A revival of 'Damn Yankees' hits a solid double at NY's City Center
NEW YORK - Back in the Dark Ages (OK, mid-1950s) when the New York Yankees reigned supreme and the Washington Senators were perennial patsies, Broadway found musical-theatre fodder in baseball.
The show was called "Damn Yankees," a bit of escapist entertainment elevated by a superb cast and a buoyant score that more than a half-century later still retains a bouncy likability.
Now "Damn Yankees" is back for a three-week run as part of the "Encores! Summer Stars" series at City Center, and if the result is not exactly a home run, it's at least a solid double. Heck, maybe even a triple, particularly when Cheyenne Jackson and Randy Graff are emoting as a husband and wife separated by the most unusual of circumstances.
We're talking Faustian bargain, where a rabid Senators fan sells his soul to the devil (here called Mr. Applegate) in exchange for a chance to lead his favourite team to American League pennant glory.
The deal transforms paunchy, middle-aged Joe (P.J. Benjamin) into his strapping former self. The younger Joe is portrayed by the ingratiating, vocally robust Jackson, who has taken a month-long leave of absence from "Xanadu" to appear in "Damn Yankees." If this rejuvenated slugger lifts the spirits and fortunes of the Senators, he also finds that he misses his understanding wife, played by the delightful, wryly understated Graff. Their numbers together are the best in the show.
The devil (Sean Hayes of "Will & Grace" fame) senses trouble and calls in re-enforcements - in this case, an experienced seductress named Lola (portrayed by Jane Krakowski).
It's here where the production, directed by John Rando, sometimes flies out to centre field. Hayes is a savvy comedian and knows how to get laughs. But his vocal chops need more limbering up, even though his one big musical number, "Those Were the Good Old Days," is practically conversational in tone.
Krakowski has an even tougher assignment. The original Lola was Gwen Verdon, one of Broadway's legendary dancers. And Lola's numbers, choreographed by the equally legendary Bob Fosse, were specifically tailored to her incredible talents.
They are recreated here by Mary MacLeod, and while Krakowski has sex appeal to spare, the effort shows when she tries to recapture some of the show's original moves. It doesn't help that there is an ever-present reminder available on DVD, the 1958 film version of "Damn Yankees."
The movie is a pretty good replica of the Broadway original and it showcases an unforgettable dance sequence featuring Verdon and Fosse himself. It's called "Who's Got the Pain?" and the number neatly encapsulates how extraordinary dancing can enhance a show.
The book for "Damn Yankees" was written by George Abbott (its original director) and Douglass Wallop and was based on Wallop's novel "The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant." It creaks a bit these days, with the seams showing most noticeably in the setups for some of the musical numbers.
The musical is a kissin' cousin to "The Pajama Game," written a year earlier by the same songwriting team, Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The scores, both studded with several pop hits, have similarities. For example, it's not very far melodically from "Hernando's Hideaway" in "The Pajama Game" to "Whatever Lola Wants (Lola Gets)" in "Damn Yankees."
One of the most persistent melodies in the latter is "Heart," a cheer-up, buckle-down number sung by the hapless team, most notably the coach (perennial workhorse Michael Mulheren) and three of his players, a trio of talented second bananas named Jimmy Smagula, Robert Creighton and Jimmy Ray Bennett.
But then all the supporting roles are well cast, including Megan Lawrence as a snooping newspaper reporter, John Selya as Krakowski's partner in her big dance number, and Veanne Cox and Kathy Fitzgerald as goo-goo-eyed fans of young Joe's athletic ability.
The show is very much a product of its time, the waning days of a golden era when Broadway still commanded mainstream attention. Come to think of it, 1955 was a time when baseball, too, was at its peak, the nation's number one sports pastime.
"Damn Yankees" didn't aspire to great art, just a good time - which is what this revival provides. It runs through July 27.
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posted by wickliffp1996 @ 21:59
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