The new hit Broadway musical Some Like It Hot is a must-see revival of the popular 1959 film starring Marilyn Monroe. Set in Chicago during prohibition, two scrappy singers witness a mob murder and join a female jazz band to avoid being killed. While hiding on the run, they discover their true selves and true loves. Some Like It Hot shows us what Broadway is meant to be with its big band sound, over the top musical numbers, drama, humor, dancing, and outstanding cast led by J. Harrison Ghee, fresh off his amazing performance in Mrs. Doubtfire and earlier role in the hit Kinky Boots. 

The original film is credited with breaking new ground and ultimately leading to the eventual retirement of the Motion Picture Production Code, or Hays Code, which was seen as anti-LGBTQ+. Just like the original film, the new Broadway musical also breaks new ground with its portrayal and treatment of LGBTQ+, race, and gender issues. It would be easy to get overwhelmed trying to address serious issues of discrimination, gender, and race but Some Like It Hot strikes a perfect balance. 

The Broadway hit is highly entertaining, funny, dramatic, and will have you on your feet cheering for the main characters to find their own true loves.

We hope you enjoy The Echo’s exclusive interview with the incredibly talented J. Harrison Ghee below!

• You are a ball of positive energy! Is this the most fun you have had as an actor? 

It really is a lot of fun. I get to work with such a good group of people every day. So, it’s fun going to work and getting to tell the story we get to tell.

• How do you make the characters of Jerry and Daphne your own? 

It’s really a matter of leaving a part of myself onstage. It is one of the things I’m grateful one of my teachers taught me. That’s what helps audiences connect – not being afraid to be vulnerable and really share a part of myself every night. 

• You have an incredible stage presence! Were you always this confident? 

Yes. When it comes to performing, I’ve always known it’s one of my superpowers, and that’s how I’m effective in the world. I say it’s my ministry.

• The cast of Some Like It Hot is incredibly talented. Your chemistry is awesome. What is your secret? 

Our secret is based in trust. We have really built a lot of trust in our company. And our director Casey Nicholaw instilled in us to always come from an honest place. So, as long as we are all being honest in telling the story, we just trust each other to be there and to have fun and to do our job.

• As fun as Some Like It Hot is, the show touches on contemporary issues from race to gender. How were you able to modernize the issues to the present day?

We always kept the conversation open. It was a very collaborative effort. And no one was so precious about an idea or a thought that we couldn’t talk about it. I was always so grateful that we could have open and honest real conversations about the story we were telling; how we presented that; and making sure we were true and authentic to us as individuals as artists; and making sure it was effective for audiences. 

• You must be exhausted changing outfits so many times! How many times do you change? What is your favorite outfit? 

I haven’t even counted all of my changes! I want to say it is maybe 8 or 9 costume changes. I like to say I don’t have a favorite costume, but I love getting into my finale costume every night. It is just euphoric to be able to wear that and to end the show in such a fabulous dress!

• What scene do you hope audiences will pay the most attention to?

That is hard. I love hearing Osgood say every night the world always responds to what it sees and in his experience the world doesn’t have very good eyesight. It’s always wonderful to hear audiences receive that line.  

• What is the one thing you wish people would know but they never ask you about it so they never find out? 

You stumped me on that one! Maybe that I don’t really tell people how much I love weddings and event planning. And I’m really considering eventually doing something in that world. I’m about to be ordained as a Minister to officiate weddings. So, I might start a wedding business one day because it really makes me happy.

• You performed two shows and were still flawless the next morning for the Thanksgiving Day Parade! Would you ever do that again?

For sure! That was such a special moment. That was my first time doing Macy’s and it was so special, exciting and invigorating. My dresser was with me that day and he said I looked like Whitney Houston leaving the Super Bowl because I was waving at everyone and having such a good time. It was really such a great experience.

•  What advice would you give to aspiring high school actors? 

Very similarly to our work of trust yourself and trust each other. It is a collaborative work to do what we do. And it requires a lot of trust and vulnerability. So, don’t be afraid to be open, to share and to connect.

The Facts:

Location: Shubert Theatre, 225 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036

Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, including one intermission.

Ticket Price Range: $74 to $278

Website: somelikeithotmusical.com