Beginning April 27, two Some Like It Hot musicals are playing New York stages: the critically acclaimed new Broadway musical at the Shubert Theatre and the 1972 musical Sugar, both based on Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond's screenplay for the 1959 film.
Sugar, featuring music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill, and a book by Peter Stone, plays Off-Broadway's Theatre Row through May 7. The production is one of three musicals that are part of J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company's third season at the Off-Broadway venue.
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Directed by Robert W. Schneider with choreography by Caitlin Beck and musical direction by Miles Plant, the cast features Chris Cherin as Joe/Josephine, Andrew Leggieri as Jerry/Daphne, Alexandra Amadeo Frost as Sugar Kane, Lexi Rhoades as Sweet Sue, Richard Rowan as Osgood Fielding III, and Oren Korenblum as Spats Palazzo with Conor Coughlin, Caleb James Grochalski, Bobby MacDonell, Jordan Ari Gross, and Molly Samson.
Sugar, starring Robert Morse and Tony Roberts, played 14 previews and 505 regular performances at Broadway's Majestic in 1972. The musical follows the antics of two male musicians of the Prohibition era who witness a gang slaying. Hoping to hide from the mob, Jerry and Joe disguise themselves as Daphne and Josephine and join an all-female orchestra. The score includes “Penniless Bums,” “The Beauty That Drives Men Mad,” “We Could Be Close,” and “Beautiful Through and Through.”
This production also has set design by Joshua Warner, lighting design by Ethan Steimel, costume design by Gabe Bagdazian, properties design by Emily LaRosa, associate music direction by Lindsay Miller, dramaturgy by Frederick Miller, technical direction by Justin Kirkpatrick, assistant direction by Shannon Gaffney, and casting by Holly Buczek of Wojack Casting Team.
The stage management team includes Joey Paradise and Maria Papadopoulos.
J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company presents professional revivals of Broadway musicals. For more information click here.
