DAMN YANKEES, Starring Jason Graae, to Knock the Ball Out of the Park at Music Circus This Month

The 67th Music Circus season continues with Damn Yankees, one of the most enduring Broadway musicals, featuring a score by legendary composers Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, and a cast that includes a number of veterans of New York City's Broadway stages.

This will be the seventh time the popular Faustian themed baseball musical has been produced at Music Circus and just its second appearance in the Wells Fargo Pavilion; previous Music Circus productions were in 1957, 1959, 1978, 1985, 1997 and 2003. Performances of Damn Yankees are Tuesday, August 8 through Sunday, August 13 at the Wells Fargo Pavilion.

Damn Yankees is a musical comedy in which mega-fan Joe Boyd trades his soul to lead his beloved Washington Senators to victory over The New York Yankees. Watch Joe Boyd transform into the Senators' star player Joe Hardy and eventually realize the true worth of the life he left behind. It's a devilishly clever, multi Tony Award-winning Best Musical that any baseball fan will appreciate; popular favorite songs include "Heart" and the iconic "Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets."

Appearing in the role of Mr. Applegate in Damn Yankees is Jason Graae, who played the Cat in the Hat in last summer's Music Circus production of Seussical; he has performed in numerous Broadway shows including Falsettos, Snoopy!, and the original cast of A Grand Night for Singing, as well as the Music Circus productions of Brigadoon, Sugar and The Music Man. Playing the vixen Lola is Lindsay Roginski, who returns to Music Circus after appearing as Roxie Hart in Chicago, a role she has played on Broadway and on tour; she has also appeared in the dance show Heat Wave: The Jack Cole Project and as a principal singer in Steve Wynn's ShowStoppers in Las Vegas. In the role of Meg Boyd is Lynne Wintersteller, who was last summer's Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly!, was an original Broadway cast member of A Grand Night for Singing, and has extensive regional, touring and off-Broadway credits including Shear Madness and the First National Tour of Sister Act as Mother Superior.

Zach Trimmer, making his Music Circus debut as Joe Hardy, toured with Avenue Q and Hairspray, performed as Tony in West Side Story with both the John W. Engeman Theater and Westchester Broadway Theatre, and as Jimmy Smith in Thoroughly Modern Millie with Drayton Entertainment in Canada. Veteran Broadway actor Stephen Berger, whose Broadway experience includes roles in Kinky Boots, The Pajama Game, Into the Woods, The Dinner Party, True West, Laughter on 23rd Street and Little Me, joins the cast as Van Buren; he has previously appeared at Music Circus in My Fair Lady, Brigadoon, Crazy for You and Can-Can. The role of Gloria Thorpe will be played by Danette Holden, whose Broadway credits include the revival of Annie, in which she also toured, Shrek the Musical and Laughing Room Only.

Playing Welch is Music Circus favorite Ron Wisniski, whose wide-ranging work here includes last season's Cabaret and Nice Work If You Can Get It, as well as The Little Mermaid, Les Misérables, Oliver! and Spamalot; he also has extensive touring and regional theatre productions to his name. Justin Keyes, playing Smokey, performed in the national tours of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Mary Poppins, and appeared on Broadway in The Apple Tree and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Making his Music Circus debut as Rocky, Dallas Padoven most recently appeared as Diesel in Media Theatre's production of West Side Story, and has performed in numerous New York and regional productions including Shrek the Musical, Damn Yankees and The Wedding Singer.

Playing the role of Joe Boyd is Jeff Howell, who has performed in more than 80 productions at Pittsburgh CLO, including Man of La Mancha, 42nd Street, Sunset Boulevard, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Pajama Game and Beauty and the Beast, as well as on television, in films and with symphony orchestras. Sister will be played by Mary Jo Mecca who, in addition to numerous film and television appearances, has performed in regional theatre productions across the country and Music Circus productions including Mary Poppins, My Fair Lady, Big River and last season's Hello, Dolly! Returning for her tenth Music Circus season to play Doris is Kim Arnett, who has appeared on Broadway in Peter Pan and toured nationally with Mamma Mia! and Peter Pan; her Music Circus credits include The Producers, Annie Get Your Gun, The Little Mermaid, The Music Man, The Wizard of Oz, South Pacific, Brigadoon and many others.

