Damn Yankees will return to Broadway this spring with a star-studded revival, directed by Tony Award winner Sergio Trujillo. Major League Baseball (MLB) and its Emmy Award-winning production label MLB Studios have partnered on the production, which will begin previews at the Marquis Theater on March 24, 2027, just in time for the Yankees’ season opener the following day. An official opening party is planned for April 20, 2027.
Tony Award and five-time Emmy Award winner Neil Patrick Harris (Hedwig and the angry thumb) will play the role of Applegate alongside Emmy Award winner Julianne Hough (Dancing with the stars) as Lola in her first Broadway musical. Austin Scott (Hamilton) will play Young Joe. The rest of the casting will be announced later.
The news was revealed today during a press conference held at Yankee Stadium before the team’s final regular season game before the playoffs, although the game was ultimately canceled due to inclement weather. Watch the full press conference in the video above.
Sergio Trujillo directs and choreographs the new adaptation of the classic by Richard Adler, Jerry Ross, George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, which has not been revived on Broadway in three decades.
Lia Vollack, Haley Swindal and Julie Boardman serve as lead producers, with Mark Shacket of Foresight Theatrical serving as executive producer.
The newly adapted Damn Yankees features a new book by Lucille Lortel Award winner Will Power, Pulitzer Prize winner and Tony Award winner Doug Wright, with additional words by Tony Award winner Lynn Ahrens.
Based on the novel The year the Yankees lost the pennant by Douglass Wallopp, the Damn Yankees The revival is now set in the early 2000s. It follows Joe Boyd, a die-hard baseball fan, who dreams of seeing his beloved Baltimore Orioles return to glory. So when a charming stranger and his captivating partner in crime arrive with an offer too good to refuse, Joe strikes a deal that could give him and his team a second chance. But like any Faustian tale, there is only one catch.
“In 2000, the Yankees had won three World Series in a row. Obviously our series is fictional, so we wanted to figure out when the series would be most meaningful…during conversations with Doug Wright and Will Power, it became important for me to look at it from a new angle, a new lens. I wanted to tell this story through a diverse America, an America that reflects today,” Trujillo said at the press conference.
Trujillo then described the necessary dramaturgical choices that were made for the revival, including swapping the Washington senator’s role in the story with the Baltimore Orioles, a team and city rich in black baseball history. “We also had to look at the teams, the Washington Senators, which is the team that (in the original series) Joe Hardy played on. That team doesn’t exist anymore. The Washington Nationals are obviously Washington’s team, but they’re not in 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,” Trujillo explained. “It also brought a sense of authenticity to our story: Joe and Joe Hardy are black players. We added a very small but significant 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 felt raised the stakes for Joe.”
Under Trujillo’s direction and in partnership with MLB, the musical is perhaps now more steeped in baseball culture and history than ever before. During the press conference, Scott even noted that three-time American League MVP Aaron Judge – who served with the Yankees for over a decade, holding the record for most home runs in a single season in the American League – had greatly inspired his interpretation of the character of Joe, and particularly the physical side of the role. “He’s one of those players that, even as a relative outsider, I understand why people are fascinated by this man. It’s not just his power, his form, it’s that stillness. There’s that stillness, there’s that confidence that he has,” he said.
During the press conference, Harris also reflected on what he hopes to bring to Applegate’s role in this reimagined revival: “When Sergio had the idea of making it more modern and removing some of the tropes that I think might be tricky if played today, I was really intrigued,” he shared. “Playing someone evil is always a good thing. It’s always fun to be evil…I want Applegate to be as attractive and as puppet master as possible.” He also noted his excitement about working alongside Julianne Hough, who, although she has yet to star in a Broadway musical, is certainly universally known and celebrated for her dance expertise. “(She’s) a triple threat, and I can’t wait for Broadway audiences to really see what she can do. I know Sergio is going to push her really hard, which is saying a lot, because her skills are incredible.”
See photos from the Arena stage below.
The original production of Damn Yankees debuted on Broadway in 1955, winning seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It featured music and lyrics by two-time Tony Award winners Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, and a book by seven-time Tony Award winner and Pulitzer Prize recipient George Abbott and Tony Award winner Douglass Wallop. Damn Yankees was originally choreographed by Bob Fosse and featured Gwen Verdon, featuring the now iconic songs “Whatever Lola Wants” and “Who’s Got the Pain”.
The new production debuted at DC’s Arena Stage last year in a sold-out engagement starring Tony Award nominee Rob McClure as Applegate, Ana Villafañe as Lola and Jordan Donica as Joe Hardy. The production earned 13 Helen Hayes Award nominations and received critical acclaim.
The production’s partnership with MLB/MLB Studios marks a major moment in the history of Broadway and sports, because historically, although there have been a handful of times when sports and theater – seemingly opposing industries – have crossed paths, Damn Yankees is the first Broadway musical to partner with a major sports league, and one of the few shows in general to do so. The National Football League (NFL) produced the play Lombardy in 2010, and MLB partnered on Eric Simonson’s biographical piece Bronx Bombers in 2014, which examined the history of the New York Yankees through the eyes of baseball legend Yogi Berra. But despite its title, the original production of Damn Yankees, and its revival in 1994, has not officially merged with its source of inspiration.
“Baseball is mythology. Broadway is mythology. They both deliver an exciting and unique spectacle to millions of fans every year. Bringing them together – with MLB at the table and this extraordinary creative team – is not just a revival. It’s a collision of American icons,” lead producer Haley Swindal said in a statement.
It seems the union of sports and theater – two institutions passionately celebrated in New York – is having a cultural moment this year, with Broadway favorite Derek Klena recently joining the Savannah Bananas (the all-singing, all-dancing baseball team) and performing several tributes to musical theater at MLB stadiums across the country – and often welcoming other Broadway alumni to join him; Hamilton celebrating its 10th anniversary on Broadway at Yankee Stadium with a HamilDix themed game featuring special on-field performances as well as numerous surprises and gifts for fans; and former Mets player José “Candelita” Igelsias and Yankees legend Bernie Williams are currently making their Broadway debuts in Buena Vista Social Club. Not to mention all the “Knicks in 5” hype that the Broadway community delivered during the NBA Finals last June.
“It is extremely important that our game continues to resonate outside of the diamond and in different areas of culture,” Noah Garden, MLB deputy commissioner for business and media, said in a statement. “Baseball and Broadway fans both love drama, high stakes and the hope of seeing something unforgettable happen. Damn Yankees celebrates this shared spirit, and we are proud to help bring this energy to the stage.
For more information and to sign up for email updates, visit DamnYankeesBroadway.com.
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