Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during a time when the New York Yankees dominated Major League Baseball. It is based on Wallop's 1954 novel The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant.
The show ran for 1,019 performances in its original Broadway production. Adler and Ross's success with it and The Pajama Game seemed to point to a bright future for them, but Ross suddenly died of chronic bronchiectasis at age 29, several months after Damn Yankees opened.
Plot
Note: The synopsis for the 1994 Broadway revival differed from the original 1955 production. The plot of the 1958 film adaptation is closer to the original stage version.Middle-aged real estate agent Joe Boyd is a long-suffering fan of the pathetic Washington Senators baseball team. His wife Meg laments this. After she has gone to bed, he sits up late, grumbling that if the Senators just had a "long ball hitter" they could beat "those damn Yankees". Suddenly, the smooth-talking, subtly demonic Mr. Applegate appears. He offers Joe the chance to become "Joe Hardy", the young slugger the Senators need. He accepts, even though he must leave Meg. However, his business sense makes him insist on an escape clause. The Senators' last game is on September 25, and if he plays in it, he is to stay as Joe Hardy forever. If not, he has until 9:00 the night before to walk away from the deal and return to his normal life.
At the ballpark, the hapless Senators vow to play their best despite their failings. Then Joe Hardy is suddenly discovered and joins the team. Gloria Thorpe, a sports reporter, praises him. His hitting prowess enables the team to move up in the standings.
Though Joe is increasingly successful, he truly misses Meg and moves into her house as a boarder in his Joe Hardy persona. They begin to bond, especially over her "lost" husband. Fearful of losing his deal, Applegate calls Lola, "the best homewrecker on staff", to seduce Joe and ensure he loses the bet. She promises to deliver, and Applegate introduces her as a sultry South American dancer named "Señorita Lolita Banana". She sings a seductive song, but Joe's devotion to Meg proves too strong, even for her. Applegate punishes her by firing her, where she performs with other past workers for Applegate.
Applegate decides to switch tactics to ensure Joe's failure. He releases false information about Joe's true identity being "Shifty McCoy", an escaped criminal and con artist. When Gloria discovers this information, she presses charges, and he is forced into court.
The Senators prepare for the final game against the Yankees for the pennant and worry about Joe, but they vow to think of nothing but winning. Meanwhile, angry fans are seeking him out, so he decides to leave home. As he does so, he hints to Meg that her old husband is nearby. Meanwhile, Applegate is exhausted by the work he has put into winning one bet and recalls the "simpler" times in his long history.
Joe's trial is held on September 24, the last day he can back out of his deal. As he technically does not exist, he cannot produce any kind of identification. The owner of the Senators, their coach, and even Lola testify, but their opinions carry no weight. Gloria suggests that Applegate take the stand, but he is unable to take the oath since it requires him to tell the truth. Joe realizes that Applegate is simply stalling to keep him from meeting his 9:00 deadline. Applegate claims that Joe "just needs time to think" and sends him to where Lola is, where history's most famous lovers wait. Lola meets him there and realizes that he truly loves Meg. She helps him by sending him into the final game and delays Applegate by coercing him into a duet.
When Applegate finally arrives at the game, it is 8:55, and Joe is at bat. As time runs out, Meg, her friends, and even Lola begin cheering for him. Applegate uses his powers to give Joe two strikes. The clock strikes nine, and Applegate claims victory, but at the last second, Joe cries, "Let me go!" The deal is broken, and he reverts to his old self but is still able to hit a home run, winning the pennant for the Senators.
Back at home, Joe rushes into Meg's arms. Applegate appears on the scene, claiming that Joe owes him his prize. Joe begs Meg to hold him and not let go, and she begins to sing. Applegate promises to make him young again and even ensure a World Series victory. But his powers are useless against their true love, as Lola points out. Applegate and Lola return to where they came from, defeated, with Joe and Meg reunited.
2025 Revisions
The 2025 Arena Stage production introduces a revised book from Will Power and Doug Wright. The update changes the setting and team from the Senators to the 2000 Baltimore Orioles, and there are several references to the culture of Baltimore. Additionally, Joe's motivations are expanded by his father having been a player in the Negro leagues. The plot point of Joe being framed as a con artist is changed to him being implicated by Applegate in a doping scandal, and the trial is replaced by a meeting with the commissioner of baseball, where it is revealed that Joe has passed a test for performance-enhancing drugs. Joe is tricked by Applegate into missing the deadline, but he prevails nonetheless through the power of his love for his wife.Characters
- Joe Boyd — A middle-aged, overweight married man who is in love with baseball, especially the Senators
- Joe Hardy — The 22-year-old, home-run-hitting transformation of Joe Boyd
- Meg Boyd — Joe's loyal, traditional wife
- Lola — The Devil's seductress assistant
- Mr. Applegate — The Devil in disguise as a slick salesman
- Van Buren — The hard working manager of the Senators with great heart but no luck
- Gloria Thorpe — A probing reporter
- Rocky — A baseball player for the Senators
- Smokey — A "dim bulb" catcher for the Senators
- Cherry — A friend of Meg
- Doris — A friend of Meg
- Sister — A friend of Meg
- Mr. Welch — The owner of the Senators
- Others: Bouley, Vernon, Henry, Linville, Sohovik, Lowe, Mickey, Del, Miss Weston, Postmaster and The Commissioner
- Baseball players and batboys; Baseball fans' wives
Productions
Original Broadway production
The producers Frederick Brisson, Robert E. Griffith and Harold S. Prince had decided that the lead actress for the part of "Lola" had to be a dancer. They offered the role to both the movie actress Mitzi Gaynor and ballet dancer Zizi Jeanmaire, each of whom turned down the role. Although Gwen Verdon had sung just one song in her previous show, the producers were willing to take a chance on her. She initially refused, preferring to assist another choreographer, but finally agreed. Choreographer Bob Fosse insisted on meeting her before working with her, and after meeting and working for a brief time, they each agreed to the arrangement. This was the start of an artistic and personal partnership between Fosse and Verdon, who married in 1960.The show opened on Broadway at the 46th Street Theatre on May 5, 1955, transferred to the Adelphi Theatre on May 17, 1957, and ran for a total of 1,019 performances. It was directed by George Abbott, with scenery and costumes by William and Jean Eckart, dances and musical numbers staged by Fosse, musical direction by Hal Hastings, orchestrations by Don Walker, and dance music arrangements by Roger Adams.
The show starred Ray Walston, Verdon, Shannon Bolin, Robert Shafer, Elizabeth Howell, Stephen Douglass, Al Lanti, Eddie Phillips, Nathaniel Frey, Albert Linville, Russ Brown, Jimmy Komack, Rae Allen, Cherry Davis, Del Horstmann, Richard Bishop, Janie Janvier, and Jean Stapleton.
Original West End production
A West End production played at the London Coliseum beginning on March 28, 1957, where it played for 258 performances. It starred Olympic skater Belita as Lola, but the Fosse choreography was alien to her style, and she was replaced by Elizabeth Seal. It also starred Bill Kerr as Applegate, and Ivor Emmanuel as Joe Hardy.In the mid-1970s, Vincent Price starred as Applegate in summer stock productions of the show. In the late 1970s and early 1980s film actor Van Johnson did so in productions throughout the U.S.A. In July, 1981, a production was performed at the Jones Beach Marine Theater in Wantagh, New York. It was notable due to former New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath being cast in the role of Joe Boyd.