National Tour of the Week: Some Like It Hot at Baltimore's Hippodrome

We saw Some Like It Hot last week at Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre after purchasing seventh-row orchestra seats for $15. That's not a brag (although it sort of is a brag), that's me showing that my expectations were low. The long-running Chicago, coming to town in a few weeks, is selling $50 nose bleeds - and just about everyone knows that's too much for Chicago. So if Some Like It Hot, a Tony-nominated musical based on an iconic and beloved film, can't sell tickets, then it must be bad...right?

Wrong. What a piece of work it is, a big, brassy, classic musical, traditional in its approach but modern in its execution. It's the kind of show we don't get anymore but I really wish we would. And it's one of the best tours I've seen in a long time.

It helps that the source material is a Billy Wilder film that's considered one of The Great Movies, an AFI and BFI favorite, Sight and Sound poll constant presence, a member of the National Film Registry's inaugural class, and recently restored to beautiful 4K by the Criterion Collection. That's a good place to start. The story of two musicians who witness a mob hit and have to hide out, disguised as women, in an all-girls band, it's Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Marilyn Monroe, all at the height of their powers.

The musical's music is by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, the guys behind Hairspray and Smash* before it was bad**. They're the guys you call in when you want classic Broadway sounds, a traditional opening number, a tap tune, a sexy and sultry song, a laugh riot, you get the idea. And that's what they deliver.

*The Marilyn Monroe connection is obvious - Smash is about a fictional Monroe bio-musical. They even reuse one of the show's songs, "Let's Be Bad."

**I'm only assuming.

The book is by Matthew López and Amber Ruffin, and I believe it's the first musical either of them has written. You'd have no idea. López is perhaps best known for writing The Inheritance, which shook London and New York before the pandemic killed its momentum. Although it's been making its way around regionally (I still haven't seen it, but it's coming to D.C. in a few months), it didn't make him the household name (as much as a playwright can be a household name in the 2020s) that it was supposed to. Ruffin was hosting The Amber Ruffin Show at the time and despite having an eponymous late-night show on network television, isn't a household name either. That's fine with me. Maybe we can just keep them on Broadway. Working together. With Shaiman and Wittman. Writing classic musicals.

It's directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, himself a traditional song-and-dance man. If you're in a Casey Nicholaw show, you know you're gonna work your ass off. The opening number, a big ensemble showcase, is only bested by a climactic Scooby Doo door chase sequence that's one of the more clever bits of choreography I've seen in a while - especially considering the restraints and usual reservations of a touring production.

And this cast is game. Matt Loehr plays Joe/Josephine and his resume is filled with the kind of musical comedy stuff that's very Some Like It Hot adjacent: The Producers, Singin' in the Rain, and Elf. Tour talent is often stocked with fresh-faced college graduates, kids cheap enough to send on tour without too many cares. It's nice to see a real pro like Loehr bring some Broadway chops and regional theatre reps to a fun role like this. Tavis Cunningham, in the Jerry/Daphne part that won J. Harrison Ghee a Tony award, is young - a class of '24 graduate -but a rare exception to the rookie rule. The part and the performer are well-matched knockouts - "You Could've Knocked Me Over With a Feather" is a real showstopper.

We saw understudy Ranease Ryann play Sugar, the character made famous by Ms. Monroe. You would have no idea that she's not performing the show every night, not a missed step or flubbed line - at least not one that I noticed. Although that's expected of our understudies, it's not only thrilling to see it in action - it's rare to see it done so well. A quick check of her Instagram shows that she's played the part more than a few times, which checks out.

I really loved Some Like It Hot, especially considering my mild expectations. I don't feel like I have anything particularly insightful or clever or writer-y to add. You should just see it if it comes near you. If you like classic musicals, it's for you. If you like classic movies, it's for you. If you like, I don't know, good things - and who doesn't? - it's for you.