Billy Wilder's 1959 Some Like It Hot is widely considered a perfect film: witty and surprising, silly and sexy—a culmination of Wilder's brilliant career and a showcase for its stars Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. But maybe the film's sheer perfection is what makes it so hard to turn into a musical. It's been attempted twice now, by some of the greatest (Jule Styne and Bob Merrill in 1972's Sugar), but both times have turned out merely middling results. You can't add lustre to an already gleaming diamond.
The latest version is now in town—at the Cadillac Palace through November 3—to strut its (admittedly talented) dancing stuff and show off its (weaker, disappointing) score. With all its energy and showbiz glitz, and despite the impressive pedigrees of the show's creators—Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (of Broadway juggernaut Hairspray), book writers Matthew López (Tony-winning The Inheritance) and Second City alumna Amber Ruffin (Late Night with Seth Meyers) and director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw (Book of Mormon, Aladdin, Mean Girls...)—this production seems as if it were constructed out of some paint-by-numbers kit. Formulaic and rote, it says all the quiet parts out loud.
The onstage performers are talented, and do more than their best with weak material (although they are not helped by subpar sound design that muffles lines and lyrics). But the lack of creativity or originality—especially Shaiman and Wittman’s predictable and often interchangeable songs— let them, and the audience down. Your toes may be tapping, but one song simply glides into the anonymous next, without adding much to the story.
Maybe the central problem lies in the creators' shared desire to update the once transgressive and subtextual message of the film—that gender and gender roles aren't as clear cut as 1959 society presents. The film used humor and disguise to challenge those assumptions; the show often resorts to ham-handed modern commentary. Instead of wit or subtlety, the once topsy-turvy story becomes merely a bit of 21st-century agitprop—formulaic and predictable, dutifully checking boxes all along the way.
While this effort to bring Some Like It Hot to the stage is commendable, this adaptation falls short of capturing the magic of the original film. Ultimately, Some Like It Hot serves as a reminder that some classics may best be left untouched. The film’s brilliance lies in its perfect balance of humor, charm, and subversive commentary—elements that this musical adaptation struggles to replicate. For those seeking the wit and sparkle of Wilder’s masterpiece, revisiting the original film might be a more satisfying experience.
Some like It Hot, presented by Broadway in Chicago, continues through November 3 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St. Running time is 2.5 hours. Tickets are $3-$135 plus Ticketmaster fees..
For more information on this and other productions, see theatreinchicago.com.
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