As the coronavirus pandemic creates an uncertain landscape for new projects on the horizon, the musical adaptation of Some Like It Hot is shifting its production timeline for a direct-to-Broadway approach. The musical will now make its world premiere in fall 2021.
The musical, directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, was previously slated to run March 2–April 4, 2021, at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre.
The adaptation features a score by Hairspray duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (who musicalized the creation of the 1959 film in "Let's Be Bad" from the fictional Smash musical Bombshell) and a book by The Inheritance scribe Matthew Lopez. Neil Meron produces with the Shubert Organization, joined by Roy Furman, Robert Greenblatt, and the Nederlander Organization.
Inspired by the French film Fanfare of Love, the comedy follows two Prohibition-era jazz musicians in Chicago (played on screen by Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon), who witness a mob hit and go into hiding by disguising themselves as members of an all-female band. Through their escape plot, the two become enamored with the band's singer and ukulele player, Sugar (Marilyn Monroe).
Additional details, including casting, a venue, and exact dates, will be announced later.