Friday, February 07, 2025
‘Some Like It Hot’ stage adaptation explores modern gender themes
Datebook: When writer Matthew López was approached about adapting Billy Wilder’s 1959 film “Some Like It Hot” for the stage, he was initially resistant.
Considered one of the best film comedies of all time, “Some Like It Hot” tells the story of Chicago jazz musicians Jerry (Jack Lemmon) and Joe (Tony Curtis) who are on the run from Prohibition-era gangsters and decide to disguise themselves as women to join an all-female band. As Daphne and Josephine, the pair meet singer Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe) and romantic complications, swinging tunes and cross-dressing hijinks ensue.
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I got to see Some Like It Hot during its initial run on Broadway and I was blown away. Not only was the show fun and the music delightful, it had a heart to it that was truly beautiful. I have never seen the movie, but I can attest that the choices made in the stage adaptation gave the story resonance and I felt its glorious effect. I love Matthew López’s comment on taking the kernel of Jerry/Daphne’s character in the movie and using it to create a new and distinctive story for the stage character. This is something that I think is so important in stage adaptations of movies and makes for better stage stories. Finding a core truth of a movie, the beating heart as it were, and using that to construct the stage show allows that show to live on its own and have focus. I am seeing Some Like It Hot again on its national tour and I can’t wait!
When I was a sophomore in high school, I bought a ticket to Some Like It Hot when I heard Gregg Barnes, my favorite costume designer, was a part of the project. I was absolutely astounded by the quality of work onstage—Barnes’ designs stole the show for me (there was a costume change every five minutes and each was more impressive than the last) but Casey Nicholaw’s high octane tap choreography and Scott Pask’s grand sets stayed with me for months. The next summer, I picked up extra shifts at the camp I worked at just to see it again. To this day, it’s still one of the few shows I’ve gone out of my way to see twice. The stage adaptation of Some Like It Hot reinvents the film in a way that stays loyal to the spirit of the original but also breathes new life into it with the character of Daphne. I don’t think there’s any other show I’ve seen that marries technical achievement with top-tier performance quite as well as this one. I can’t wait for it to come to Pittsburgh!
Some Like It Hot’s electric music and invigorating spectacle explores topics of gender through joy. The Dafine’s gender exploration adds a beautiful nuance to the original story, creating more complex characters and adding modern dialogue to an old classic. I'll always remember the moment when Jay Harrison Ghee won the Tony award for best actor in a musical, the first non-binary person to receive the award. Some Like It Hot is a terrific example of reimagining older texts for a modern audience. Every story has something different to say depending on when it's told. One of the beauties of theater is being able to reprise these works and find new meanings. The original movie was set in Florida, although the filming location is that of the hotel Del in Coronado San Diego, my hometown. Because of this, the musical adaptation decided to set the show in San Diego. When the national tour made its way to San Diego, the cast got to go to the Hotel Del and meet the mayor of Coronado who, to my delight, declared that day Some Like It Hot day.
I think that this is a good approach to making a show with questionably ethical comedy about gender identity. Making it into a journey about gender expression tells a much more wholesome story in my mind than one where crossdressing is the butt end of the joke the whole time. It changes the whole narrative of the story in quite the wholesome way in my opinion. Similarly, I really appreciate how the directors went out of their way to act an actual non binary performer for the role rather than making another performer play a gender identity they won’t have as good of an understanding for. This show would be virtually unsellable now with its original jokes on gender roles and cross dressing being viewed in such a comedic manner, I hope to see more theatre companies take old shows like Some Like it Hot and get permission to make it more entertaining and acceptable to modern audiences. I would absolutely love to see the show if I ever get the chance to.
Some like it hot is an incredible story and stage performance. I saw it on Broadway back in 2024. The story of a trans character finding her identity and growing throughout an unconventional character arc was super fun to watch. Not to mention the music, dancing, and vocals were all incredible and blew me away. I loved this production and the message that it sent to the audience. I loved reading this article as it showed me how progressive the director and theatre community is. Trans and gender explorations are and increíble point of discussion that was an under explored element of the original movie of “Some Like it Hot.” With the new changes to the story and tweaking of the plot, Matthew Lopez created a new conversation that fit efortlessly into the conversations and debates of the 21st century. In general, I loved seeing this production live last year and found it super interesting to read more about its origins and process of taking an already progressive story and pushing the boundaries further.
I haven't seen Some Like it Hot, but ive heard a lot about it and I really want to see it! I really like how this article discussed trans perspectives on the gender exploration that happens in the show. I have seen a good chunk of the original movie, and it always struck me how there seemed to be more emotional beats regarding the gender exploration in it rather than just the expected comedic ones. The decision to lean into those beats and explore them more is one I am so grateful those working on the production decided to make. Having genderqueer representation on stage and proudly out in the media right now is so important. Stuff like this makes me very proud that I can work in theatre and get to be someone who helps tell stories like this. Also, the fact that Jerry/Daphne is played by nonbinary actors is so cool! I'm very glad they get a space expressly dedicated to getting to show the complexities of gender identity as they interpret them to a wide and well-receiving audience.
At some point in the past year, I watched Some Like It Hot; My dad had been begging me to watch it as he is a big fan of “classic comedies”. With my own modern perspective, I can see the film as something different from how the original audience saw it. It isn’t just a comedy but a story about someone connecting to a part of themselves that they didn’t know was there. I think that Some Like It Hot was most likely a refreshing movie for those who felt similar to how Jack Lemmon’s character Jerry felt about womanhood. Taking the same open approach to gender in the stage adaptation with different connotations is a beautiful tribute to the impact I am sure the original film had on many. The classics of crossdressing comedies (Some Like It Hot and Mrs. Doubtfire) will always have a special place in my heart as performances that allow the actors to effectively portray two sides of the same character in fun and funny ways.
Previously, I didn’t know about the plot and premise of ‘Some Like It Hot’. To take a show that is so embedded in its iconicity of the characters and to find a different take on such characters is bold - and honestly, I think its what we need more of in adaptations. So many musicals we see in popular culture (mainly Broadway, Off-Broadway, and other ‘big names’) are trite reuses of known stories. A while back, I glimpsed over ‘A Trans Perspective on Some Like It Hot’ and I remember appreciating a fresh take on a piece from 1959. The creativity and sensitivity both required for such an adaptation is paramount to not only popular success, but also inherent success. I’m glad (and relieved) to see they went beyond the ‘men in dresses’ comedy trope to grow the storyline and characters into something relevant in today’s world. I didn’t know about such roots present in the movie, and now I’m tempted to watch it for context.
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