Olney Theatre Center Opens Its New Stage in Style with a Dazzling Some Like It Hot

Olney Theatre Center has christened its newly renovated Bernard Family Theatre with Some Like It Hot, and it would be hard to imagine a more joyful way to welcome audiences into the space. This high-energy, Tony-winning musical adaptation of Billy Wilder's classic 1959 film is packed with dazzling dance numbers, irresistible jazz-age songs, and a surprising amount of heart. It is playing now through November 8, 2026.

The story will feel familiar to fans of the film. It is Chicago at the tail end of Prohibition, and down-on-their-luck musicians Joe and Jerry, played by Jacob Tischler and Tavis Kordell, accidentally witness a mob hit. To escape gangster Spats Columbo, they disguise themselves as Josephine and Daphne and join an all-female band headed by the formidable Sweet Sue, played by Ashleigh King, on its way to a gig at San Diego's Hotel Coronado. Along the way, Joe falls for the band's radiant singer Sugar Kane, played by Montria Walker, while Jerry catches the eye of an eccentric, lovestruck millionaire named Osgood, played by Edward Juvier.

The musical, with a book by Matthew López and Amber Ruffin, music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman, reimagines the story in meaningful ways. Joe and Jerry are now lifelong friends who are practically brothers, and they are also a crackerjack tap-dancing duo. Most movingly, Jerry's journey as Daphne becomes a story of self-discovery, and the film's famous final punchline is transformed into a tender moment of acceptance and love.

The dancing is the thing audiences will be talking about on the drive home. Karla Puno Garcia's choreography has been singled out as some of the finest to grace a regional stage, and the entire cast delivers it with remarkable speed, precision, and nonstop energy. Tischler and Kordell are a delight together, especially in their early duet about their bond and in the number where they first transform into Josephine and Daphne. The show builds to a rousing first-act finale on the title song that sends the audience into intermission buzzing, and the second act tops itself with a sultry, festive cafe number and a wildly inventive tap-danced chase scene that stands among the most entertaining musical chases in recent memory.

The performances shine throughout. Ashleigh King's powerhouse voice fills the theatre every time Sweet Sue takes the stage. Montria Walker brings real depth to Sugar, beautifully singing her bluesy torch song about a string of bad romances as well as a touching number about a young Black girl in Jim Crow Georgia dreaming of a bigger life at the movies. Edward Juvier finds the comic gold in Osgood while keeping him warm and genuinely human, and his early solo is a gleefully goofy crowd-pleaser. Karen Vincent, Greg Twomey, and Todd Scofield round out the company with strong supporting turns.

Director Jason Loewith, who also serves as Olney's Executive Director, keeps the evening moving at a brisk and often breathless clip while knowing exactly when to slow down for the quieter emotional moments. Music director Christopher Youstra leads a ten-piece band that captures the swing, swagger, and sweetness of the era. The new theatre itself is part of the fun, with a thrust stage surrounded by cabaret-style tables that evoke a vintage nightclub, and a wall of LED panels that whisks the audience from the Chicago skyline to a train car, a glamorous hotel, and a moonlit bay. As the show goes on, the costumes grow ever more glittering and colorful, turning the big production numbers into a true feast for the eyes.

The overall verdict is clear. This is a polished, thrilling production that comes about as close to perfect as anyone could hope for on the opening of a brand-new stage.

Some Like It Hot runs approximately two and a half hours with one intermission and is recommended for teens and up due to comic violence and adult themes. Performances continue through November 8, 2026, in the Bernard Family Theatre at Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD.