Foothill Music Theatre Presents DAMN YANKEES, Now thru 8/18

The award winning Foothill Music Theatre swings for the fences this summer with the Tony Award-winning musical DAMN YANKEES. With book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, DAMN YANKEES, the musical story of a baseball fanatic who makes a deal with the devil to get his team a chance at the pennant, features a memorable Richard Adler and Jerry Ross score including "Whatever Lola Want, Lola Gets," and (You've Gotta Have) "Heart." This production will be helmed by Tom Gough with music direction by Catherine Snider, and choreography by Katie O'Bryon and plays today, July 26 - August 18 in the Smithwick Theatre, Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Rd., Los Altos Hills. The public may purchase tickets ($10 - $28) online at www.foothillmusicals.com or by calling (650) 949- 7360.

Originally declared "A first-class gem," by The New York Times, DAMN YANKEES opened on Broadway in 1955 and ran a wildly successful 1,019 performances. The story follows middle-aged baseball fanatic Joe Boyd who trades his soul to the Devil for a chance to lead his favorite team to victory in the pennant race against the hated New York Yankees. Boyd becomes young baseball sensation Joe Hardy, who transforms the hapless Washington Senators into a winning team, only to realize the true worth of the life he's left behind. Among the obstacles the devil throws his way, is his comely protégé Lola, a sexy siren who is used to getting whatever she wants.

Based on the novel "The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant," by Douglass Wallop, the book for DAMN YANKEES was written by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop. Mr. Abbott, whose first successful play was The Fall Guy (1925), quickly acquired a reputation for being a "show doctor" and was called upon to supervise changes in shows that were having difficulties in tryouts or previews prior to their Broadway openings. His first big hit as a playwright, Broadway,opened in 1926, followed by his involvement as director and producer in such Broadway hits as Chicago (1926), Twentieth Century (1932), The Boys from Syracuse (1938), Pal Joey (1940), The Pajama Game (1954), and Once Upon a Mattress (1959), among many others. Mr. Wallop went on to write 12 more books after "The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant," but none achieved the same success as this sophomore effort, which was picked up by two mail-order book clubs, Book-of-the-Month and Reader's Digest, and adapted into both a Broadway musical and a 1958 film.

DAMN YANKEES features a beloved Richard Adler and Jerry Ross score that includes favorites, "Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets," (You've Gotta Have) "Heart," and "Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo." Mr. Adler and Mr. Ross partnered from 1950 - 1955, during which time they were protégés of the great American composer Frank Loesser. Together they composed Tony Bennett's 1953 number one hit "Rags to Riches," followed by their Broadway debut with the musical revue, John Murray Anderson's Almanac (1953). They quickly turned out two more hits, The Pajama Game in 1954, and Damn Yankees in 1955. Their partnership was cut short by Ross' premature death in 1955 at the age of 29.

The original Broadway production of DAMN YANKEES was directed by George Abbott, choreographed by Bob Fosse, and starred Gwen Verdon as "Lola" with Ray Walston as "Mr. Applegate." In 1956, DAMN YANKEES won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Performance for both the leads, as well as Best Choreography. In 1958 a film version of DAMN YANKEES hit the big screen with the Broadway stars reviving their roles. The show was revived on Broadway in 1994 starring Victor Garber and Bebe Neuwirth. A current film remake has been announced, to star Jim Carrey and Jake Gyllenhaal.

This production of DAMN YANKEES will be helmed by Tom Gough. Mr. Gough has been a member of the Foothill College Theatre Arts faculty since 1996 and currently serves as coordinating chair of the department and teaches classes in acting, voice, movement, dialects, dramatic literature as well directs some of the department productions. Mr. Gough has been active with theatre companies throughout Northern California since 1981, participating in well over one hundred productions as both actor and director. In addition, Mr. Gough is a founding and active member of ComedySportz-San Jose and the former artistic director of the City Lights Theatre Company in San Jose. DAMN YANKEES will feature musical direction by Catherine Snider and choreography by Katie O'Bryon. Ms. Snider has worked with many theatre companies around the Bay Area, and has won four Theatre Critics Circle Awards and eight Dean Goodman Choice Awards for musical direction. Ms. O'Bryon, a Foothill Music Theatre veteran herself with lead roles in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Annie Get Your Gun, and All Shook UP, has performed with and served as director and choreographer for Pacific Repertory Theatre, Pear Avenue, Napa Valley Shakespeare Festival, among many others, and is currently the resident teacher and choreographer for Peninsula Youth Theatre.

The Foothill Music Theatre cast for DAMN YANKEES includes the talented Jeff Clarke as "Mr. Applegate." Mr. Clarke has starred in productions around the Bay Area including with Shady Shakespeare Company, Pear Avenue Theatre, City Lights Theatre Company, Los Altos Stage Company, and West Valley Civic Light Opera. Jen Wheatonfox stars as Mr. Applegate's comely protégé "Lola" and has been seen in Bay Area theatre productions with Bus Barn Stage Company, Palo Alto Players, Pacific Coast Repertory, AMTSJ, and Stage 1 Theatre. Bay Area native Dan Mitchell joins the cast as the Washington Senators' star "Joe Hardy." Mr. Mitchell hails from New York, where he has been in Off-Broadway productions and workshops. The cast for DAMN YANKEES also features Richard Lewis(Van Buren), Caitlyn Lawrence-Papp (Gloria), Ryan Henry (Lynch, the Commissioner), Matt Tipton (Joe Boyd), and Mary Melnick (Meg Boyd). The Washington Senators' ball players will be played by Marc Celani (Lowe), Elijah Diamond (Mark), Remi Ferguson (Bryant), Brandon Gong (Linville), Mark Helton (Smokey),Aaron Hurley (Sohovic), Nathan Kastle (Bouley), Bobby Lopez (Mickey), Sean Okenewicz (Del), Jerris Ramirez (Rocky), Billy Schmidt (Vernon), and Jacob Weissman-Sharer (Henry). Also joining the DAMN YANKEES cast will be Chloe Aknin, Alexandra Allen, Angela Cesena, Jamie Chew, Steve Completo, Ivette Deltoro, Beverly Hansberry, Haley Henson, Dana Johnson, Kayvon Kordestani, ElizaBeth Lawrence, Sarah Lodick, Courtney Petro, Brittany Pirucki, Caite Prather, Holly Smolik, Forrest Tang, and Charnee Young.

Foothill Music Theatre has won Bay Area Theatre Critics' Circle Awards for Outstanding Production, Outstanding Ensemble Production, and Best Direction, among others. The company has also garnered numerous awards from the Los Angeles-based Drama-Logue, and kudos from myriad Bay Area critics for its sharp, handsomely mounted productions of THE PRODUCERS, BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL, THE PAJAMA GAME, ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, BRIGADOON, RAGTIME, SWEENEY TODD, GUYS AND DOLLS, WEST SIDE STORY, OKLAHOMA!, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, and many other musicals.

Photo by David Allen

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