5Q: Some Like It Hot
Classic film buffs are probably familiar with “Some Like It Hot,” the 1959 MGM film starring Marilyn Monroe as Sugar Kane, the lead singer of an all-female band. With mobsters hot on their heels, Joe and Jerry go undercover as the band’s new members, Josephine and Daphne, to flee the city on the band’s cross-country tour.
The creative partners behind the theatrical hit “Hairspray”joined forces once again to adapt “Some Like It Hot” — and expand its diversity — for the stage and a new generation. Broadway’s Tony Award-winning version keeps many of the key characters and plot points of the film, which is beloved by many LGBTQ fans for its queer themes and its boundary-pushing of the era’s censorship rules.
Jamie LaVerdiere joins the cast as Detective Mulligan, who is hot on the trail of the mobsters chasing Joe and Jerry across the country.
I’ve seen “Some Like It Hot” called “an old school, Broadway-style show.” What do you think is meant by that and do you think that’s true?
Yes, this is very much an old-school Broadway show in style. A fast-paced comedy with lots of tap dancing and a brassy big-band sound. “Anything Goes” comes to mind but with a modern sensibility.
“Some Like It Hot” is obviously a beloved classic film, but we’ve heard a lot about how this staging leans into exploring race, gender, and queerness even more openly. What can you tell us about that?
When you put three African American characters into a show that is so thoroughly set in 1933 America, race is going to come up. Sometimes for a quick laugh, sometimes as an obstacle, and once as the background for a song. The gender and queerness awakenings come as more of a surprise, I think, for the characters and audience. Being forced to put on a dress to escape a murderous crime boss allows both of the leads to discover sides of themselves that they never considered as a man of 1933. The genius of this adaptation, in my opinion, is how it touches on all of these topics in such a loving and light way. Never heavy-handed, just part of the story we’re telling.
Composer Marc Shaiman said this show is about promoting acceptance and is a love letter to everyone who accepted him when he moved to New York in the ’70s. What are the main themes or messages you take away from this show?
Quick answer is “Love is Love.” Longer answer: You probably aren’t going to really know someone when you cram them into a labeled box that makes you feel comfortable. People are complicated. Let them be complicated. It could be more interesting that way. As the parent of a gender-agnostic child, I’ve seen the world come with their boxes and been sad for the loss. My kid is awesome, but so many people miss out because they don’t take the time to truly see.
The Mulligan character has been described as essential to moving the plot forward. How do you approach the character and his role in the action?
Yes, the play doesn’t happen without Mulligan and probably has a happy ending because of him, but he’s hardly on stage. This has been a harder challenge than I expected. This show is a freight train and it’s hard to jump back on every 20 minutes or so to give the train more fuel without sounding manic or accidentally pulling the brake chord. The walk is key for me. He’s cocky and walks deeper in his hips than I do — with purpose. I try to move like him whenever I’m backstage.
What sticks out to you the most about your experience since you joined this cast?
How excited everyone is to be taking this story across America. The writing is so smart and so relevant that it’s easy to invest in the storytelling. I think that will serve us well on this journey.
“Some Like It Hot” runs at the Orpheum Theatre through October 20. For more information and to purchase tickets, head to www.hennepinarts.org.
5100 Eden Ave, Suite 107 • Edina, MN 55436
©2024 Lavender Media, Inc.