Join us for a Conversation with Christian Borle, J. Harrison Ghee, Adrianna Hicks, Kevin Del Aguila, NaTasha Yvette Williams, Casey Nicholaw, Marc Shaiman, and Scott Wittman of 'Some Like It Hot.' Moderated by BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge, of "Backstage with Richard Ridge."
SAG-AFTRA Foundation and BroadwayWorld have partnered for a filmed Conversations Q&A series to recognize and celebrate the vibrant theatre community in New York City and the actors who aspire to have a career on the stage and screen.
SYNOPSIS:
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?
BIOS:
CHRISTIAN BORLE (Joe/Josephine) Broadway: Something Rotten! (Tony and Drama Desk Awards), Peter and the Starcatcher (Tony Award), Falsettos (Tony nomination), Legally Blonde (Tony nomination), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mary Poppins, Spamalot, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Amour, Footloose, Jesus Christ Superstar. Off-Broadway: Little Shop of Horrors (Drama Desk Award), Sweeney Todd (PBS’ “Live at Lincoln Center”); Angels in America (Signature Theatre); Elegies: A Song Cycle (Lincoln Center); On the Town, Little Me and Me and My Girl (City Center Encores!). Television: “Smash,” “Gilmore Girls,” “Younger,” “Masters of Sex,” “The Good Wife,” “Tangled: The Series,” Disney Junior’s “Lucky Duck,” “The Sound of Music Live!” and “Peter Pan Live!” Film: The Bounty Hunter, Michael Mann’s Blackhat. Directing: Popcorn Falls (Davenport Theater), Footloose (The Muny). Playwriting: Hammered: A Thor & Loki Play (Marvel Spotlight Plays).
J. HARRISON GHEE (Jerry/Daphne) hopes to inspire, enlighten, and uplift someone in the journey of playing Jerry/Daphne. Hopefully you will learn to free yourself, to see yourself beyond any of your wildest dreams. Thank you friends, family, fans, and my agents at Nicolosi & Co. for your love and support. Broadway/International tour: Kinky Boots (Lola), Mrs. Doubtfire (Andre Mayem). Regional: The Color Purple (Ensemble), The Sting (Johnny Hooker). Television: “High Maintenance” (Charles), “Raising Dion” (Kwame). Industrial: Tokyo Disney Sea’sBig Band Beat, Norwegian Cruise Line. Proud graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (NY) @jharrisonghee
ADRIANNA HICKS (Sugar) is a Texas native with a B.F.A degree in Musical Theatre from The University of Oklahoma’s Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre. Her credits include: Broadway: Six, The Color Purple Revival, Aladdin. Tour/Regional: Six (Catherine of Aragon) at Chicago Shakes, A.R.T, Citadel, and Ordway; The Color Purple Revival Tour (Celie); The Wiz (Dorothy) at Sacramento Music Circus; Ragtime (Sarah); Buddy Holly (Marlena). International: Sister Act Germany, Legally Blonde Austria, Dirty Dancing Germany. Concert: Michael Bublé “Call Me Irresistible” Tour (Backup Singer). Insta: @missadriannahicks
KEVIN DEL AGUILA (Osgood) Broadway: Frozen (Oaken), Peter and the Starcatcher (Smee), Rocky. Off Broadway: Starcatcher (NYTW), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Shakespeare in the Park), Jacques Brel, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (Encores). TV/Film: “Peg + Cat,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Deadbeat.” Kevin is also an Emmy-winning writer & author of the musicals Altar Boyz and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. FUN FACT: Kevin was the voice of a Troll in the Disney blockbuster Frozen.
NATASHA YVETTE WILLIAMS (Sweet Sue) Broadway: Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (Zelma), Chicken and Biscuits (Brianna), Waitress (Becky), Chicago (Mama Morton), A Night with Janis Joplin (Aretha, Joplinaire), The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess (Mariah), The Color Purple (Sofia). Selected TV/Film Credits: “Harlem” (Rebecca), “FBI” (Mrs. Adamu), “New Amsterdam” (Esther), “The Good Fight”. You can catch her in the historical thriller “Alice” (Ruth), the Disney+ movie “Better Nate Than Never” (Principal) and Fall 2022 on Netflix’s “Partner Track”. Follow Insta @Natashayvettewillliams. Proud Black Theatre United and Actor’s Equity Member.
