A high-energy romp comes to Broadway at the National with the musical comedy “Some Like It Hot,” running until Dec. 7.
The national touring company for this Tony Award-winning production is one laugh after another for this comedy set during the Prohibition era.
Based on the 1959 film of the same title, “Some Like It Hot” follows musicians and friends Joe and Jerry, who witness a mob hit.
The guys are on the run, forced to disguise themselves as women and join an all-female band. The storyline becomes more complicated as unexpected relationships develop.
The First National Touring Company of “Some Like It Hot” at the National Theatre from Nov. 25 to Dec. 7 (Matthew Murphy)
The lead singer in the band is Sugar, played by Leandra Ellis-Gaston, who said she knew about the decades-old original movie starring box-office stars of the day, Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon, having seen the film with her grandmother.
“It was super interesting when I first saw the movie,” said Ellis-Gaston. “Then, when approached about the production, I asked myself, ‘What is going on?’ I could not see a space for a Black woman in the production at all.”
The Story Unfolds
The character of Sugar captured Ellis-Gaston’s soul, a connection was made, and she was excited to tackle the role.
“I read the script of the musical and saw how it had been transformed to a more contemporary time. This is a story about a girl with a dream. Every woman, no matter your race, has a dream,” said Ellis-Gaston, a veteran of other Broadway musicals such as “Six,” “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical,” and “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.”
Now running at the historic National Theatre in Northwest, D.C., this version of “Some Like It Hot” is the first North American touring company since the Broadway musical won four Tony Awards in 2023, including Best Choreography. The production, choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, is known for its big dance numbers, and the exciting moves will engage audiences the entire show.
“There’s a lot of dancing from the moment the curtain goes up until it goes down,” said Ellis-Gaston. It is such an amazing experience to be in rehearsal with Casey and to get the dance movement in our bodies.”
Matt Loeher, who plays Joe— one of the actors in the musical who sees the mob hit— emphasized the impact of the rigorous choreography.
“I’ve got to get a massage. Got to go to physical therapy,” commented Loher about the dance sequences. “But the audience was electric. That’s what keeps us going.”
As the show hits cities nationwide, Matt Allen, who plays a detective in the cast, summed up the performance experience in the nation’s capital.
“This has been an awesome opening, said Allen. “First of all, this theater is so iconic. It’s much more intimate than the spaces we’ve played. The audience is right there, and we can hear them. It makes for such a good musical comedy.”
For more information on “Some Like It Hot” at The National Theatre, go to broadwayatthenational.com.
Source: Washington Informer
