Playful Theatre Productions offers this popular musical, just in time for baseball season.
By: Stuart Duncan
When Damn Yankees opened in New York, the final offering of the 1954-55 season, it was battling a long-standing Broadway curse. The plot was based on Douglas Wallop’s book, The Year The Yankees Lost The Pennant (as rare a half century ago as today).
The producers chose to bring in the production staff that had made The Pajama Game into a hit: George Abbot to direct and collaborate with the novelist, Bob Fosse for the choreography, and Jerry Ross and Richard Adler to handle the score and lyrics. One of Fosse’s "finds," Gwen Verdon, would star.
But baseball stories on Broadway were definitely jinxed, so the producers added two important ingredients a deep nod to opera’s Faust legend, and sex.
Damn Yankees is getting an enthusiastic revival by Playful Theatre Productions at the Kelsey Theatre on the Mercer County Community College campus in West Windsor. Packed with strong performances, energy bouncing all over the stage, director Nancy Snyder (who used to conduct the pit orchestra for Playful but has turned that assignment over to the talented James Capes) rushes by the show’s sagging sections to concentrate on the sure-fire stuff. The original producers did the same: Whenever the show slowed a bit, they dreamed up another number for Gwen Verdon.
The story deals with a plumpish, middle-aged, staunch fan of his hometown baseball team, the Washington Senators. After watching his team lose yet another game, Joe says he would sell his soul if the Senators could win the pennant and stop the "damn Yankees." The Devil appears almost immediately, posing as the affable Mr. Applegate, and promises to rejuvenate Boyd and make him a sensational ball player in return for his soul. The bargain is made, with a tiny loophole. Boyd insists on "an escape clause" to permit him to return to his wife, if he wishes to do so.
Delicious performances abound at Kelsey: Ken Ambs is a fine middle-aged Joe Boyd; Susie Shaddy, as his wife, has a lovely voice that she shows in "A Man Doesn’t Know." Arthur Hochman returns to the stage after far too long as the manager of the Senators. Diane Wargo, talent and energy at every fingertip, plays the cynical sports reporter, Gloria Thorpe, with gusto. Tom Gates has just the right blend of businessman and pompous ass as the commissioner.
But the show rests ultimately with Melissa Marschner (as Lola, the Devil’s 142-year-old, curvy, nervy assistant in a variety of slinky costumes); Bob McDonald (as the young Joe Hardy) and Michael Schiumo (as Applegate, bright red socks and all). It is Ms. Marschner who steals the evening, singing in pure musical-comedy style, dancing up a veritable storm, selling every lyric and every gesture, even making slushy love scenes memorable. Mr. McDonald has the looks and stature of Joe Hardy but not the baseball moves. And Mr. Schiumo needs about a half generation more to move into Applegate’s persona completely, especially the second-act soft-shoe number.
But when Paul Lasky, Stephen Lewandowski, Vince Gagliano, Danny Giglio, Joe Hernandez and Eugene Gross sing and dance "You Gotta Have Heart," you may not care much what the rest of the evening brings your own heart will soar.
Damn Yankees continues at the Kelsey Theatre, Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor, through April 13. Performances: Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. Tickets cost $14, $12 seniors, $10 students and children. For information, call (609) 584-9444. On the Web: www.kelseytheatre.com