Few sports are as timeless as baseball. Ever since the induction, it has served as an important piece of America’s history, reflecting the growth and change of society. Even in theater, one can notice its durable appeal with Damn Yankees. Beyond the nostalgia of a batter watching a ball fly out of the stadium, the show incorporates the physicality of the game with consistent sliding and lyrics that build mythology like “Shoeless Joe From Hannibal, MO.” Even if the show is antiquated after a near 70 years, the recent production put on by Musical Theater West proves why people are still singing “Whatever Lola Wants” and rooting for The Washington Nationals. It’s a charmer, and one that isn’t likely to go out of style anytime soon.
Unlike most shows that center around sports, there is accessibility that captures emotional clarity. While it helps to know various athletes of the time, this is a story more about the regret of aging and missing out on your dreams. It’s the vicarious way that people live through their teams, a comical detail mentioned in the opening number “Six Months Out of Every Year” as Joe Boyd (Norman Large) is spun around the stage in his recliner. Meanwhile, his wife Meg Boyd (Terri Bibb) talks about how she longs to be emotionally resonant with him, but it’s difficult when an underdog team’s success means more to her husband. Despite the vibrant comic tone, there’s an awareness of a certain melancholy that grounds the show. As much as this is a satire of the Faust bargain, it’s just as much commentary on how our obsessions draw us away from what truly matters.
With that said, watching Joe form a deal with the devilish Mr. Applegate (Jeff Skowron) is still a compelling gambit. Applegate is the most eccentric 50s villain one could ask for, finding him wearing sparkling coats and using Bewitched magic to mold the world in his image. The chemistry he shares with the ditzy Lola (Lesli Margherita) becomes a perfect parallel to the dramatic heartbreak on the other end, where Joe’s success as a baseball phenomenon doesn’t provide him happiness. Even as songs are written about him and wins the acclaim of his team, he is left wondering what any of it is for. Even within the grandiosity and spectacle, there is the humanity trying to break out.
A major reason that the show works is the music, which zips with the best of them. The way that it mixes euphemisms with professionalism in numbers like “Then I Thought About the Game” adds a nice edginess to the show without making it too smutty. In other places, like in “Shoeless Joe from Hannibal Mo,” the actors do an incredible job of blending dance choreography with songs that move expediently that you’ll be forgiven for not knowing all the words. It’s got a dedication that runs the bases, but does so with such heart that the audience will be appreciative of the effort. At one point an actress even flings herself from a second story set into the arms of her athletic co-stars and it is as awe-inspiring as one could hope.
While the heart of the story is Joe, the real shine is how the comedy blurs in some supernatural antics, finding the backdrops flickering as Applegate messes with the lights and the off-screen action leaves plenty to the imagination. There’s even a visit to the underworld which has a luscious design that leads into the orchestra pit. The show incorporates every inch of the stage with a creativity that allows for the tale of good and evil to feel mystical without having to rely on too many special effects. Every actor is at the right level of eccentric that the pratfalls feel natural and any sight gag is given enough time to churn out the most laughter possible. Applegate and Lola’s old vaudeville style conversations serve as some of the show’s funniest moments, allowing the darkness to never feel as devastating as one would expect.
Though that’s the cleverness of the story. The slow revelations that come in the third act reflect the morality underneath the artifice. As Joe discovers that his dream life comes with tragic stipulations, he begins to desire his old life. While it produces some of the slowest moments in the show, they’re emotionally resonant in a way that can be forgiven for any datedness. This is very much a work of its time and every joke feels pitched to a retro aw-shucks glee. If nothing else, watching Damn Yankees in 2022 presents a connection to musicals of Broadway past that are thankfully mostly still entertaining even if some of the references may be outdated.
More than anything, Damn Yankees is just a great afternoon of theater. As much as it’s about baseball’s lasting appeal, it’s also about how everyone gets wrapped up in dreams and delusions that distract them from reality. For as much as one can enjoy befriending the devil and living their dream life, is watching The Yankees lose really better than experiencing love? While the animosity that the New York staple earns early in the show may have created a rather exciting piece of theater, the predictable sentimentalism at the center works. Even for those who don’t like baseball may find plenty to enjoy in the music and choreography that turns locker rooms into comical extravagances, with likable bit players who make the most of their abrupt punchlines. It’s a show with a little bit of everything, and it’s a good reminder of why this show continues to stick around. It may not be the most up to date work imaginable, but as a throwback, Musical Theater West has hit a home run by bringing this show back to life for a few more weeks.
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