer game. The compartment with sleeping berths, where the party takes place, shakes on its way to Miami in Florida “as if” it were moving, while the girls jump into the orchestra-pit “as if” it were the sea, which works quite well. The nature of the set thus leaves it more up to the actors themselves to create the atmosphere of that period and make the characters (which many of the spectators know inside and out, thanks to the Oscar-winning film) more real – some spectators can even be heard quietly reciting the best known lines.

Does Sweet Sue (Pavla Vitázková) call the manager Bienstock (totally clueless, played by Michal Isteník) using the nominative because of the original script, or because as a former soldier she simply doesn´t know the vocative in Czech? In Marilyn´s footstepsSugar Kane, acted by Mária Lalková (in alternation with Ivana Skálová), is not only a naïve type; the actress lent the character, apart from her fragile beauty, also that strange helpless innocence which the “divine” Marilyn imprinted into the character. All the figures can be easily recognized according to their iconic attributes and the stylization required. As far as the duo of Joe alias Josephine (Roman Vojtek) and Jerry alias Daphne (Milan Němec) is concerned, the latter seems to be more distinct. His clumsy male character is suddenly very convincing in the role of a woman, but not only that – just watch as he performs female dance steps very masterfully and with grace at the party with Osgood Fielding (Jan Apolenář).

When the actors perform the singing numbers (nothing is done half-heartedly!) with the live orchestra, one can see that musical acting isn´t just a little bit of everything but an expression of full versatility. People say that when the film Some Like It Hot! was being produced, everyone involved almost killed one another, and yet an immortal piece was created. Should something like this be universally applicable, then those involved in Brno must have had a fierce fight too. Ovations accompany Sugar for the fourth time Jiří P. Kříž 8. February 2011 zdroj Právo For the fourth time, director Stanislav Moša’s Sugar! has ended in standing ovations, and this time at Brno City Theatre. Previous successes were in Ljubljana (Slovenia), Bautzen (Germany) and at the Prague theatre “pod Palmovkou”. Only a few musicals are such a sure-fire bet as Sugar!, with its libretto by Peter Stone based on the film by Wilder and Diamond. It was a stroke of luck that brought Stone, musician Jule Styne and text writer Bob Merrill together to create this crazy musical of musicals.

A grotesque and a cartoon You probably couldn’t find a single person who hasn’t been thrilled, at least once, by Marilyn Monroe’s sexy Sugar and the best known gentlemen in women’s clothing, Josephine and Daphne, otherwise known as the hammy musicians Joe and Jerry – that is Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. The idea was simple: to revive a silent grotesque which had been dead for twenty years already at the end of the 1950s and build a situation comedy around it. Wilder found immortality and it’s no surprise that Stone and Styne´s thirteen-years-younger musical version (1972) became popular. Moša and the creative artists Jaroslav Milfajt and Petr Hloušek found a very cunning solution to the problem of how to fit this large Broadway musical onto the chamber stage of the Drama Theatre. They changed the grotesque into a cartoon – by sketching in the gangsters, the members of the Sweet Sue orchestra, the people roasting on the beach. They retouched the scenery in an American way. Andrea Kucerová’s black and white costumes correspond very cleverly with the artistic conception of the stage.

Another delicacy is Vladimír Koubek’s choreography and the gangsters’ (Sagher, Novotný, Przebinda, Brychta, Matěj) excellent tap dance numbers which simply exude libido. These bad guys are actually peace-loving at heart e.g. the famous deadly fast-shooting scene with a birthday cake takes place under the brotherly motto ‘We welcome the delegates of the tenth anniversary meeting of Free Italian opera.’ They are as pious as politicians. When there are people The leading Monroe-esque role in Sugar! is played by Mária Lalková, alternating with Ivana Skálová, while Roman Vojtek and Petr Štěpán alternate in the role of Joe (Josefina) and Milan Němec and Aleš Slanina both play Jerry (Daphne). Jan Apolenář is the adorable millionaire, Sir Osgood Fielding, as well as Jan Mazák, who is even keener on marriages. There are no small roles in Some Like it Hot. Pavla Vitázková and Lenka Janíková are Sweet Sue and the somewhat blind Bienstock is played by Michal Isteník.

