Feel The Heat!

“Some Like it Hot” will have you tip-tap-toeing through the aisles of TPAC. 

By Matthew Stafford | Photo Credit Matthew Murphy

Set in the throes of the Great Depression in 1933, the show begins in Prohibition-era Chicago, where Sweet Sue is working on a show that a friend says will make history. But times are hard, and while subverting the illegality of liquor can be fun during Prohibition, survival is key, and as Sweet Sue says, “We don’t need to make history, just survive it.” Next, when talented friends Joe and Jerry witness a murder, they need to figure out how to make the getaway out of town and fast. Luckily for them, Sweet Sue is taking her fun show out on the road. There’s just one hitch for the fellas. It’s an all-female cast! And just like that, the creative dancing and singing duo the Tip Tap Twins, Joe and Jerry, transform themselves into Josephine and Geraldine as they hide out from the mobsters hunting them down and manage to get hired by Sweet Sue just in time to catch the train out of town. Early on the trip, Geraldine reveals she is Daphne, who we later discover is her true self, and while the term didn’t exist at that time, we would now recognize her character as transgender. What follows during the shows from Des Moines to San Diego is an entertaining, well-choreographed musical filled with ambitious dreams, newly formed friendships, true love, and self-discovery. 

Complicating matters for Joe and Daphne is that Joe falls hard for the gorgeous Sugar, whose hopes and dreams include rising to stardom in Hollywood. At the same time, Daphne gets swept off her feet by the flamboyantly fun and wealthy Osgood Fielding III during an impromptu evening in nearby Mexico. By singing “Fly Mariposa, Fly” to his butterfly, Daphne, Osgood lets her know he accepts and loves her fully, exactly as she is. 

Premiering on Broadway in late 2022, “Some Like it Hot” won Tony Awards as well as a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. LGBTQ audiences will especially find camaraderie in the portrayal of Daphne as a trans woman and a refreshing storyline update. Her touching self-discovery, coming out, and falling in love was appreciated and welcomed by audience applause. While not the sole focus of “Some Like it Hot,” it contributes to an element of the show’s imparted wisdom regarding the importance of meaningful authenticity in one’s life. As we learn during the show’s progression, sometimes happiness requires one to stop running and to be honest about who they are and what they want in life, or as Sugar declares, “Live the life you dream.”

What: “Some Like it Hot”
Where: TPAC’s Andrew Jackson Hall
When: April 21 – 26, 2026
How: Buy tickets here.