SOME LIKE IT HOT On Broadway - Reviews & News Thread- Page 4

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 8/25/21 at 11:21am

Hard to judge a 16-bar cut but...fun! Always apprehensive about a big new musical opening cold on Broadway though.

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 8/25/21 at 12:22pm

jacobsnchz14 said: "https://playbill.com/job/some-like-it-hot-equity-video-submissions-chorus-dancers-deadline-090221/0000017b-7d9e-d1aa-a1fb-7fbfd5640001

This was just posted today. Dance combination, sheet music and MP3s are available at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/SLIH-AUDITIONS

Timelines-wise...Work Session Dates: Approx 1/10/22-2/19/22"

Are they aiming for spring opening? 

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 8/25/21 at 12:50pm

I really don’t think Shaiman and Whitman ever lose with their music. They seem to be one of the last that make singable, catchy, melodic tunes. Maybe Smash wasn’t a hit, maybe Willy Wonka wasn’t a hit, but I don’t think it’s because of them. They know how to write music and I already love the sound of this one too.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 8/25/21 at 1:12pm

Almira said: "Sure... I need to preface this with a disclaimer saying this is just my gut feeling about what could happened in the creative process.

And while I’ve chatted with the creative team... including a VERY funny encounter with Michael Korie in the men’s restroom on the night of the first preview in Chicago...I have absolutely no idea if what I’m about to write is true.

I saw The Powder And The Glory when it was first broadcast on PBS. In interviews the lead producer has said he also so saw the documentary around the same time, so I’m guessing he saw it on PBS too. Well.. at the time I thought this story would make a very entertaining musical. The potential for two women - accomplished, savvy, smart, ambitious - behaving badly based on what they “think” the other is doing could be catty fun...after all the book IS called WAR PAINT. The possibilities for high glamour hilarity coupled with an inspection of what it means to have “someone stuck in your head” were obviously in the Rubenstein/Arden rivalry story. And THAT is what - I believe- initially attracted those four cis gay white men to the material.

TPATG was having fun with the idea of these two titans trying to out maneuver each other in a catty way. Why not a musical?

I think most everyone excited to see it was thinking this would be some kind of stage singing version of THE WOMEN/DYNASTY/LEGENDS...and the the casting of LuPone and Ebersole made most gay men born before the 80s orgasm
a little.

But what was delivered was a high gloss evening of two women complaining at every turn how men have been oppressed them. That would be legit except for...

The only people on stage with the power to oppress were the two female leads. It was hard to take their feminist cries too seriously since they were only people in the WAR PAINT world acting like the most greedy and heinous of men.

Rubenstein is a sort of psycho-sexual predator of her gay employee. She takes glee in war profiteering (at least in the Chicago version).

Arden shows more interest in Dorian Lee than she ever showed in husband ... sexes reversed and you get the ambitious neglectful husband trope...okay.. that’s a slightly interesting twist. But every heterosexual man she encounters on that stage she emasculates. I’m not saying there is a double standard, I’m saying the feminist message is kind of undermined at everyturn by the actions of the two central characters

The reason I think the feminist complaints and cries seem at odds with WAR PAINT world as written by the creative team is that none of feels it organic to the audience.

I saw it twice in Chicago and once on Broadway and each time I thought “do these cis gay white male authors REALLY care about this issue?” “Are the feminist issues and struggles their story to tell? “Did they see that documentary and immediately think “I need to let the world know women are oppressed”?

I’m guessing not. I’m guessing that those gay males saw an opportunity to have some thoughtful fun.. but decided that it would go against the political zeitgeist to portray women as being catty. Which, ofcourse, means that you have to suppressyour initial artistic impulse and announce at every corner that you know that women have been wronged... and YOU should know too! Preaching to the choir. Yawn.

I wonder if they wrote it today if they would now feel an urgent needto add the element of race . The two leads singing about how much easier it is for a man to succeed exploiting the labor of women of color than it is for women to succeed whileexploiting the labor of women of color.

I say tellthe story that ACTUALLY made you want to pick up a pen and paper.. and if along way the writingshows you may be out of step with the world..keep writing it. Better to dinged for being authentic than dinged for being insincere.


In my opinion, WAR PAINT's failure was its score. One song sounded like the other and the character of Helena Rubinstein would not make her a "belter". The character never sang any ethnic-flavored music even though the character spoke with an accent. As I recall, after learning of devastation in her homeland, the character burst into a sing about bullet-proof lipstick. It would have been far better for her to sing a lullaby that reminisced about her beloved Poland.

Just because Patti LuPone is a great belter doesn't mean every song she sings has to blast everyone's eardrums.



"

 

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 8/25/21 at 1:14pm

DramaTeach said: "I really don’t think Shaiman and Whitman ever lose with their music. They seem to be one of the last that make singable, catchy, melodic tunes. Maybe Smash wasn’t a hit, maybe Willy Wonka wasn’t a hit, but I don’t think it’s because of them. They know how to write music and I already love the sound of this one too."

Catch Me If You Can wasn’t a hit… I don’t agree with your assessment. None of the above musicals have good songs or melodies. Save maybe some Smash songs. 

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 8/25/21 at 1:27pm

I love the music from Catch Me If You Can and find "Live in Living Color" and "Jet Set" to be very catchy. Different strokes!