Brno’s black and white Sugar is theatrically colourful Luboš Mareček 8. February 2011 zdroj MF Dnes–South Moravia The theatrical version of Some Like It Hot is currently playing in Brno. Brno City Theatre has produced the comedy Sugar!, and not only hard-core fans of the famous film will be pleased. The production Sugar! by director Stanislav Moša at Brno City Theatre is inspired by the black and white look of the film and comics. You won’t find any other tone (if you don’t consider the sensuously red lipstick) on the stage. This consistent two-colour tone looks great on the décor and the costumes, and creates the desired retro atmosphere evoking the lost celluloid world ruled by the heavenly MM long ago. However, the primary function of the seemingly monotonous colours chosen is to accentuate the most colourful aspect of this production: the acting performances. The musical was created loosely according to the film script in 1972 and saw more than five hundred repeats on Broadway. It would be fair to remember that director Moša has already produced this title in Ljubljana, Prague and Bautzen.

In contrast with the Broadway theatrical version, Moša´s production doesn’t hide the enchantment of the legendary film and he has tried to make his theatrical version as close to this black and white gem as possible. This highly popular costume comedy about two poor musicians who are hiding from gangsters in an all-girl band is full of gags, wordplay and farcical situations. It doesn’t matter that many of these jokes are based on the imbalance between the sexes. Both the real and pretend ladies are stars This title, which has regular repeats at Czech theatres, is in great condition thanks to Jiří Josek´s buoyant translation. Now the task is to provide all these words and double entendres with the proper spin up on stage and make sure theatre-goers, who are already entertained by the difficulties of the two men dressed in women’s skirts and struggling with suspenders, high heels and all the fancy items women wear, have a grand old time. They really have pulled this off in Brno. Moša´s production builds gradually and never lets up, greatly supported by live music played by an orchestra which is nearly thirty members strong.

The great sound of the band conducted by Ondřej Tajovský is one of the strong points of this new theatrical piece. It adds a lot of juice and flavour which would be lost if playback were used. As has already been said, the success of Sugar! depends on the performance of the central trio. Unfortunately the reviewer only saw one alternation, featuring the trio of Mária Lalková, Milan Němec and Roman Vojtek, the latter having returned as a guest under the theatrical roof where he gained his first professional experience. Both of the men have a great time in their transvestite roles. Milan Němec in particular shows that he has great range as a comedy actor. His Daphne is distinctly a woman and she has theatrical oomph; however, Němec never lets his female heroine run wild. He and Vojtek rage it up on the stage but neither of them lowers themselves to courting popularity with the audience. They have their ladies under control and it is exactly this that makes the spectators even more entertained by their transformation. It may even seem that this typhoon of female acting presented by the two gentlemen might overshadow Sugar Kane’s performance, but this illusion is wrong.

The main role of a real woman as played by Mária Lalková is built on a perfect stylization of a simple naïve blonde who drinks a bit and is waiting for her millionaire. Lalková could have just let her heroine roll her eyes, pout and wiggle her bottom all the time. Obviously, the actress uses all these weapons for her simple Sugar. The strictly and exactly presented stylization of this childish little devil doesn’t make a shallow impression on the audience. She is both adorable and hilarious, and she balances between these poles skilfully to the extent that one might want to say that Lalková brings the legendary sex symbol with the initials MM to life on the stage. She does imitate her slightly but isn’t exactly like her, as is apparent in the famous song I Wanna Be Loved by You. One of the strong points of the black and white Brno production is the hand-drawn setting by Jaroslav Milfajt and Petr Hloušek. The costumes by Andrea Kučerová play with the duo of colours in a way which in the case of Josephine and Daphne is intentionally extravagant as far as patterns and style are concerned.

