Olney Theatre Center will open its radically renovated Bernard Family Theatre with a new production of the musical comedy Some Like It Hot (September 18 – November 8, 2026). The show stars Jacob Tischler as Joe/Josephine, who just finished his acclaimed run in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love a nd Murder this past Sunday, and Tavis Kordell as Jerry/Daphne, a role they also performed as part of Some Like It Hot’s national tour. The pair are joined by fellow national tour veteran Edward Juvier as Osgood, as well as Montria Walker (Little Miss Perfect) as Sugar Kane. Local favorite and Helen Hayes Award-winner Ashleigh King returns to the Olney Theatre stage as bandleader Sweet Sue. Some Like It Hot features a book by Matthew López  Amber Ruffin, music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, all of whom were Tony-nominated during the show’s original Broadway run in 2023. Olney Theatre’s Artistic Director, Jason Loewith directs the production, assisted by Emmy-nominated choreographer Karla Puno Garcia (Senior Class), and music director Christopher Youstra. Praising the adaptation, Loewith says, “While the show remains a hilarious, fast-paced spectacle, the characters’ journeys have been significantly deepened. Through Osgood and Jerry/Daphne, the musical explores what it means to embrace a dual identity, to be nonbinary. At a moment when nonbinary people are characterized as an existential threat to our country, the love story between Osgood – who is neither Mexican nor American but both – and Jerry/Daphne – who can’t be one without the other – gives us the opportunity to find empathy, and walk in the shoes of people whose identity can’t and shouldn’t be limited to a single dimension.” The production features a set designed by Ryan Douglass and includes 18 cabaret tables for audience members on either side of the thrust stage, meant to evoke the clubs and speakeasies of Some Like It Hot. Colin K. Bills is the lighting designer, with costumes designed by Frank Labovitz and sound designed by Matthew Rowe. The Alaska House Design group of Kelly Colburn, Dylan Uremovich, and Mark Costello are the projection designers for the production. Larry Peterson is the wig designer, Jenny Male is the Fight and Intimacy Consultant, and Ethan Watermeier is the dialect coach. Ben Walsh is the Production Stage Manager, and the assistants are Becky Reed and Jay Dews. Loewith is also aided by Assistant Director Solomon Parker III. The rest of the cast features some familiar faces returning to the Olney Theatre stage, including Karen Vincent (A Gentleman’s Guide…) as Minnie, Todd Scofield (Our Town) as Agent Mulligan, and Greg Twomey (Waitress) as Spats Columbo. Returning members of the ensemble include Ariel Kraje (Frozen, she also serves as Dance Captain/Associate Choreographer), Jay Frisby (Waitress), Nico Nazal (Little Miss Perfect), Jessica Bennet (Waitress), Robert Mintz (Hello, Dolly!), and Caroline Graham (Little Miss Perfect). Ensemble members making their Olney Theatre Center debuts are Nicky Kaider and Kaya Julie Harrison. Gianna Vasquez Bartolini and Ben Yantis will swing for the production.  PRODUCTION DETAILS Resident Regional Premiere SOME LIKE IT HOT Music by Marc ShaimanLyrics by Marc Shaiman Scott WittmanBook by Matthew Lopez Amber RuffinBased on the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Motion Picture “Some Like It Hot”Choreographed by Karla Puno GarciaMusic Directed by Christopher YoustraDirected by Jason Loewith Based on the MGM film that starred Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Marilyn Monroe, this Broadway hit gives a classic story new life with music and lyrics from the creators of Hairspray, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. The super-smart book and lyrics by Tony Award-winning playwright Matthew Lopez (Inheritance) and Late Night star Amber Ruffin update the vibe to suit 21st-century audiences, telling the hilarious story of two 1930s jazz musicians who go on the run from the mob disguised as women as part of an all-female band headed to California. Just like in the movie, Joe and Jerry become Josephine and Daphne, become “friendly” with the band’s star singer Sugar Kane, and find themselves transformed by the experience – and in ways a 1950s film could never make explicit. This tap-heavy, dance-intensive, Prohibition-era spectacle retains a comic heart of pure gold as co-author Lopez reminds us, “we don’t think men in dresses are funny, but we think idiots in trouble are always funny.” Patrons can enhance their experience with seats at a limited number of cabaret tables “inside” the club, complete with champagne service. Some Like It Hot runs September 18 – November 8, 2026, in the Bernard Family Theatre at Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD 20832. Tickets range from $64-$124 and are available online or by calling the box office at 301-924-3400.  Performance ScheduleWednesdays through Saturdays, evenings at 7:30 pm. Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday matinees at 1:30 pm.Sunday evenings at 7:00 pm on October 4, October 25, and November 1No matinee performance on Saturday, September 19 Accessible Performances Audio-Described Performance – Wednesday, September 30 at 7:30 pmASL Interpreted Performance – Thursday, October 1, at 7:30 pm ABOUT OLNEY THEATRE CENTER Mission Olney Theatre Center for the Arts produces and curates theatrical performance for the diverse audiences in its community, and educates, learns from, supports, and inspires a more inclusive generation of theater-makers. Vision Olney strives to become an arts and culture powerhouse, redefining the American regional theater movement by cultivating and sharing the creativity of its community. History Founded in 1938 as a summer playhouse, Olney Theatre Center (OTC) now produces world and American premieres of plays and musicals, and reimaginings of familiar titles year-round; presents the work of leading companies and artists; tours nationally and locally; teaches students of all ages; and mentors a more inclusive generation of theater-makers. For more than 8 decades, OTC has brought impactful theater performance and education to its community, helping to grow the vibrancy and vitality of its home in the Washington, DC region. Over the years, some of the biggest names in theater and film have appeared on Olney stages, including Tallulah Bankhead, Helen Hayes, Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn, Bob Fosse, Phillip Bosco, Eve Arden, Eva Gabor, Burl Ives, Jose Ferrer, Carol Channing, Olivia d’Havilland, Tony Randall, Paulette Goddard, Dorothy and Lillian Gish, Jane Seymour, Anne Revere, Frances Sternhagen, Arthur Treacher, James Broderick, Olympia Dukakis, Sir Ian McKellen, Marica Gay Harden, John Colicos, Uzo Aduba, Alan Cumming, Cheyenne Jackson, Robin de Jesus, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Bernadette Peters, among many, many others. Olney Theatre is now the cultural anchor of a rapidly changing region and serves one of the most diverse, best educated, and wealthiest counties in the country. Situated on the unceded land of the Piscataway-Conoy people, the Olney area was once a rural farming community with a unique Quaker heritage. Now the area is occupied by every kind of family that makes up 21st-century America, along with major corporations, shopping districts, civic associations, nonprofit organizations, and a diverse collection of houses of worship. Montgomery County’s 1 million residents play a dynamic role in the Baltimore-Washington corridor and are a driving force behind the region’s creative economy. ...read more read less