'Damn Yankees' Takes One for the Team

"Damn Yankees"

Words and music by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross; book by George Abbot and Douglass Wallop; book revisions for this production by Joe DiPietro based on a concept by Jon Kimbell; additional orchestrations and arrangements for this production by Brian Cimmet; directed and choreographed by Barry Ivan; musical direction by Bruce Barnes; scenic design by Russel Parkman; costume design by Vincent Scassellati; lighting design by David Neville; sound design by John A. Stone; wig and hair design by Gerard Kelly; special effects design by Michael Goudzwaard; Red Sox consultant, Nick Gregorian

Cast in order of appearance:

Radio announcer, Carl Beane

Rocky, Leo Nouhan

Smokey, Ryan Patrick Binder
Sohovik, Kevin Steele
Henry, Matthew S. Morgan
Vernon, Christopher Saunders
Mickey, Noah Aberlin
Lowe, Kasey Marino
Bomber, Craig Kaufman
Bubba, David T. Guggino
Meg Boyd, Kay Walbye
Joe Boyd, Richard Pruitt
Applegate, Jim Walton
Sister, Becky Barta
Doris, Mary Callahan
Joe Hardy, George Merrick
Van Buren, Steve Luker
Gloria Thorpe, Christy Faber
Lola, Shannon Lewis
Applegate's hand maiden, Amanda Paulson

Performances: Now through May 14

Box Office: 978-232-7200 or www.nsmt.org

You'd think that rewriting "Damn Yankees" to capture the fierce rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees would be a natural. A die-hard Red Sox fan sells his soul to the devil to reverse the 86-year "Curse of the Bambino." Said curse has kept the Sox from becoming American League champs ever since owner Harry Frazee sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1919. Can't you just feel the goose bumps as good triumphs over evil, the Sox finally win the pennant, and decades of heartache at last come to an end?

I'm sure that's what NSMT Artistic Director Jon Kimbell and Broadway playwright Joe DiPietro had in mind when they undertook their adaptation of the 1955 Tony Award winning crowd pleaser. But, instead of hitting their rewrite out of the park, they manage only to deliver an entertaining yet ultimately disappointing long foul ball. Damn that Pesky pole.

Of course, no piece of musical theater could ever match the excitement, passion, drama and elation that the World Champion Boston Red Sox generated in 2004. How could it? No script could capture the way the Sox came back from a 0-3 deficit to win the next four games and snatch the ALCS from the Yankees. No score could do justice to the four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals that put the Red Sox in the World Series history books forever.

Still, as a fan of both the Red Sox and musical theater, I was hoping this particular production of "Damn Yankees" would come close. Alas, it doesn't.

The biggest problem with the show is that DiPietro has changed the fundamental story arc in order to make the local angle historically accurate. The pivotal scene in which our hero Joe beats the devil at his own game has become a disappointing anticlimax. DiPietro has extinguished the moment of victory that the entire plot builds to in order to set up a few new laughs at the end. Admittedly DiPietro's cleverness did have Red Sox Nation laughing and cheering loudly on opening night, but by the time we experience this vindication, an important moment of triumph has been lost.

This is not to say that the NSMT production of "Damn Yankees" isn't enjoyable. Easy gags that reference Red Sox folklore involving "No, No Nanette," Bill Buckner, Bucky Dent, and Fenway Franks all get sustained chuckles. A surprising send up of the Kennedy clan turns out to be one of the funniest moments in the show. Too often, though, DiPietro's injected humor seems forced and unnatural. The phrase "reverse the curse" is said so often that it feels like you're being hit over the head with a baseball bat. The actors also push their Boston jokes too hard. Instead of sounding like everyday chatter, lines about the Babe and the infamous Green Monster come too disruptively out of left field.

Barry Ivan's brisk direction and choreography, plus strong performances by most of the cast, compensate nicely for the shortcomings in DiPietro's revised script. Kay Walbye as Meg Boyd and Richard Pruitt as her husband Joe are tender and true as the loving couple torn apart by baseball "Six Months Out of Every Year." George Merrick as the young Joe Hardy is believable as both the wide-eyed baseball phenom created by the devil Applegate and as the devoted husband and fan who vows to return to his wife and home life just as soon as he wins the pennant for his team. His duet "A Man Doesn't Know" with Walbye, and the trio "Near to You" with Walbye and Pruitt, provide the most touching and romantic moments of the evening. Later, his rousing "Two Lost Souls" performed with fellow denizen dweller Lola (Shannon Lewis) and the ensemble shows off his considerable song and dance chops.

Jim Walton is a smarmy hoot as Applegate. He slithers back and forth between deliciously evil pleasure, self-satisfied bravado, and infantile tantrum-throwing as he first tempts, then cajoles, then threatens his new and old enrollees. As Lola, Shannon Lewis is more dominatrix than seductress. She's a talented singer and dancer, but she chooses force over attraction to win Joe Hardy's favor. Her moves are coldly explicit rather than warm and sensuous, and when she whips out – quite literally – a whip during "Whatever Lola Wants," it's easy to see why Joe would rather run home to Meg than slip deeper into hell with her.

In keeping with the team spirit that was the trademark of the 2004 Red Sox, the biggest stars in North Shore's "Damn Yankees" are the ballplayers. The nine rag tag guys who make up the ensemble have so much energy and appeal that, once they finish their show-stopping number, "Heart," you want to stand up and chant, "Believe." They dance, sing and share their joy of the game with unbridled hope and athleticism. They are the engine that drives this production. Their gusto is infectious.

The design team also deserves kudos for bringing the excitement of the Boston Red Sox to the Beverly stage. Period slides of the left field wall's scoreboard are projected onto screens suspended above the audience. The well worn baseball diamond that covers the theater's circular stage converts effortlessly from home field to dreary night club to Applegate's gaudy lair. At one point it even turns into a vintage locker room, complete with bare-chested ballplayers singing inside a white-tiled shower.

Whatever the material, the North Shore Music Theatre always delivers high-caliber entertainment. This time, however, the company has set the bar particularly high by begging comparison with a history-making team and season. "Damn Yankees" is a game effort, but it just doesn't have enough heart to bring the winning run home.

 

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