•July 11, 2018•

By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

Summertime and America’s thoughts turn fondly to baseball. And there is no finer baseball musical than the sizzling production of “Damn Yankees” currently at The Little Theatre on the Square in Sullivan. Based on the old Faustian legend of a man selling his soul to the Devil, “Damn Yankees” opened in 1955 and made overnight stars of choreographer Bob Fosse and his future wife Gwen Verdon. It swept all the major Tony awards in 1956 and ran for nearly 2,000 performances.
It was revived in 1994, and this production is based on that 1994 shorter version.
It’s Washington in the 1950s, and Joe Boyd (Dick Borders) is sick and tired of his beloved Washington Senators getting beaten by those “damn Yankees”. If only the Senators had a young, strong, long ball hitter, they could tromp those Yankees.
Presto! The Devil appears in the guise of Mr. Applegate (Drew Stark) and offers Joe the chance to become “Joe Hardy”, the young, 22-year-old slugger the Senators need. The catch is Joe must give up his beloved wife Meg (Ann Borders). Joe accepts but the real estate agent in him makes him insist on an escape clause.
The Senators’ last game is Sept. 25, and if he plays in it, he must remain Joe Hardy forever. If not, he has until 9 the night before to walk away and resume his former life.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.