Saturday, October 25, 2025

Review: Some Like It Hot!

Saturday, October 25, 2025  ,  No comments

My wife purchased tickets to the Some Like It Hot! musical playing at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday, October 25, 2025.

Before attending the performance, we decided to stop by Scott's Seafood in downtown San Jose for dinner. While traffic was light, we had difficulty finding inexpensive parking. The outdoor parking lot near the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts had a more reasonable price of $10/day (while many others charged as much as $30).

We were a bit late arriving at Scott's Seafood. Inna had made reservations for 17:15, but after parking nearby and walking to the restaurant, we arrived at 17:30 (and our reservation was cancelled). However, the restaurant was not busy and quickly accommodated us.

After looking at the menu, we ordered the following items:

  • Inna: Cup of Lobster Bisque, Large Seared Ahi Tuna Salad
  • Boris: Seafood Saute (shrimp, scallops, rice)
  • Drinks: Sparkling Water

Inna liked her Lobster Bisque and Ahi Tuna Salad. I thought my Seafood Saute was excellent.  After dinner, we walked around, noticing celebrations for the Diwali festival nearby.

Eventually, we strolled back to the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts and sat down in our seats (row 6) for the musical. Inna and I both really liked the movie, Some Like It Hot, with Marilyn Monroe, and we were looking forward to the musical.

Fortunately, the musical was excellent and closely followed the plot lines of the movie. There was a 20-minute intermission at around 21:00, and the show was surprisingly long (over 2.5 hours).

Both Inna and I really liked the show, as it was fast-paced, entertaining, and light-hearted. We would definitely be happy to see it again.


Some Like It Hot Review

Highlights

  • Excellent singing, dancing, staging, and decorations (close to a Broadway-quality show)
  • Well-paced, with lots of interesting dialogue
  • Favorite song: Let's Be Bad
  • The actor playing Osgood was clever and funny

Lowlights

  • Initially, I had difficulty understanding the words being sung (maybe more clarity in the sound system would have been helpful)
  • Not too many catchy songs except for Let's Be Bad.


Some Like It Hot
October 21 - 26, 2025

Winner of 4 Tony Awards®, including Best Choreography and Best Costumes, and the Grammy Award® for Best Musical Theater Album, SOME LIKE IT HOT is “A Super-Sized, All-Out Song-And-Dance Spectacular!” – The New York Times

Set in Chicago when Prohibition has everyone thirsty for a little excitement, SOME LIKE IT HOT is the “glorious, big, high-kicking” (Associated Press) story of two musicians forced to flee the Windy City after witnessing a mob hit. With gangsters hot on their heels, they catch a cross-country train for the life-chasing, life-changing trip of a lifetime.

And what a trip it is! With its irresistible combination of heart and laughs, song and dance, SOME LIKE IT HOT won more theater awards than any show in its season, and was named Best Musical by the Drama Desk, The Drama League, and the Outer Critics Circle. No wonder Deadline calls it “a tap-dancing, razzle-dazzling embrace of everything you love about musical theater.”

Here is a brief summary of Some Like It Hot! musical according to ChatGPT:

Setting & Premise

  • The musical is set in 1933 during the tail end of the Prohibition era in Chicago. 

  • Two down-on-their-luck jazz musicians, Joe /Josephine (a saxophonist) and his best friend Jerry /Daphne (a double bass player), work in a speakeasy run by gangster “Spats” Colombo. 

  • After they witness a mob hit, Joe and Jerry must flee Chicago and assume women’s identities to escape the gangsters. They join an all-female band led by Sweet Sue, becoming “Josephine” and “Daphne.” 

  • Their destination is a tour out West (in the film it was Florida, in this version California), where the band plays, offering both comic disguise-antics and personal transformation. 

Act I

  • We open at Sweet Sue’s speakeasy in Chicago: “What Are You Thirsty For?” sets the Prohibition era mood. 

  • Joe and Jerry, lacking money and options, go to the Cheetah Club (Spats’s club) seeking employment. They audition and get hired — together — though there’s prejudice (Jerry being Black) and Joe initially is favoured. Wikipedia+1

  • The mob hit: Spats is tipped off by the FBI agent Mulligan; suspecting betrayal, he murders his associates. Joe and Jerry witness this and thus become targets. Wikipedia

  • In panic, Joe hatches the plan: Joe and Jerry will disguise themselves as women and join the all-female band to escape. Jerry is skeptical but goes along. (“You Can’t Have Me (If You Don’t Have Him)”) Wikipedia

  • They arrive at the train station and board the band train under their female identities Josephine and Daphne; Sweet Sue hires them to replace the missing sax/bass players (dumped in the river by Joe and Jerry). Their fellow new band member is singer Sugar Kane. Wikipedia+1

  • On the train and during the tour, Sugar reveals her background (she joined the all-girl band because she’s tired of chasing male musicians). (“A Darker Shade of Blue”) Joe begins to fall for Sugar, even as he’s disguised as Josephine. Meanwhile, Jerry, as Daphne, begins to embrace the role more than he expected, finding something about the persona. 

