Damn Yankees is returning to Broadway next spring. I have great affection for the 1955 musical, which represents the total breadth of my interest in sports. Joe Boyd is a middle-aged real estate agent and longtime fan of the hapless Washington Senators baseball team. (The Senators had six last-place finishes in the 1940s and 1950s.) Boyd makes a literal deal with the devil — known as “Mr. Applegate” — for the opportunity to become the young star player — “Shoeless Joe Hardy” — the Senators need to escape their slump. Applegate obviously attempts to screw Joe and assigns his “best homewrecker” Lola to seduce him and ensure he loses.
The legend Bob Fosse choreographed the original production and the 1958 film adaptation. The even more legendary Gwen Verdon originated the role of Lola and has all the best numbers (“A Little Brains, A Little Talent,” “Who’s Got The Pain?” and the classic “Whatever Lola Wants”). For the film, Vernon had to tone down her hip gyrations or else risk scandalizing 1958 moviegoers. It’s still damn hot. (Watch below.)
Damn Yankees was revived on Broadway in 1994, starring Victor Garber as Mr. Applegate and the amazing Bebe Neuwirth as Lola. Jarrod Emick won a Tony for his performance as “Joe Hardy.” Jerry Lewis, making his Broadway debut, replaced Garber as Applegate in 1995. The show ran at the Marquis Theatre for a little over a year. (When I worked front of house at Victor/Victoria, which opened at the Marquis few months later, my boss Marjorie gave me one of the leftover Damned Yankee window cards.)
There 1994 revival had substantial changes from the original, though not enough for the casual audience member to notice or freak out over. The 2008 City Center Encores! version starring Sean Hayes as Applegate and Jane Krakowski as Lola more closely resembles the 1955 production.
The 2027 Damn Yankees revival stars Neil Patrick Harris as Mr. Applegate, Austin Scott as young Joe Hardy, and Julianne Hough as Lola. It’s been described as a “revisal,” with an updated book by Will Power and Doug Wright, who’s won a Pulitizer and a Tony, along with additional lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and orchestrations by Doug Besterman.
The reimagined adaptation was introduced last year in an Arena Stage production. The story is now set in 2000, and the Washington Senators are replaced by the Baltimore Orioles, with specific references to Baltimore culture. Joe Boyd is consciously cast as a Black man whose father had played in the Negro Leagues. He’s not simply fulfilling a childhood wish to become a baseball star but he’s honoring his father’s legacy (or so he thinks). I know I’m not the best example, but I do think it’s possible for a Black guy to just enjoy the national pastime without requiring a complex sociopolitical backstory.
Adapting Damn Yankees through a racial lens isn’t a new concept. In fact, Jason Alexander directed a 2007 production that set the story in 1981 Los Angeles and included a predominately Black and Hispanic cast. The question is whether you can successfully update a 1950s musical or make what is ultimately a Faustian “love conquers all” fable “relevant.”
The Chicago revival has run for almost 30 years (!). Its vaudeville origins have been minimized and while technically still set in the 1920s, it looks and feels timeless. Premiering after the O.J. Simpson trial (his first one) and thriving as reality TV started to dominate, Chicago never seemed to chase relevance. It simply reflected our current cynical reality.
As Lou Harry observed, Damn Yankees wasn’t burdened with some of the dated social politics that would require a major overhaul. It’s not Annie Get Your Gun or Peter Pan.
I’m sure I’ll try to see the Damn Yankees revival next year. As much as I adore Gwen Verdon and Bebe Neuwirth, my favorite Damn Yankees song is “Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo,” as led by feisty reporter Gloria Thorpe. The wonderful Rae Allen originated the part on Broadway and Vicki Lewis (NewsRadio) played her in the 1994 revival. Allen’s performance was more “belt-and-speak” — think Ethel Merman — but Lewis boasts an athletic vibrato. The choreography is stunning. If this is what happened at baseball games, I’d willingly attend one. (Watch below.)
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It’s October, so I’ve started my annual Simpsons Halloween specials rewatch. This exchange from 1992’s “Dial 'Z' for Zombies” never gets old: “Dad! You killed the Zombie Flanders!” “He was a zombie?” (Watch below.)
If you haven’t already, you should take advantage of my 40 percent off Halloween season sale for paid subscriptions. That’s just $30 a year. Thanks to all who have upgraded to paid subscriber status recently.
This week, I wrote about how the “covid-conscious” Last Ditch bar patrons (a generous description) turned on its owner when they stepped out of line. Religious cults are more forgiving.
No, Veruca Salt is not a role model or a misunderstood feminist icon. She’s just a younger Donald Trump with a tremendous singing voice.
My friend Michael Mora joined me to discuss the HBO series Lanterns. It’s always a good time to hop over to YouTube and subscribe to my channel.
Thursday was Julie Andrews’s birthday, and I’m delighted she’s still with us. This has been a tough year.
That’s it for this week. See you on Monday.
As a musical hater, I have never seen Damn Yankees and refuse to ever watch it. Sounds interesting, but I’ve long since made the curmudgeonly decision to die on this hill lol.
I saw the movie on TV when I was ill with a very high fever, so the plot totally made sense.