Stage review: Music, lyrics, dancing steal the spotlight in ‘Some Like It Hot’

Visually, musically and also through the story it tells, “Some Like It Hot” is, simply put, a beautiful show. A “come for the music and dancing, stay for the heartfelt message,” kind of show.

The musical is set in 1933 Chicago, just before the end of Prohibition. At an opulent, art deco speakeasy, performer Sweet Sue (a vocally off-the-charts Dequina Moore) is arrested after a raid. Once her friend Minnie (Devon Hadsell, hilarious as an unintentionally sticky-fingered musician) bails her out, Sue shares her dream of forming an all-female band and touring the country.

Minnie talks about the historical significance of such a feat but Sue isn’t focused on that.

“We don’t need to make history,” Sue said. “We just have to survive it.”

At the same time, Joe (Matt Loehr), the club’s saxophonist, and Jerry (Tavis Kordell), the bass player, are looking for money and reach out to mobster Spats Colombo (Devon Goffman, who made Colombo’s threats feel real), the owner of the Cheetah Club.

Colombo’s hiring manager is impressed by the pair’s musical abilities but only wants to hire Joe who is white, not Jerry, who is Black. Through an incredible tap dance routine, the pair explain they are a package deal. Colombo is wowed by the pair’s skills and hires them both.

Things are looking up for the pair, until they witness a mob hit from Colombo and are forced to flee. This leads to the first of several times in the show when the performers go through a chase sequence while maneuvering in, out and with doors on wheels that travel around the stage. As the doors moved, other parts of the set were brought in, showing the performers moving from one space to another.

Those sequences were really fun to watch, especially one in the second act that featured performers getting away via tap dancing, not running.

Eventually, Joe and Jerry make their way into a women’s dressing room, where Joe comes up with an idea to dress as women, join Sweet Sue’s band, travel with them to California then head to Mexico.

Jerry initially thinks Joe is out of his mind but seeing no other choice, he agrees, and the pair don wigs, dresses, heels and lipstick, deciding to call themselves Josephine and Geraldine.

The pair meet up with the band at the train station the next morning. When the pair introduce themselves, Jerry says his name is Daphne instead of Geraldine. Joe is confused but goes with it.

Singer Sugar Cane (Leandra Ellis-Gaston, whose voice was bright and fun at times, sweet and longing at others) finally shows up, and Joe is immediately smitten. As the group travels West, Joe and Jerry work to keep their true identities a secret while working through varying feelings about life as women.

The cast also features the incredibly talented Edward Juvier, Matt Allen, Ashley Marie Arnold, Kelly Berman, Ian Campayno, Devin Cortez, Darien Crago, Austin Dunn, Jonathan Duvelson, Adena Ershow, Drew Franklin, Tim Fuchs, Bryan Thomas Hunt, Emily Kelly, Madeline Kendall, Stephen Michael Langton, Ranease Ryann, Nissi Shalome, Michael Skrzek, Kelly Sheehan, Jamal Stone and Julia Yameen.

The musical features music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman and a book by Matthew López and Amber Ruffin. It’s based on the 1959 film of the same name, which itself was based on a 1935 French film called “Fanfare of Love.”

Whether as Joe and Jerry or Josephine and Daphne, Kordell and Loehr made for an amazing pair. Their voices work so well together, and they truly seem like they could hit the road as the Tip Tap Twins.

Seeing Kordell become more and more comfortable as Daphne was so lovely, and seeing Loehr eventually come to not only understand but support her choice was too.

“What do I call you, Jerry or Daphne?” Joe asks in Act 2. “Both are fine as long as you say it with love and respect,” Daphne responds. That line drew a lot of cheers from the audience.

Both Joe and Jerry/Daphne were lucky in love. Juvier was so heartfelt in his portrayal of hotel manager Osgood, who is smitten with Daphne exactly as she is, and it was nice to see a different side to Sugar as when she opened up about her Hollywood dreams with Joe.

I knew going into this show that the music, by Shaiman, and choreography, by associate choreographer John MacInnis, would be top notch, but still, I was blown away with what the cast and musicians were able to accomplish. With this show, the music, lyrics and dancing aren’t just a plot device, they are the plot and are not treated as an afterthought.

The band featured Mark Binns, Nicholas Michael Johnson, Matt Gallagher and Chris Karabelas plus local musicians Doug Folkins, Andy Plamondon, Gary Edighoffer, Lori Shepherd, Steve Friel, Vanessa Sielert, Dave Stultz and Al Gemberling.

Costume designer Gregg Barnes won a Tony for Best Costume Design of a Musical for the Broadway production of this show, and it’s easy to see why. The dresses and suits were smartly tailored, and the dresses Sue and her band, the Society Syncopators, wore during performances were flashy yet appropriate for the period.

In a world that can be less than tolerant of those exploring their identity, it was so nice to live in a world, albeit for just a couple hours, that was ultimately caring and accepting of someone making a choice for their own happiness.

Again, see “Some Like It Hot” for the music and dancing, stay for the message of love and acceptance.

“Some Like It Hot” continues through Sunday at the First Interstate Center for the Arts.