As nominations for the 76th Annual Tony Awards were announced on May 2, much of the company of Some Like It Hot were standing by quietly during the taping of The Today Show, just moments before their on air appearances. As they waited, the show's 13 Tony nomination were announced, the most of the season. The cast held it together, full of smiles and tears of joy, until they could finally share their moment of celebration during a commercial break, which was filmed and shared as part of the on-air special.
Watch their reaction to the nominations, as well as their Today Show performance of "What Are You Thirsty For," in the clip below.
In an interview with Playbill shortly after the nominations were announced, Some Like It Hot star Christian Borle described the behind-the-scenes moment the cast shared at the Today Show: "all of a sudden, there was a hush. J. Harrison Ghee was looking at his phone and saw that they were nominated for Best Leading Actor. And their reaction was just silent tears. Everyone silently surrounded them and started crying because we couldn't make a peep. And then we saw the Best Musical nomination. It was just, like, 20 or however many people there all acting out Edvard Munch's The Scream, but it was all totally silent."
Borle is nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, along with his costar J. Harrison Ghee.
Christian Borle
Christian Borle in Some Like It Hot
J. Harrison Ghee
J. Harrison Ghee in Some Like It Hot
Josh Groban
Josh Groban in Sweeney Todd
Brian d'Arcy James
Brian d'Arcy James in Into The Woods
Ben Platt
Ben Platt in Parade
Colton Ryan
Colton Ryan in New York, New York
After their showstopping dance number, even more nominations were announced, including NaTasha Yvette Williams' for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical. Williams' recalled her own reactions, saying: "Prior to the performance, the first five categories were announced. So, everybody was trying to dry up their tears before we performed again. And then after, we went upstairs to the Peacock Room. Somebody was streaming from the phone, and listening to all the categories." When Williams heard her name, she "looked around, and I just started crying. And then I said, 'Is this real? Is it real?'"
Read more reactions from the rest of the Some Like It Hot team about their Tony nominations, as well as reactions from other nominees, here.
Receiving 13 Tony nominations, Some Like It Hot is the most nominated production for the 2023 Tony Awards, which will be held on June 11 at United Palace Theatre in Washington Heights. The evening will kick off with The Tony Awards: Act One, a 90-minute pre-show of live and exclusive content set to stream for free on Pluto TV beginning at 6:30 PM ET. Hosts and further details are to be announced. The main awards ceremony, hosted by West Side Story Oscar winner Ariana DeBose, will follow beginning at 8 PM ET, broadcasting live on CBS (check local listings) and streaming live (for premium-level subscribers) via Paramount+. All Paramount+ subscribers will have on demand access to the broadcast beginning June 12.
Julia Lester
Julia Lester in Into The Woods
Ruthie Ann Miles
Ruthie Ann Miles in Sweeney Todd
Bonnie Milligan
Bonnie Milligan in Kimberly Akimbo
NaTasha Yvette Williams
NaTasha Yvette Williams and cast of Some Like It Hot
Betsy Wolfe
Betsy Wolfe in & Juliet
Some Like It Hot opened on December 11 at Broadway's Sam S. Shubert Theatre. Adapted from the 1959 film written and directed by Billy Wilder, the musical features a book by The Inheritance Tony winner Matthew López and Amber Ruffin and a score by Hairspray's Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, with the former providing music and both contributing lyrics. Tony winner Casey Nicholaw directs and choreographs.
Leading the cast is Christian Borle as Joe/Josephine, J. Harrison Ghee as Jerry/Daphne, Adrianna Hicks as Sugar, Kevin Del Aguila as Osgood, NaTasha Yvette Williams as Sweet Sue, Adam Heller as Mulligan, and Mark Lotito as Spats.
Inspired by the French film Fanfare of Love, Some Like It Hot 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, played on screen by Marilyn Monroe. The film was previously adapted for the stage as the 1972 musical Sugar, with a score by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill and a book by Peter Stone.
The Some Like It Hot ensemble includes Tia Altinay, TyNia René Brandon, DeMarius Copes, Casey Garvin, Devon Hadsell, Jenny Hill, K.J. Hippensteel, Abby Matsusaka, Jarvis B. Manning, Jr., Brian Martin, Amber Owens, Angie Schworer, Charles South, Brendon Stimson, Raena White, and Richard Riaz Yoder. Rounding out the company as swings are Ian Campayno, Ashley Elizabeth Hale, Kayla Pecchioni, and Julius Williams.
The production features additional material by Borle and Joe Farrell, music supervision by Mary-Mitchell Campbell, music direction by Darryl Archibald, scenic design by Scott Pask, costume design by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Natasha Katz, sound design by Brian Ronan, hair design by Josh Marquette, and make-up design by Milagros Medina-Cerdeira. Orchestrations are by Charlie Rosen and Bryan Carter, with vocal arrangements by Shaiman, dance and incidental music arrangements by Glen Kelly, and music coordination by Kristy Norter. The production is cast by The Telsey Office's Bethany Knox, with Karen Moore serving as production stage manager. Juniper Street Productions is production manager, with 101 Productions, LTD. as general manager. Cheryl Thomas is the hair and skin consultant.
Some Like It Hot is produced by The Shubert Organization, Neil Meron, and MGM On Stage, with co-producers including Roy Furman, Robert Greenblatt, James L. Nederlander, Kenny Leon, Hunter Arnold, John Gore Organization, The Dalgleish Library Company Group, Ambassador Theatre Group Productions, Bob Boyett, Sheboygan Conservatory Partners, Janet and Marvin Rosen, The Araca Group, Concord Theatricals, Henry R. Muñoz III, and Ostar. D.S. Moynihan is executive producer.
