Search - Jule Styne, Bob Merrill, Tommy Steele :: Some Like It Hot (1992 London Cast)

"Sugar" by any other name would be ...

Paul A. Gerard | Australia | 06/14/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is the London production of the Jule Styne musical "Sugar".



The story was taken from the 1959 Marilyn Munroe Movie, with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon - but the songs were all original Styne/Merrill numbers.



"Sugar" (the character played by Munroe in the original movie) is a musician who encounters two fellow female musicians. The catch is that they are really men, who have adopted female disguises in a desperate attempt to escape gangsters who want to eliminate them because they have witnessed a gangland slaying.



Much of the appeal of the original movie comes from Miss Munroe's "sexy innocence" - and the fine score by Adolph Deutsch. The musical is frankly not really Jule Styne at his best, although the score does have its moments. Tommy Steele is a bit of an acquired taste too.



One for collectors who want to have their Jule Styne complete (especially if you can't find a copy of the Broadway Version - "Sugar") rather than something you'd rush out to buy, really, but enjoyable enough if you can put Marilyn Munroe and the original (and infinitely better) movie out of your mind."

Some Like It Hot, Some Like It Cold. This is both.

Laura B. Bramblette | 06/10/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Someone else called this album a "mixed bag," and I would definitely agree. While the movie "Some Like It Hot" seems perfect to be converted to a musical, this treatment has some major flaws that kept it from being a total success. Second-rate lyrics, forgettable tunes, and a really annoying lead man really cripple the whole thing, but there are a few highlights that may make this worth purchase.



Let's start with Tommy Steele as Joe. While the original movie seemed like a vehicle for Marilyn Monroe, this comes across as a vehicle for Mr. Steele, as Joe gets most the solos. This would be perfectly fine, and suited to the character, if it weren't for the fact that something about his smarmy personality makes you want to kick him in the teeth every time he sings. Especially when he is playing "Junior" and his speech impediment comes and goes. ("What do you give to a man who has evweything?") Please give me back the bad Cary Grant accent!



However, this recording is not completely without merit. Sugar does a serviceable job at being sweet and innocent and slightly dim. Unfortunately she doesn't get many good songs. "Man From Chicago" is both badly thought-out and pointless to the plot. Her other song "I'm Naive" is much better, but still not great.



For me, the saving grace is the performances from Jerry and Osgood (They changed his last name for unknown reasons, but I recovered from that shock quickly enough) who both give spot-on vocal performances. Jerry, like Sugar, takes second fiddle to Joe, but once his "Romance" with Osgood starts up he gets a couple of good songs. Despite containing some of the worst lyrics ever ("Life's an Omelette, and both the eggs are him") "Magic Nights" is one of the better songs, and "Beautiful Through and Through" is so generic that you could stick it in something like "Guys and Doll's" and not notice, so the humor in it is great. Osgood gets another really good song in "Dirty Old Men" which is catchy and funny. However, it too has some more stupid lyrics that keep it from being great. (Random reference to Hiawatha. That's all I'm saying on that.)



Most the other songs aren't too bad. "Beauty That Drives a Man Mad" is a great song, though it should be noted that this version has a "Naughty Bits" reference which seems a little gratuitous. "Sun on My Face" is fun, if annoying and "Penniless Bums" has some good bits to it. The Finale is pretty solid registers no complaints.



Overall, I would only recommend this if your a huge geek for obscure musicals or the movie "Some Like It Hot." I personally enjoyed most of it, and there are several songs I really like. I've ordered the original version of this musical, called "Sugar" and will post a review of it, and which I think was the better buy, at a later date."