Also, Vladimír Kloubek´s choreography, with its use of e.g. tap dancing for the mafia rogues, gives the whole production style. Theatrical returns to legendary films often have an aftertaste of the logical impossibility of reproducing the film medium. In the case of Brno’s Sugar!, there’s no need to worry, in large part due to the inventive black and white concept which doesn’t hide its fascination with the original and also pokes gentle fun at itself. Sugar is perfect! Naděžda Parmová and Jaroslav Parma 1. December -1 zdroj Blanenské a boskovické noviny No.2/2011 Sugar is perfect! Who doesn’t know the closing sentence “Nobody’s perfect” from the American film Some Like it Hot from 1959? It has thrills, the charming atmosphere of the trip of a girl band to a seaside resort in Florida, chases and gags. It is probably unnecessary to remind anyone of the plot and famous scenes so let’s speak about some facts from its history.

It is based on a real event from 14th February 1929 when the Mafia boss Al Capone wanted to get rid of several men from a competing gang led by Bugs Moran. The “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” takes place in garages - and Joe and Jerry witness the murders. Now we know what’s what, let’s specify the names of the Mafiosi from the film – Spats Palazzo and Toothpick Charlie. The musicians have to be disposed of – they become outcasts. It seems a good idea to hide in the environment of a girl band but this means disguise, several costumes, high-heeled shoes and a change of voice. But Sugar is there and she helps wherever she can. Marilyn Monroe’s famous role looks easy and great. However, according to the evidence of her colleagues and the film crew, it was a nightmare. She was unpunctual, unprepared and never sober - and on top of that, with a salary three times higher than that of the other main actors. But when we watch her performance in the film, all is forgotten and we are enthused. But can all this be transferred to the stage? Yes, it can.

The musical adaptation had 505 repeats on Broadway from 1972, and it has also been performed at London’s West End as well as all over the world. Director Stanislav Moša has created his own adaptation of the musical in which he gets closer to the film – he has been successful with this production in Ljubljana (Slovenia), Prague’s ‘Pod Palmovkou’ theatre and in Bautzen (Germany). Luckily for us, he has also brought the musical Sugar! to his home stage at Brno City Theatre, using the Drama Theatre in order to reinforce the chamber environment and the overall effect. The choice of colours for the whole environment of the musical is interesting – almost everything is black and white, i.e. the scenery and costumes. Only some critical details are in colour – for example the red rose during the well-known tango between Daphne and Sir Osgood. The play also endeared itself to us by the fact that the musical accompaniment is provided not only by an orchestra under the leadership of fresh new head conductor Ondřej Tajovský but also by musicians from Boskovice.

The simple black and white scenic elements in the style of comic-book drawings complement the atmosphere of the acted scenes in a perfect way and help one to move with ease between different locations. It is perhaps very difficult for every theatre actor to play a role which is so famous from TV or film that the spectators automatically associate the character of an actor and the dubbing of a voice artist with it. However, I have to say that all the actors managed to do a great job with their roles during the second premiere, and that they were perhaps even better than in the film original in places. The musical is full of action, things are happening all the time, and particularly the main roles of Joe and Jerry alias Josephine and Daphne are very well done. In the second premiere, Petr Štěpán played the role of Josephine (in alternation with Roman Vojtek) and Aleš Slanina the role of Daphne (in alternation with Milan Němec). It is hard to choose who was best, but we most liked Jan Mazák in the role of Sir Osgood Fielding and Aleš Slanina as Daphne.

You can look forward to Ivana Skálová or Mária Lalková in the role of the fragile blonde, Sugar Kane. The girl band is conducted by Sweet Sue, played by Lenka Janíková or Pavla Vitázková, and is watched over in vain by Bienstock (Michal Isteník). We can only recommend that you go and see Sugar! - that is, if you can get tickets. All the performances are hopelessly sold out so far. ,

Question: The plot of the 1959 film "Some Like It Hot", starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, is triggered by what event?
Answer: The Saint Valentine's Day massacre