The cast for Damn Yankees also includes the following ensemble members: Lindsey Bracco, back for her second season with Music Circus, having performed in last season's productions of Legally Blonde, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Hello, Dolly!, Seussical and Cabaret; Music Circus regular Doug Carfrae, who appeared in last season's production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and on Broadway in the original production of Music Is; Meghan Faddis, who recently performed in both Beauty and the Beast and On the Town as part of her debut season at Music Circus; Devon Hadsell, who appeared last season as Florika in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and in previous season's productions of Bye Bye Birdie and Hair; Rashaan James Ii, back at Music Circus after performing in last season's production of Nice Work If You Can Get It and in the national touring productions of 42nd Street, South Pacific and Dirty Dancing; Eric Anthony Johnson, who recently appeared in last season's productions of Nice Work If You Can Get It, Hello, Dolly!, Legally Blonde, Cabaret and Seussical, and in the national touring companies of West Side Story and Miss Saigon; making his Music Circus debut, Justin Keats, who has performed on Broadway in Cirque du Soleil's Paramour and at regional theatres including La Jolla Playhouse and Pioneer Theater; Joe Komara, who appeared on Broadway in the 2007 revival of Grease and on television in "General Hospital," also making his Music Circus debut; Adam Lendermon, back for his fourth season with Music Circus, who appeared in last season's productions of Legally Blonde and Hello, Dolly!, off-Broadway in The Anthem and in the national touring productions of Cats and West Side Story; California native Dennis O'Bannion, who previously appeared at Music Circus in Big River, among others, and on Broadway in Irving Berlin's White Christmas; Cooper Taggard, who has extensive regional theatre experience, including performing at Goodspeed Musicals, Tuacahn Center for the Arts and the Human Race Theatre Company; Connor Wince returning after performing last season at Music Circus in Legally Blonde and Hello, Dolly!; and Jessica Wockenfuss, who played Adella in the national touring production of The Little Mermaid; she has worked at various well-respected regional theatres including Pittsburg CLO, Kansas City Starlight Theatre and Theatre By The Sea.

Damn Yankees will be directed by Charles Repole, who returns to Music Circus after directing Nice Work If You Can Get It last summer and 42nd Street in 2010; his experience includes work on Broadway and off-Broadway for the prestigious City Center Encores! Series, Carnegie Hall, the Chicago Humanities Festival and the Kennedy Center concert series, and as an accomplished on-stage performer, where he appeared before Broadway and off-Broadway audiences. Choreographer is Michael Lichtefeld, who also returns to Music Circus after choreographing Nice Work If You Can Get It last summer and 42nd Street in 2010; his choreographic work includes six Broadway musicals, seven off-Broadway musicals and nine national/international tours. Musical Director Craig Barna has worked on a number of Music Circus productions including Hello, Dolly! and Nice Work If You Can Get It in the 2016 season, and has conducted national tours of Grease, Singin' in the Rain, Cats, Peter Pan, and others; he is a prolific composer and arranger whose recordings for Jay Records are available worldwide.

Tickets for Damn Yankees start at $45 and are available by phone at (916) 557-1999, online at www.tickets.com, or in person at the Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office, 1419 H Street in Sacramento. Evening performances are Tuesday through Saturday, August 8 - 12, at 7:30 p.m.; matinee performances are Thursday, August 10 and Saturday, August 12 at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday, August 13 at 3:00 p.m. For more information, visit www.SacramentoMusicCircus.com.

Music Circus is produced under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director/COO Scott Klier and Artistic Consultant Glenn Casale. California Musical Theatre President/CEO is Richard Lewis.

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