music by Jule Styne,
lyrics by Bob Merrill
book by Peter Stone
May 5 and 6 at 7:30
May 7 at 2:00
Kirkland Fine Arts Center
Decatur, IL
Director/Choreographer
Sean T. Morrissey
Music Director/Conductor
Kevin Long
Set Designer
Mark Beal
Costume Designer
Jana Henry
Lighting Designer
Brad Criswell
Sound Designer
Rob Kovarik
Cast
Sweet Sue
Jenny Bakakos
Sugar Kane
Tiffany Topol
Bienstock
Alex Jensen
Joe
Erik Floor
Jerry
Drew Nellessen
Spats Palazzo
Alex Jorth
Sir Osgood Fielding
Michael P. Worth 
Men's Chorus
Jesse Barfield
Steve Barnowski
Kevin Buscemi
Kyle Fowler
Brian Harden
Brandon Haagenson
Josh Streeter
Kyle Nelson
Chase Renouf
Kevin White
 Women's chorus
 Megan Crain
Abbey Elliott
Lauren Gire
Erin Madden
Lindsey Ridgway
Danielle Zyrkowski
Swings
Jenny Guse
David Pica
Crew
 Stage Managers
Amanda Koons
Amy Musser 
Assistant Stage Managers
 Jen Geary
Hannah Freier
 Assistant Scene Designer
Matt Borysewicz 
Assistant Lighting Designer
Kyle Van Sandt  
Assistant Costume Designer
 Melissa Pleiss
Assistant Sound Designer
Brian Wussow
Technical Director
Jason Hauslein  
 Production Manager
Sarah May
 Properties Master
 Maggie Crawford
Paint Charges
Jenn Flentge
Vicki Podlin
Costume Director
Jana Henry
Assistant Costumer
Glenda Richardson
Cutter/Draper
Matt Willer
Hair/Makeup Designer
Krissa Lent
Costume Crafts
Stephanie Paradiso
Wardrobe Supervisor
Lauren Hysell
Master Electrician
Erin Hoffman
Assistant Master Electricians
Katy Atwell
Steve Moore
Shop Foreman
Nick Adelsberger
Sound Engineer
Sarah Ramos
Rehearsal Pianists
Christine Cherry
Christopher Weisenborn
Synopsis
The 1959 Billy Wilder classic, Some Like It Hot, starring Jack Lemon, Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe, comes to life as the Broadway musical, Sugar. When Joe and Jerry, two penniless, unemployed musicians in depression era Chicago witness a mob slaying in a downtown parking garage, they become the target of a gangland manhunt and take it on the lam. Their only hope of getting out of Chicago fast is to take jobs with Sweet Sue and her Society Syncopaters, an all girl band. Joe and Jerry rise to the challenge, transform themselves into Josephine and Daphne and head to the tropics of Miami and out of reach of the mob (or so they think). On the way they meet blonde bombshell, Sugar Kane, the band's singer/ukulele player, and begin a bidding war for Sugar's affection. Will sugar fall for Joe or Jerry, or will she tell all to her new girlfriends, Daphne and Josephine? The story unfolds in a hilarious series of mistaken identities and multiple personalities as Joe and Jerry try to keep their secret (and their lives) safe. Scored by the incomparable Jule Styne, Sugar promises an evening of endless laughter and lighthearted entertainment.
Poster by Kyle Nelson, '06
Notes from the Director
On February 14th, 1929 at the S-M-C Cartage Company garage on Clark Street in Chicago, seven members of the Bugs Moran gang were lined up against the wall and mowed down in one of the most infamous gangland slayings in history. An eyewitness told police that after hearing the gunfire, she saw several police officers escorting two men (with their hands in the air) to their car. The police officers in question, and their “prisoners” were actually members of the Al Capone gang and this well orchestrated mob hit became known as the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.

Of course, only in Hollywood would you find someone with the irreverence bold enough to use the events of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre as the seed to grow the plot of a slapstick comedy. Some Like it Hot opened in 1959 starring Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemon. The story of two down-on-their-luck musicians who witness a mob slaying and take it on the lam dressed as women in an all-girl band became an instant hit. Touted as a comedy classic, the movie continues to enjoy success 48 years after its original release.

However, as it turns out, Hollywood does not have a monopoly on irreverence. In the early ’70s Broadway giant Jule Styne (Gypsy, Funny Girl) took a crack at adapting Some Like It Hot for the musical stage. The result was Sugar. With some catchy music, witty lyrics and an incredibly funny book based very closely on the film script, Sugar had a respectable 505 performances on Broadway. Starring Robert Morse, Tony Roberts, and Elaine Joyce, Sugar never reached the heights of shows like Gypsy, Oklahoma, or West Side Story. But as a well-crafted, feel good musical, it has been an absolute blast to bring to the Kirkland stage.

Enjoy!