By Bailey Loveless
Lehi Arts Council presents Damn Yankees, the musical love letter to American baseball. It’s the late 1950s, and middle-aged Joe Boyd (Josh Bennett) is an obsessed fan of the abysmal baseball team, the Washington Senators. Late one night, he wishes more than anything that the team could just beat those “damn Yankees.” Then suddenly appears Mr. Applegate (Eric Smith), who offers Joe the chance to become the much needed slugger for the team in exchange for his soul. Joe accepts on the condition that he gets an escape clause: he can return to his old life before 9 PM on the 24th of September. Leaving his wife Meg (Christie Gardiner) and suburban life behind, Joe transforms into young Joe Hardy (Stephen Miner), who quickly rises as a baseball star.
I really enjoyed the way the cast works together. They have great cohesion, specially the baseball team. Headed by Bryan Orr as Rocky, the team’s ringleader, they bring such fun and humor to the stage. You can tell they are having fun and actually do seem like a team.
The Lehi Arts Center is a small, quaint venue that provides an intimate experience for theatre goers. Director and set designer Kurt Elison does a great job of adapting this larger-than-life musical to the space. The set changes are neat, orderly, and quick with enough set pieces and props to give you a real grip on each setting and make the characters seem like they are actually there.
Bennett and Gardiner do well portraying a couple bored by life and with each other at the moment. Bennett is endearing as older Joe and makes him immediately likeable. While Gardiner’s Meg is initially a bit cold, she gradually shows the softer side of Meg, and by the end, I was really rooting for the two of them.
I also enjoyed Morgan Miner’s interpretation of Lola, Applegate’s top home wrecker. She not only had great chemistry with Applegate, but also excelled in the dance requirements and physicality of the role.
Stephen Miner is enjoyable as Joe Hardy, capturing both the energetic youth of a young man and the older spirit of Joe Boyd. He makes great use of his facial expressions and vocal patterns to portray his character’s internal struggle. He is charming and sympathetic.
Another standout performance of the night was by Brooke Holladay as Gloria Thorpe, the journalist that initially catapults Joe Hardy to fame but then begins to question his identity. Her energy and comedic timing are on point with powerhouse vocals to match.
Last but certainly not least, Smith is the perfect Applegate. Applegate is the epitome of a sleazy salesman, and Smith knocks it out of the park (pun intended). His characterization is so on point that you immediately know who he is the moment he steps onstage. He had me and the audience in hysterics throughout the night.
Overall, it was a fun way to spend the evening. I left singing “You Gotta Have Heart” and wanting to listen to the music all over again. Damn Yankees runs at about 2 ½ hours with intermission. The theatre truly embraces their show, and makes it an experience from the Cracker Jacks in concessions to the baseball cards made for each character to have the whole audience sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” before the second act. Damn Yankees is fun, family-friendly entertainment that will bring a smile to your face.
Lehi Arts Council presents Damn Yankees. Book and Lyrics by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop. Music by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross.
Lehi Arts Theater, 685 N Center St, Lehi, UT 84043
April 5-6, 8-9, 11-13, 2019 7:30 PM
Tickets: $10-12
Lehi Arts Council Facebook Page
Damn Yankees Facebook Event
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