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 8/25/21 at 2:09pm

Totally! To your point, I think the framing device made that show just unenjoyable. Nothing was happening in real time so it felt unemotional.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 8/25/21 at 2:34pm

Personally, I think their score to Smash deserves to be there with Hairspray

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 8/25/21 at 4:31pm

CATCH ME never overcame its problems with the director and book (even though Brian Yorkey reworked the book). There is a GREAT show in there, and most of the score is wonderful. Would have been interesting to see what would have happened if Nathan Lane did it (he was originally attached in the Norbert/Hanks role, but then did Addams Fam instead).

They are a team that has written wonderful songs, but sometimes the entire score does not add up.

CHARLIE was a nightmare because it was edited to death while also being overstuffed. They claimed the London design wouldn't have worked in NYC, which is a copout –– it could have been made to work, but WB wanted to go back to the drawing board while also slimming down the costs. The concept of giving each kid an intro + an in-the-factory song made it not really work as a two-act show because you don't get inside the factory until act 2.....and then there was the whole business with Willy as the candy store owner. Messy messy.

[Loopin’theloop]

Posted: 8/25/21 at 5:39pm

Each child had an intro and in factory number in London too. It was dire. I actually really enjoyed Wonka as the Candy store owner though, I thought that helped bring him into the first act and played with the sardonic style of the original source material 

[Loopin’theloop]

Posted: 8/25/21 at 5:39pm

Each child had an intro and in factory number in London too. It was dire. I actually really enjoyed Wonka as the Candy store owner though, I thought that helped bring him into the first act and played with the sardonic style of the original source material 

[BwayLB]

Posted: 8/25/21 at 5:58pm

How about Mary Poppins Returns? It had some spare standout songs

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 8/25/21 at 10:30pm

That to say their track record isn’t great. Honestly can’t think of a songwriting team that has been successful on their second venture within the past decade.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 8/25/21 at 10:58pm

SouthernCakes said: "That to say their track record isn’t great. Honestly can’t think of a songwriting team that has been successful on their second venture within the past decade. "

Pasek & Paul

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 3/1/22 at 1:45pm

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Christian-Borle-Adrianna-Hicks-J-Harrison-Ghee-More-Lead-Workshop-Of-Broadway-Bound-SOME-LIKE-IT-HOT-20220301

BroadwayWorld has learned that a workshop was held today for SOME LIKE IT HOT, a brand-new Broadway musical comedy which was postponed due to the pandemic.

Casting for the today's workshop included Christian Borle as Joe/Josephine, Kevin Del Aguila as Osgood, J. Harrison Ghee as Jerry/Daphne, Adam Heller as Mulligan, Adrianna Hicks as Sugar, Mark Lotito as Spats, and NaTasha Yvette Williams as Sweet Sue.

The ensemble included Tia Altinay, Esther Antione, Ian Campanyo, Jacob Dickey, Casey Gavin, Devon Hadsell, Ashley Elizabeth Hale, Jeremy Hill, Jarvis B. Manning Jr., Brian Martin, Abby Matsusaka, Amber Owens, Destinee Rea, Tyler Roberts, Angie Schworer, Charles South, Brendon Stimson, Anthony Wayne, Raena White, and Richard Riaz Yoder.

New dates for a Broadway run have yet to be announced.

The new musical features a book by Matthew Lopez (The Inheritance), music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman (Hairspray) and direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon). The musical is based on the classic MGM Oscar-winning film SOME LIKE IT HOT and is produced by The Shubert Organization and Neil Meron.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/1/22 at 1:52pm

OMG this cast!!!!

[Tag]

Posted: 3/1/22 at 2:11pm

I thought "Discussions of off-stage events, rumors or hearsay are not permitted" so why would this cast be leaked by Broadwayworld?

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 3/1/22 at 2:13pm

I'm excited to see how this shapes up!

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/1/22 at 2:16pm

Is Amber Ruffin no longer cowriting the book with Matthew Lopez? Or is BroadwayWorld using outdated info about the creative team? She was added to the team in 2021.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 3/1/22 at 2:19pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Is Amber Ruffin no longer cowriting the book with Matthew Lopez? Or is BroadwayWorld using outdated info about the creative team? She was added to the team in 2021."

She is:

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 3/1/22 at 2:35pm

BWW updated the article saying that the production has confirmed the goal of fall opening.

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 3/1/22 at 2:41pm

Angie Schworer in the ensemble!

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/1/22 at 3:13pm

The rumor on here has been that this will play the Shubert this fall after POTUS.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/1/22 at 4:07pm

Are they counting on the title alone to sell tickets? I would see that cast. I'm not sure tourists would see that cast.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/1/22 at 4:13pm

CATSNYrevival said: "Are they counting on the title alone to sell tickets? I would see that cast. I'm not sure tourists would see that cast."

No doubt they're hoping that the title, good reviews, and good word of mouth will sell tickets.

The problem of opening a new musical with a star is that it becomes hard to replace the star after the first year. You want the selling point to be "fun new musical of SOME LIKE IT HOT from the guys who wrote HAIRSPRAY and the director of BOOK OF MORMON," not "the Zachary Levi show" or "The Nick Jonas show."

They are obviously hoping this will be another HAIRSPRAY or MILLIE, and not TOOTSIE or CATCH ME IF YOU CAN. We'll see what happens. Nothing's a sure bet these days, and it would be something of a comeback for Shaiman & Wittman. Hoping they and Casey can make musical theatre magic!

Updated On: 3/1/22 at 04:13 PM