"On the Aisle with Larry" — LAWRENCE HARBISON

A Little Night Music and Some Like It Hot – That Was Then, This Is Now

Recently, I was in New York City, where I saw several shows – 2 awful, 1 meh and 2 terrific. Of the latter, my last show was Some Like It Hot, which got me thinking about how much the theatre has changed since my first NYC visit with my then wife Paula, at Christmas-New Year’s of 1973-4.

My first show during that trip – indeed, my first Broadway show – was the original production of A Little Night Music, at the Shubert Theatre. It had opened the previous Spring, but the original cast was still in it. We had great seats – center, orchestra – and I loved it so much that I announced to Paula at Sardi’s afterwards that I had to be a part of this. In August of 1975, we moved to New York from Ann Arbor.

When I saw Some Like it Hot, 50 years later, I found myself sitting in almost the same seats. Since then, I have mused about how that was then, this is now. For one thing, the cast of A Little Night Musicwas all-White, whereas that of Some Like It Hot is multi-racial, highly unlikely during the Roaring Twenties. The role of Sugar Kane, indelibly portrayed by Marilyn Monroe in Billy Wilder’s film, was played by a Black actress, Adrianna Hicks (previously, she was Katherine of Aragon in Six), who shines so brightly in the role that I have no doubt she is the next great Broadway diva. Sweet Sue is also played by a Black actress, NaTasha Yvette Williams, with a powerhouse voice and presence which lights the lights. The plot hews closely to the film. Our two heroes, jazz musicians Joe and Jerry, here are two brothers, one White, one Black (explained by a clever and most delightful musical number entitled, “You Can’t Have Me (If You Don’t Have Him)” which, ironically, is one of the few times in the show when racism rears its ugly head). They are wonderfully-played by Broadway veteran Christian Borle, as Joe, and J. Harrison Ghee as Jerry, played as Black although Ghee identifies himself in the program as “non-binary.” In the film, Jerry agrees to marry eccentric millionaire Osgood (Kevin del Aguila almost steals the show) not as a con, as in the film, but because he’s in love, and is changing his name permanently to “Daphne.”

The direction and choreography are by A-lister Casey Nicholaw, who has staged a chase sequence in the second act which is one of the greatest examples of farce choreography I have ever seen.

Some Like It Hot is “Woke” with a capital “W.” Ron De Santis would be appalled and would no doubt sign some unconstitutional law against it. The show will no doubt tour eventually; but word-to-the-wise, producers: stay the heck outta Florida.

I don’t know when my next NYC excursion will be, but A Little Night Music and Some Like It Hot may well turn out to be my first and last Broadway shows. Although I will always love the theatre no matter what it morphs into, 40 years in NYC (35 of which I went to the theatre approximately 200 times a year) is enough for me.