The Shubert Organization and Neil Meron are pleased to announce Emmy nominated writer and performer Amber Ruffin has joined the Some Like It Hot creative team. Ruffin joins Tony nominee Matthew López to adapt the musical comedy from the beloved MGM film.
Ruffin is a writer, executive producer, and host of the WGA Award nominated series The Amber Ruffin Show on Peacock, as well as an Emmy and WGA Award nominated writer and performer for NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers. Ruffin was the first African American female to write for a late-night network talk show in the U.S. and is a recent New York Times bestselling author, along with her sister Lacey Lamar, of You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories of Racism, published by Grand Central Publishing in January 2021.
“As we continue the development of Some Like it Hot, we are thrilled that the talented and hilarious Amber Ruffin is joining our outstanding creative team and the extraordinary Kenny Leon is joining our producing team,” said producers Bob Wankel and Neil Meron. “We warmly welcome them both to our Some Like It Hot family.”
Some Like It Hot is a brand-new Broadway musical comedy, featuring a book by Matthew López (The Inheritance) and Amber Ruffin, 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, which has been named the “Funniest American Movie of All Time” by the American Film Institute.
Ruffin, when asked about joining the team, said, “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!”
Added 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.”
Set in Chicago when Prohibition has everyone thirsty for a little excitement, Some Like It Hot is the rollicking story of two musicians forced to flee the Windy City after witnessing a mob hit. With gangsters hot on their heels, they’re on the run as the newest members of the swingingest big band ever to cross the country. Can they hide in plain sight without completely losing themselves? Or will the mob, the truth, and maybe even love itself finally catch up to them?
Some Like It Hot is produced by the Shubert Organization and Neil Meron and co-produced by Roy Furman, Robert Greenblatt, the Nederlander Organization and Kenny Leon.
