How 13 Tony Nominations Ignited Struggling ‘Some Like It Hot’ at the Box Office
Brent Lang Executive Editor “Some Like It Hot,” a musical adaptation of the classic film, arrived on Broadway in December with sizzling reviews and backed by some of the most prominent names in comedy and theater. And yet, for the first few months of its life on stage, the show struggled to ignite at the box office. “Word-of-mouth has taken a longer time to seep out into the world than we expected,” says Neil Meron, one of the show’s producers. “One thing we’re still struggling with in this post-pandemic period is it has changed people’s buying habits. It used to be if the critics liked you, you’d be selling out. But now, there isn’t the same level of tourism and people aren’t going to the office as much, so they aren’t seeing a show after work. And we haven’t gotten those suburban theatergoers back. So it’s week-to-week, being on the edge-of-your-seat, hoping to get enough people to keep the lights on.”