Broadway's Some Like It Hot is getting a very special new cast member at the March 23 performance: the production's director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw. The Tony winner will step in as Chicago gangster Spats Colombo, usually played by Mark Lotito.
The performance will be Nicholaw's first time back performing on a Broadway stage since 2002, in the original company of Thoroughly Modern Millie. After choreographing Spamalot in 2005, and directing and choreographing The Drowsy Chaperone in 2006, Nicholaw has stuck solely to directing and choreographing, winning his Tony Award in 2011 for The Book of Mormon. The experience will also take Nicholaw back to the Shubert Theatre, where he made his Broadway debut in the ensemble of 1992's Crazy For You.
The surprise news was revealed by the production on Instagram.
Nicholaw is joining the cast in a true understudy-to-the-rescue moment. With a handful of company members out, including Lotito, Nicholaw is saving the day and ensuring that the show will go on. It remains unclear if tonight's performance will be a one-off, or the first in a short stint.
Some Like It Hot opened at the Shubert Theatre December 11, 2022. 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 Shaiman and Scott Wittman, with the former providing music and both contributing lyrics. Nicholaw directs and choreographs. Read reviews for the show here.
Get a First Listen to Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman's Title Song From Broadway's Some Like It Hot
The cast is led by 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, and Adam Heller as Mulligan. 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.
READ: Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman Have Read Your Criticisms About Broadway's Some Like It Hot
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 (due for an Off-Broadway revival later this year), with a score by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill and a book by Peter Stone.
WATCH: Adrianna Hicks Sings 'A Darker Shade of Blue' From Broadway's Some Like It Hot
The production features additional material by Borle and Joe Farrell, music supervision by Mary-Mitchell Campbell, music direction by Darryl Archibald, and orchestrations 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.
Christian Borle and J. Harrison Ghee in Some Like It Hot
Adrianna Hicks in Some Like It Hot
Kevin Del Aguila and cast of Some Like It Hot
NaTasha Yvette Williams and cast of Some Like It Hot
