Some Like It Hot at Buell Theatre

The Buell Theatre is the ultimate live performance venue to experience this fantastic adaptation of Billy Wilder’s cult classic movie. Just like SOME LIKE IT HOT, the Buell Theatre places entertainment at the forefront, constantly keeping audiences on the edge of their seats. Known and loved as Broadway’s home away from home, the Buell Theatre provides the perfect setting for large-scale musicals like SOME LIKE IT HOT and flashy effects that are the signature of Broadway’s finest spectacles. This show is a super exciting addition to Denver, adding to its already vibrant entertainment scene with one of the most beloved comedy stories out there!!

Some Like It Hot Tickets

“Some Like It Hot is a terrifically entertaining — and thoroughly modern — reinvention of the classic Hollywood comedy” – The Arts Fuse

Set in the heart of America at a time when Prohibition has people thirsty for some excitement, SOME LIKE IT HOT is the “glorious, big, high-kicking” (Associated Press) story of a pair of musicians who are forced to run away from Chicago after witnessing a mob hit. With gangsters at their heels, Joe (Matt Loehr) and Jerry (Tavis Kordell) catch a cross-country train for the soul-stirring, life-changing journey of a lifetime. And what an exciting journey it is! With its endearing combination of heart, laughs, song and dance, SOME LIKE IT HOT is the Grammy and Tony Award-winning production that everyone’s talking about! In fact, it’s taken home more theater accolades than any other show in its season! It is no wonder Deadline has called it “a tap-dancing, razzle-dazzling embrace of everything you love about musical theater!” Now, it’s your chance to experience a night at Broadway you’ll treasure for many years to come! Book your places now and step into an immersive adventure with SOME LIKE IT HOT at the esteemed Buell Theatre!

“Some Like It Hot is a well-aimed throwback: a jubilant, oldfangled, crowd-pleasing musical comedy” – Time Out

Synopsis

Based on Billy Wilder’s 1959 crime comedy movie of the same name, SOME LIKE IT HOT is an adaptation of one of the most beloved stories out there. The timeless comedy proudly calls itself one of Marilyn Monroe’s most famous credits as an adored actress, as well as Billy Wilder’s as a critically revered director.

Set in the Windy City (Chicago), just before the end of Prohibition, this adventure follows a couple of musicians who work at a mob-run speakeasy. The musicians, Joe (Matt Loehr) and Jerry (Tavis Kordell), witness the kingpin Spats murder an informant. As Spats wants to kill them for being witnesses, Joe and Jerry are forced to run away from Chicago. To disappear, the musicians disguise themselves, dress up as women, and join an all-female traveling swing band. As the story unfolds, Joe falls in love with the group’s lead singer, Sugar, but his disguise as Josephine makes things difficult. All the while, Jerry’s cover as Daphne helps him find and live out his truest, fullest self. At its core, SOME LIKE IT HOT is a contemporary adaptation of the classic Hollywood comedy and a story based on self-discovery. 

“A high-octane, audience-pleasing vaudeville, spun out of a cinematic classic, creates a bunch of glittering new stars” – New York Stage Review

Creative team

SOME LIKE IT HOT is penned by Matthew López (The Inheritance) and Amber Ruffin; contains music from the Tony, Emmy, Grammy, and 7 times Oscar winning composer Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by the extremely gifted Scott Wittman and Shaiman. Cast members include Matt Loehr and Tavis Kordell taking on the lead roles of Joe/Josephine and Jerry/Daphne, as well as Leandra Ellis-Gaston (Sugar), Edward Juvier (Osgood), Tarra Conner Jones (Sweet Sue), Jamie LaVerdiere (Mulligan), Devon Goffman (Spats), and Devon Hadsell, who was a member of the original Broadway company, wearing the hat of Minnie.

The creative team also includes the incredibly talented Scott Pask (Sets), Gregg Barnes (Costumes), Natasha Katz (Lights), Brian Ronan (Sound), Josh Marquette (Hair), Milagros Medina-Cerdeira(Makeup), Christian Borle & Joe Farrell (Additional Material), Mary-Mitchell Campbell and Darryl Archibald (Music Supervision), Kristy Norter (Music Coordinator), Charlie Rosen and Bryan Carter (Orchestrations), Marc Shaiman (Vocal Arrangements), and Glen Kelly (Dance and Incidental Music Arrangements). The production team also includes Steve Bebout (Associate Director), John MacInnis (Associate Choreographer), as well as Juniper Street Productions (Production Management).

“A Broadway musical version of the Billy Wilder film finds exhilarating new ways to make the gender comedy sing” – The New York Times

History and Awards

SOME LIKE IT HOT arrived at theaters on the 11th December 2022 and has snagged more awards than any other show in its season. The smash hit show was nominated for a whopping 13 Tony Awards®, winning an impressive four categories. Casey Nicholaw triumphed in Best Choreography, Charlie Rosen and Bryan Carter took home Best Orchestrations, Gregg Barnes secured Best Costume Design of a Musical, and J. Harrison Ghee won Best Leading Actor in a Musical. For J. Harrison Ghee’s show-stopping performance, they made history as one of the first openly non-binary actors to be nominated for and take home a coveted Tony Award®. The production also stands tall as the Best Musical from the Drama Desk, the Drama League, as well as the Outer Critics Circle. In February 2024, the original Broadway cast recording bagged the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.

The highly anticipated North American trek kickstarted in September 2024 at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, NY, and will make its way to major cities across the nation, including Denver, Chicago, St. Louis, San Diego, Seattle, as well as Boston. What’s more, SOME LIKE IT HOT is also preparing to cross the pond and arrive at London’s West End in 2025.

Review

“The music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman connect with the book by Matthew Lopez and Amber Ruffin like the twists in a pretzel, and Casey Nicholaw’s choreography and direction are so busy that the show rarely touches the ground. What everybody did was sit down and figure out how to create, polish and revitalize the kind of joyous Broadway musical some people today might call old-fashioned but masses of others have been praying for. This is exactly what they’ve done with Some Like it Hot. It’s noisy, lavish, unforgettable entertainment—in Broadway’s inspired version of Technicolor!  I loved it. I want to see it again. It’s the next best thing to running away to join the circus.”

– By Rex Reed at The Observer