It’s a top-flight production of one of the standards of American musical theatre
Call me old-fashioned, but I love musicals with an overture. They seem to have disappeared in recent years, but fortunately Damn Yankees is an old-fashioned musical that starts with a rousing highlight of the upcoming musical numbers. Credit must go to Richard Adler and Jerry Ross for the words and lyrics and to George Abbott and Douglass Wallop for the book. The music is familiar, and the storyline is the proverbial question of selling one’s soul to the devil. Throw in America’s pastime, baseball, and you have a winning combination for just about everyone imaginable.
And you can catch it now on the big stage at the Arvada Center.
The story swirls around Joe Boyd (John Plumpis) who sells his soul to the devil, Mr. Applegate (Robert Anthony Jones) to advance his underdog team, the Washington Senators, against the league-favorite New York Yankees. Along the way, Boyd has been transformed into Joe Hardy (Ty-Gabriel Jones) who is such a phenomenal ball player that he will easily win the pennant for Washington before the cut-off date. In the meantime, Applegate calls upon the services of his favorite seductress, Lola (Adriane Leigh Robinson) to keep Hardy from being drawn back to the home life that he is increasingly missing. Throughout the musical, mayhem ensues as an aggressive reporter, Gloria Thorpe (Jenna Moll Reyes) digs deeper and deeper into Hardy’s background, discovering that he doesn’t really have a background, adding to the mystery of this dynamite baseball player. Without giving too much away, this musical ends on a high note delivering the most quintessential musical comedy ending one can possibly hope for.
The production soars when Robert Anthony Jones as Mr. Applegate and Adriane Leigh Robinson as Lola take to the stage. Without being too much of a ham, Jones hits all the right notes, especially during the musical number “Good Old Days,” as he orders the stage crew to, “clear the stage, I need room to overact!” Jones delivers a high-caliber performance from start to finish. As Lola, Robinson turns in a performance that is both beguiling and sexy. Her erotic moves as a dancer reverberate across the stage with an animal-like magnetism during the musical numbers as “A Little Brains, A Little Talent” and “Whatever Lola Wants.”
As Joe Hardy, Ty-Gabriel Jones turns in a powerhouse performance immediately capturing the attention of teammates and audience alike. Jones has charisma to spare and a voice that fills the theatre with every note.
Other cast highlights include Joanie Brosseau-Rubald as Meg Boyd. The BDT Stage veteran plays an integral role in the advancement of the plot both as Boyd’s wife and as one of Joe Hardy’s biggest fans. Another standout is Jenna Moll Reyes as the busy-body reporter Gloria Thorpe. She is the right combination of professionalism and a mad dog holding tight to her instinct that Hardy is a fraud.
An old-fashioned musical would be nothing without a top-notch ensemble and Damn Yankees does not disappoint. Much of the action takes in and around the baseball field, and the men of the team are especially impressive vocalists and dancers executing the choreography by Jeffry Denman. One can’t help but sing along as they belt out the classic song “Heart” during the first act.
As directed by Kelly Van Oosbree, the production is energetic and colorful with appropriate pacing throughout. The action flows smoothly from scene to scene with multiple set changes as called upon by the intricate storyline.
David Nehls is the musical director and conductor and has the entire cast in top form vocally from beginning to end. The seven-piece orchestra sets the tone for the entire production from the first note of the overture until the last note of the finale.
The scenic design by Christopher Sheley and the costume design by Clare Henkle both create an appealing atmosphere along with a sense of authenticity for the 1950s.
Coinciding with the start of this year’s baseball season, Damn Yankees is a joyful celebration of our nation’s pastime. As presented by Arvada Center, no one will be disappointed by this classic musical and this first-rate production.
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