The Shubert Organization and Neil Meron announced today that Emmy nominated writer and comedian Amber Ruffin has joined the creative team for the upcoming Broadway-aimed production of Some Like It Hot. Ruffin joins Tony nominee Matthew López to adapt the musical comedy from the beloved MGM film and will begin performances in 2022. Some Like It Hot is a brand-new Broadway musical comedy, featuring a book by Matthew López (The Inheritance) & Amber Ruffin (The Amber Ruffin Show), music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman (Hairspray) and direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon). The musical is based on the classic MGM Oscar-winning film Some Like It Hot which has been named the “Funniest American Movie of All Time” by the American Film Institute.
Amber Ruffin on joining the creative team: “I am so thrilled to be working with real Broadway legends Matthew López, Casey Nicholaw, Marc Shaiman, and Scott Wittman on this honestly groundbreaking project. This is truly a different kind of musical and I can't wait for people to see it!”
Matthew Lopez on working with Ruffin: “When I was first approached to write Some Like it Hot, the idea that convinced me it was something worth doing - besides getting to work with Casey, Marc, and Scott - was the opportunity to take a classic comedy about Prohibition-era America and rethink it for a contemporary audience,” said Matthew López. “As a queer BIPOC writer, it is an exciting proposition to create a show with characters whose race is instrumental (and not incidental) to the story. It became apparent to me that if we were to honor our commitment to tell that story with honesty and integrity, it required a Black creative voice on the team. It didn’t take long for all of us to agree that Amber was the person to approach. It is my great joy and pleasure that she agreed to join us. That she’s smart and funny and deeply kind is no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention to her work and career these last several years. I cannot wait to huddle in the back of the theatre with her every night and work with her to continue to make this show the thing we all set out to create.”
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