I am not usually a fan of movies getting converted into musicals. Most of the time, the show is trading on nostalgia for the film and comes up short in the way of originality or creativity.
Fortunately, “Some Like It Hot,” now playing at the Fox Theatre through March 9, is an exception to that rule.
The movie got by primarily on featuring Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon hamming it up in drag amidst a prime Marilyn Monroe performance. There’s not a lot there that is too sacred to be tinkered with.
Set in Chicago in the 1930s, we meet life-long friends and musicians Joe and Jerry trying to make their way in the world of showbiz. Joe (played by Matt Loehr, who channels a lot of John Ritter energy) is a fast-talking womanizer who has a nose for trouble, while Jerry (played by Tavis Kordell) is sensible and sincere while doing his best to keep Joe out of trouble.
Joe and Jerry are working in a nightclub owned by mobster Spats Colombo (Devon Goffman) when they witness a gangland murder and hastily disguise themselves as women to escape the club.
Knowing they need to leave town fast, the two join a traveling all-women band led by Sweet Sue (Tarra Conner Jones), passing themselves off as Josephine and Daphne.
While on the road, hijinks ensue as Joe finds himself falling in love with the band’s singer Sugar Kane (Leandra Ellis-Gaston) and Jerry finds himself as the unwanted object of affection of millionaire Osgood Fielding III (Edward Juvier, who may have been having the most fun I’ve ever seen anyone have on the Fox stage).
For the most part, “Some Like It Hot” is a silly and energetic night at the theater. The musical numbers are surprisingly solid, embracing the jazzy, big-band sound of the era. The show also features quite a bit of dancing, as the entire cast proves to be impressive hoofers capable of navigating complex choreography.
The show’s climax, titled “Tip Tap Trouble” features cops, gangsters and dancers chasing each other through a hotel, dancing and spinning through half a dozen independently moving doors in an eye-popping spectacle of timing, flair and athleticism.
My one knock on the show is that it is about four songs too long as the light and bouncy first half becomes a tad lumbering and repetitive in the second half.
Ultimately, “Some Like It Hot” is just what you want from a night at the theater. It’s fun, it’s entertaining and it shows a lot of heart. It’s not perfect, but then, nobody is.
“Some Like It Hot” is now playing at the Fox Theatre through March 9. For tickets call 314-534-1111 or go to metrotix.com.
