Broadway at the Eccles kicked off its 2025-2026 season this week with Some Like It Hot, a stage adaptation of the 1959 movie starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Marilyn Monroe. I attended Thursday night’s performance with my friend Phaedra, I was able to meet her friends Wendy and Jared, and we all really enjoyed the production. (You can read Phaedra’s review here.)
It’s 1933 Prohibition-era Chicago, and speakeasy performer Sweet Sue (Dequina Moore) is arrested in a raid. Once out of jail, she forms an all-female band that will tour the western United States, finally arriving in San Diego. Simultaneously, saxophonist Joe (Matt Loehr) and bass player Jerry (Tavis Kordell) seek employment with Spats Colombo (Devon Goffman), a nightclub owner and formidable gangster. After some negotiating to keep the pair together, despite racial prejudice against Jerry as a Black musician, Colombo agrees to hire them both. Colombo soon learns from FBI Agent Mulligan (Matt Allen) that he will be arrested if he doesn’t turn state’s evidence. Suspicious that Toothpick Charlie (Michael Skrzek) had ratted him out, Spats calls Charlie and his associates in for a “meeting” during which Spats has them shot. Joe and Jerry unwittingly witness the murder and must now go on the run to avoid being the gangster’s next targets. They land in a ladies’ dressing room in the midst of their hectic escape, and surrounded by women’s clothing, Joe concocts a plan: he and Jerry will disguise themselves as women, join Sweet Sue’s band, escape to San Diego, and ultimately find safety in Mexico. Joe and Jerry become Josephine and Daphne, respectively, but their path to safety is anything but smooth. Joe further disguises himself as Kip von der Plotz to woo singer Sugar Kane (Leandra Ellis-Gaston), Osgood Fielding III romantically pursues Daphne, and Spats eventually finds them and ruins Sue’s hopes of having a wealthy investor support her act. Joe and Jerry must individually come to terms with their true identities and desires in order to find success and satisfaction.
I hadn’t seen the movie on which the stage musical is based, so I’m not in a position to compare the two versions; however, the musical does go further than the movie in exploring issues of identity and living authentically. While Joe is uncomfortable posing as Josephine, Jerry discovers that he feels more at home as Daphne, and he confronts serious questions when Osgood expresses romantic interest. Osgood puts Jerry/Daphne at ease by simultaneously revealing that he also lives a dual existence: he is Osgood while in the United States but Pedro Francisco Alvarez while in Mexico where his mother is from. This underscores that human identities are complex and nuanced rather than cut and dry or black and white. I appreciated the sensitivity and tenderness with which the musical handles this storyline, and I found the performance of “Fly, Mariposa, Fly” to be particularly moving.
Some Like It Hot showcases energetic tap dancing and powerful vocals. Disguising male characters as females requires male actors to tap dance in heels — no small feat! Loehr and Kordell handle this masterfully with Loehr being notably expressive in his movements and the phrasing of his lyrics. I loved the production’s staging of the passage of time as Sue’s tour travels west, and the chaotic chase utilizing multiple doors to locate Joe/Josephine and Jerry/Daphne once Spats learns their whereabouts is especially entertaining. Moore (Sue) opens the show with a bold, robust performance of “What Are Thirsty For?” and each of her subsequent strong vocal performances thoroughly captivated me. Ellis-Gaston as Sugar Kane has an intriguing, slightly nasal quality to her voice (not my favorite), but she shines in more lyrical moments that highlight the clarity and warmth of her voice. I loved her thoughtful interpretation of “A Darker Shade of Blue” and “Ride Out the Storm.” A strong ensemble aptly supports the leads with the choreography and singing.
Early 20th-century American history, architecture, and style have always fascinated me. The musical’s Art Deco sets and 1930’s costumes — both casual daywear and glittering, glamorous evening attire — beautifully embody the time period in which it is set.
Two more performances today, Sunday, October 5, round out Some Like It Hot’s run in Salt Lake City. Click here for information about this and upcoming Broadway at the Eccles productions. Interested readers can learn more about the Some Like It Hot national tour here.
The Good Life 