So much to love about 'Some Like It Hot,' in town through Feb. 23

The infectious musical, now on stage at Centennial Hall, captures the slap-stacky, joyous spirit of the 1959 Billy Wilder movie starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe.

And the framework is about the same — two musicians witness a mob murder and try to escape the killers by dressing as women and joining an all-female band touring via train around the country.

But by paralleling the gender-switch story with one about race we have a standard musical comedy that comes dangerously close to having something to say.

Our two musicians are Joe, who is white and has no trouble traveling and staying in hotels in 1933 America, and his close friend Jerry, who is Black and not as welcome.

The Marilyn Monroe character, Sugar, is also Black, instantly separating her from the Sugar in the movie. That gives a freedom of interpretation that would not have been there if a woman who emulated Monroe — a white, blonde sexpot — had been cast.

Also Black, the bandleader Sweet Sue, who must fight not only bigotry but club owners who have no trouble cheating her. At one point, Sweet Sue is asked if the band was heading south. “Look at me and ask that again,” she says with a wry look.

There is so much to love about this musical, from the colorful costumes to the impressive tap dancing to the boundless energy exuded by the cast of this Broadway road show.

And the singing, acting and dancing just make for a good ol’ time at the theater.

Tavis Kordell, tall and beautiful as a man or a woman, is a wonder. His embrace of his female character, Daphne, was flawless, as was his singing and tap dancing. Lots of tap in this show — what’s not to love about that?

His sidekick, Joe/Josephine, a womanizer who is slower to embrace his feminine side, is a complete hoot in the talented Matt Loehr’s hands.

Also impressive were Leandra Ellis-Gaston as the ambitious Sugar, and Tarra Conner Jones, who gave the bandleader Sweet Sue great sass and authority.

And Edward Juvier was irresistible as Osgood, the bumbling billionaire in hot pursuit of Daphne.

Casey Nicholaw directed with an eye toward keeping the audience laughing and the cast moving. But it was his inventive choreography that won him a Tony Award (the 2023 musical won four Tonys). This musical is worth seeing just for the Keystone Cops-esque chase scene in and out of doors and across the stage, all done in tap.

The songs, jazzy, bluesy and ear-wormable, are by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. The updated book was fashioned by Matthew Lopez and the wonderful Amber Ruffin, a comedian/writer on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and one of the panelists on “Have I Got News for You.” They have all put together a musical that never preaches, is always fun and quickly embraces the audience and holds them.

That said, the sound at Centennial Hall is still muddy. A packed-with-talent song and dance show like this deserves to be heard clearly.

“Some Like it Hot,” brought here by Broadway In Tucson, continues through Feb. 23 at Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd., on the University of Arizona campus. Tickets are $40-$140 at broadwayintucson.com. You can avoid the hefty surcharge if you purchase tickets in person at the Centennial Hall Box Office.

The show runs about 2½ hours with one intermission.