  • The band arrives at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego (in this version). The eccentric millionaire Osgood Fielding III falls head-over-heels for Daphne, not realizing “she” is really Jerry in disguise. (“Poor Little Millionaire”) Joe wants to flee immediately, but Jerry wants to stay—he’s enjoying life as Daphne. Joe then impersonates Austrian screenwriter Kip von der Plotz to woo Sugar. Meanwhile, Spats/Colombo recognises the Tip-Tap Duo turned Trio act. Wikipedia

Act II

  • The show picks up with the performance done; Sweet Sue confronts Joe/Josephine about missing the performance, and Joe lies about food poisoning. Osgood invites Daphne (Jerry) on his yacht; Joe convinces Daphne to go so he can borrow the yacht (and escape) in disguise. Sweet Sue introduces Colombo as the new investor in the band, complicating matters further. Wikipedia

  • Sugar is heartbroken when “Kip” (actually Joe) leaves a note breaking up with her. She performs solo (“Ride Out the Storm”). Meanwhile, Colombo and the FBI chase the band through the hotel (“Tip-Tap Trouble”). Joe testifies against Colombo but doesn’t implicate Daphne. The chase ends in comedic chaos. Wikipedia+1

  • Sugar realises that Josephine is Joe, and that she loves Joe despite his deceit. Jerry, as Daphne, tries to reveal his true identity to Osgood, but Osgood responds with his iconic line: “Nobody’s perfect.” Daphne marries Osgood; Sugar becomes a film star with Joe as her agent; the band continues on; Prohibition ends. (“Baby, Let’s Get Good”) Wikipedia

Major Characters

  • Joe / Josephine: A charismatic saxophonist and gambler; forced into disguise as Josephine, he falls for Sugar and struggles with his identity and deception.

  • Jerry / Daphne: Joe’s best friend, more cautious and level-headed; as Daphne, he discovers new facets of himself, especially when Osgood falls for Daphne. The character’s arc in the musical emphasises self-discovery. New York Theatre Guide+1

  • Sugar Kane: The band’s singer and ukulele player; charming, hopeful for stardom, vulnerable, and ultimately finds someone who genuinely cares for her.

  • Sweet Sue: Leader of the all-female band; no-nonsense band-leader, provides comic and practical grounding.

  • Osgood Fielding III: Wealthy eccentric who falls for Daphne, providing one of the most memorable comic lines in musical theatre.

  • Spats Colombo: The gangster who triggers the main plot by murdering his associates and after Joe & Jerry witness the hit.

  • Agent Mulligan: The FBI agent who tips off the gangsters and contributes to the chase.

Themes & Updates from the Film

  • The musical stays true to the spirit of the 1959 film but updates it in several important ways:

    • The timeline is shifted slightly (to 1933) and the destination changed to the West/California rather than Florida. New York Theatre Guide+1

    • The least-disguised comedic gender-crossing setup remains, but the musical expands the character of Daphne/Jerry’s identity arc: not simply a man in drag to hide, but a discovery of identity and a sense of belonging. Reddit+1

    • The production includes a more diverse casting and acknowledges race and gender in ways the original film did not. Vanity Fair+1

  • Themes of identity, belonging, deception, friendship, and self-acceptance run through the show. For example:

    • Jerry discovers more of who he is as “Daphne”.

    • Joe wrestles with deception, love, and authenticity.

    • Sugar learns to accept someone who loves her for who she is, not just her illusions.

    • The line “Nobody’s perfect,” uttered by Osgood at the end, becomes a deeper statement about acceptance rather than just a punchline. baltimorechamberjazz.org+1

Music, Choreography & Style

  • The score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman captures jazz, swing, and big-band energy of the 1930s. baltimorechamberjazz.org+1

  • Choreography (by Casey Nicholaw) features high-kick numbers, elaborate tap dancing, train sequences, and chase scenes with dance elements. Reviews highlight these as standout. Inquirer.com

  • The show balances lavish spectacle (costumes, dancing, set-pieces) with character-driven storytelling and comedic pacing.

  • It offers both laugh-out-loud moments and unexpectedly tender emotional beats.

Significance & Acclaim

  • It premiered on Broadway on December 11, 2022, at the Shubert Theatre. Concord Theatricals+1

  • It won several major awards:

  • Critics and audiences particularly praised the way the show updated the original film’s gender and identity humour for a contemporary audience while preserving the fun, high-energy theatricality. New York Theatre Guide

Why it's worth seeing

  • If you enjoy musicals with a fast pace, big dancing, and high energy, this show delivers.

  • It’s a smart blend of classic Broadway style (tap, big band, old-Hollywood glamour) with modern sensibilities about identity and authenticity.

  • The characters have more emotional depth than you might expect in a slapstick disguise comedy.

  • The humour, set-pieces and music are designed to delight — but there’s substance underneath.

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