Joining the musical lineup of shows next spring on Broadway is “Damn Yankees” starring Neil Patrick Harris, Julianne Hough who is making her Broadway debut, and Austin Scott.
Major League Baseball (MLB) and MLB Studios is partnering with the show for a revival of a show that has not appeared on Broadway in over 30 years!
Set for an opening preview at the Marquis Theatre on March 24 with an official opening on April 20; just in time for baseball season!
In a new adaptation of classic, Sergio Trujillo will direct and choreograph the musical.
The musical is based on he novel by Douglass Wallopp “The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant”. It follows mega fan Joe Boyd who makes a Faustian deal.
Sergio Trujillo spoke on the musical saying, “in the year 2000, the Yankees had won three World Series back to back. Obviously our show is fictional, so we wanted to figure out the time when the show would make the most sense…in conversations with Doug Wright and Will Power, it became important for me to look at it through a new lens, a fresh lens. I wanted to tell this story through an America that is diverse, an America that reflects today.”
He added, “we also needed to look at the teams, the Washington Senators which is the team that [in the original show] Joe Hardy played on. That team no longer exists. The Washington Nationals are obviously the Washington team, but they’re not on the same league as the New York Yankees…we thought the Baltimore Orioles made the most sense, because we wanted to tell a David and Goliath story. It also brought a sense of authenticity and in our story—Joe and Joe Hardy are Black players. We’ve added a very small but significant sort of story to our musical in that Joe’s father played in the legendary Negro Leagues, and because of the prejudices of the time in the 1950s, he wasn’t allowed to play, so that was something that we thought heightens the stakes for Joe.”
Noting that New York Yankees star Aaron Judge provided some inspiration for the new show, Austin Scott noted, “he’s one of those players that, even coming at it as a relative outsider, I understand why people are fascinated by with this man. It’s not just his power—his form, it’s this stillness. There’s this stillness, there’s this confidence that he has.”
Neil Patrick Harris added, “when Sergio came up with this idea of making it more modern and taking away some of the tropes that I think could be tricky if performed today, I was really intrigued. Playing someone that’s devilish is always good. It’s always fun to be naughty…I want Applegate to be as alluring and as kind of puppet mastery as possible.”
Speaking on sharing the stage with Julianne Hough, Harris said, “[she’s] so triple threat, and I cannot wait for Broadway audiences to really sink their teeth into what she’s capable of doing. I know Sergio is going to be pushing her really hard, which is saying a lot, because her skills are unbelievable.”
The musical first appeared on Broadway in 1955 and went on to win seven Tony Awards including Best Musical” and was choreographed by the great Bob Fosse.
Lead producer Haley Swindal spoke on the partnership with the MLB saying, “baseball is mythology. Broadway is mythology. They both deliver thrilling, unrepeatable live entertainment to millions of fans each year. Bringing them together—with MLB at the table and this extraordinary creative team—isn’t just a revival. It’s a collision of American icons.”
Deputy Commissioner of Business and Media at MLB Noah Garden spoke via statement saying, “it’s incredibly important that our game continues to resonate outside the diamond and into different areas of culture. Baseball and Broadway fans both love high drama, high stakes and high hopes that they’re about to watch something unforgettable happen. Damn Yankees celebrates that shared spirit, and we’re proud to help bring that energy to the stage.”
Broadway performer Derek Klena has been lending his skills on the stage to the Savannah Bananas baseball team singing and dancing Broadway tunes during the games. Former MLB players José “Candelita” Igelsias and Yankees legend Bernie Williams are currently a part of the cast of “Buena Vista Social Club”. And “Hamilton” celebrated their 10th anniversary with a “HamilTen” themed game at Yankees Stadium.