MARC SHAIMAN (Music & Lyrics) Marc Shaiman is a composer/lyricist/arranger/performer working in films, television, musical theater and recordings. He has won several honors, including a Tony, an Emmy, a Grammy, plus seven Oscar nominations. Recent projects include "Rogers: The Musical" for Marvel/Disney+'s "Hawkeye", incidental music for the Broadway revival of Plaza Suite and Co-Music Producer on HOCUS POCUS 2, due for release on DISNEY+, Fall 2022. This coming September, the score for Billy Eichner's upcoming Universal romcom "Bros" which will make history as the first gay romantic comedy from a major studio. For "Mary Poppins Returns" he was nominated for two Oscars, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and a Grammy. His other Oscar nominations have been for “Sleepless in Seattle", “Patch Adams”, “The First Wives Club”, "The American President" and “South Park-Bigger, Longer & Uncut”. Other film credits include “Beaches”, “When Harry Met Sally”, “City Slickers”, “The Addams Family”, “Sister Act”, “A Few Good Men”, "Hocus Pocus", “The Bucket List” and "Hairspray". He and Mariah Carey were nominated for a Golden Globe for their title song for the animated film "The Star". For Broadway, he and co-lyricist Scott Wittman have written Hairspray (Tony & Grammy Awards), Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, Catch Me If You Can (Tony nom) and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. Television credits include "Saturday Night Live" (Emmy and Golden Globe nom), “Smash” (Emmy & Golden Globe nom), The Oscars with Billy Crystal (Emmy Award), Bette Midler (final guest with Johnny Carson) and countless appearances with Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Lane, Jennifer Hudson, Jack Black & Will Ferrell, among others. He has produced/arranged recordings and performances for Bette Midler, Harry Connick Jr., Peter Allen, Eric Clapton, Diane Keaton, Patti LuPone, Steve Martin, Barbra Streisand, Robin Williams and many more. His online opus “Prop 8 - The Musical” was a Webbie Award winner.
SCOTT WITTMAN (Lyrics) Tony, Grammy, and Olivier Award winning lyricist, director, writer, and conceiver, Scott Wittman co-wrote the lyrics for the hit musical Hairspray (Tony, Grammy, Olivier Award winner) with creative partner Marc Shaiman. Wittman also served as an executive producer on the hit film starring John Travolta. Scott was nominated for a Golden Globe, Grammy, and two Emmy Awards for the original songs on NBC’s musical drama “Smash.” While working on the show, he co-wrote songs for Jennifer Hudson, Uma Thurman, Bernadette Peters, and Liza Minnelli. Shaiman and Wittman’s original score for the Marilyn Monroe musical Bombshell was released by Sony Records. Scott & Marc’s Broadway writing credits include Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, which Scott also directed, Catch Me If You Can (Tony nom. for Best Musical), and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on Broadway and the West End. Scott has created and directed two Broadway shows, three studio recordings, and three sold-out Carnegie Hall concerts for Patti LuPone. He has created solo shows for Christine Ebersole and Nathan Lane, as well as writing for Bette Midler’s 2015 Divine Intervention World Tour. Off-Broadway, he conceived and directed Jukebox Jackie starring Justin Vivian Bond, Cole Escola, and Bridget Everett at La Mama., and Bridget Everett’s Rockbottom at the Public Theatre. His notorious and legendary Downtown shows are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York Marc and Scott also wrote the score to Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns starring Emily Blunt, Lin Manuel Miranda, and Meryl Streep. Directed by Rob Marshall. Their song, “The Place Were Lost Things Go” was nominated for an Oscar. He recently joined the Marvel Universe with his song cowritten with Marc for “Rodgers: The Musical for “Hawkeye”. They have written a new musical version of Some Like It Hot to premiere on Broadway this fall.
CASEY NICHOLAW (Director, Choreographer) Represented on Broadway as director/choreographer of Disney’s Aladdin (2014 Tony®, Drama Desk & Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for Best Choreography), and co-director and choreographer of The Book of Mormon (2011 Tony®, Drama Desk & Outer Critics Circle Awards for co-director and nominations in the same categories for Choreography); Olivier award winner for Best Choreography. Represented on the West End as co-director/choreographer of The Book of Mormon. Other Broadway credits as director/choreographer: The Prom (2019 Tony® nomination for Best Direction), Mean Girls (2018 Tony nominations for Best Direction and Choreography), Tuck Everlasting, Something Rotten! (2015 Tony®, Drama Desk & Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for Best Direction and Choreography) Elf: The Musical; The Drowsy Chaperone (2006 Tony®, Drama Desk nominations for Best Direction and Choreography, Outer Critics Circle nomination for Best Choreography); Monty Python’s Spamalot directed by Mike Nichols (2005 Tony®, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle nominations for Best Choreography). Other West End Credits as director/choreographer: The Drowsy Chaperone, Dreamgirls, and Aladdin. Film and TV credits include: “The Prom” (choreographer), “Trolls” (choreographer), “Smash” (director, S2 E7).
Run Time: 90 minutes
Masks are recommended, but not required.
SAG-AFTRA members and guests invited to events will behave in a professional and courteous manner. Any violation of the rules or transgression of decorum will be subject to review by the programming team, which has authority to remove the member from present and future SAG-AFTRA Foundation programs.
