The touring stars of Some Like It Hot: The Musical have visited the Hotel del Coronado – where scenes from the original 1959 movie were shot – on a break from their latest stop in San Diego, the Times reports.
“On the same front porch where Marilyn Monroe once stood, Leandra Ellis-Gaston and Tarra Connor Jones sang a duet from the title song on the steps of the iconic resort. Following their performance, Coronado Mayor John Duncan presented a proclamation, alongside Broadway San Diego Vice President Vanessa Davis, officially declaring Wednesday, Jan. 29 ‘Some Like It Hot’ Day.
The historic beachfront hotel was once a magnet for Hollywood stars and filmmakers, serving as a backdrop for dozens of films that defined the golden age of Hollywood … In Some Like It Hot, all exterior scenes were shot outside the hotel starring Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. Despite the movie taking place in Miami, famous scenes show Monroe swimming in the Pacific Ocean and Jack Lemmon escaping out the third-story hotel window.
Through Sunday, the Broadway musical takes over the San Diego Civic Theater, starring Matt Loehr as Joe/Josephine, Tavis Kordell as Jerry/Daphne and Ellis-Gaston as Sugar, in the same roles made famous by Curtis, Lemmon and Monroe. Jones will appear as Sweet Sue, the bandleader role originally played by Joan Shawlee.
‘It’s really incredible how they took a movie that was a classic, zany comedy, still kept a ton of comedy to it, but built it with just an enormous amount of heart, acceptance and reason to do it,’ said Loehr.
The musical also alters the racial representation of the original film, with three main roles portrayed by Black performers. Kordell says his role allowed him to represent different identities on-stage and create a more accurate portrayal of gender expression, one that had been overlooked in 1959.
Some Like It Hot launched its national tour in September 2024 … the musical won more theater awards than any show in the 2022-23 season and was named Best Musical by the Drama Desk, the Drama League and the Outer Critics Circle. Tour dates are lined up until the end of March.”
UPDATE:
The ‘new Sugar Kane’ graces the cover of the San Diego Reader’s February 13 edition (Vol. 94, No. 7) – but as noted in the byline, ‘Marilyn Monroe will always be in Coronado …’
The Marilyn Report 