Bob Fosse is an all-time great, and in the film version of Damn Yankees he got to adapt and expand his own Tony-winning choreography and cast whoever the hell he wanted to dance it (including his Tony-winning leading lady, Gwen Verdon). Needless to say, the result is damn impressive, raising the overall experience of an otherwise fluffy take on the Faust legend with mostly mediocre songs. And while of course you should leave your expectations at the door, you can’t unsee what you’ve seen or unknow the ways in which the music you’re hearing can be brought to life body and soul.
While this may be unfair to Musical Theatre West, we know choreographer Alexis Carra Girbés has also seen the film, because she’s lifted some of Fosse’s moves. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; in fact, she should have done it more — although to some degree casting choices may have tied her hands.
Joe Boyd (Norman Large) is a diehard Washington Senators fan, but those damn New York Yankees keep winning the pennant (15 out of 20 in the two decades before the play’s present day)! He’s so fed up that he’d sell his soul if just once the Senators could come out on top. Enter Mr. Applegate (Jeff Skowron), better known as the Devil, who makes that pact and transforms Joe into 22-year-old phenom Joe Hardy (James Olivas), who bats over .500, slugs 600-foot home runs, and is a great fielder, to boot. But old Joe took the deal only with an escape clause: he can cancel it anytime up until midnight on the penultimate day of the season, figuring he can secure the Senators’ pennant by then and happily go back to his old life with his wonderful wife (Teri Bibb). Applegate, however, is fully confident Joe will forget all about her when he meets Lola (Lesli Margherita), who in 173 years as Applegate’s top seduction demon has never met a man she couldn’t win.
As with Grease, Musical Theatre West’s previous show, in the casting of Damn Yankees acting and singing were prioritized above dancing — and it’s on those fronts where we find the highlights. As young Joe, Olivas (who’s also the most natural dancer among the leads) makes even his most difficult moments seem effortless, including an astounding hold on the last note of “A Man Doesn’t Know” that powerfully signals Joe’s newfound youth and vigor. Olivas is also part of the production’s most impressive music overall, Act Two’s “Near to You”, where he, Large, and Bibb weave tripartite magic, locking in on a cappella harmonies to perfection. I can’t imagine why this dusky ballad of yearning didn’t make it into the film, but they wouldn’t have been able to do it any better than it’s delivered by this trio and musical director Matthew Smedal’s band.
Another high point — and it damn well better be if you’re doing Damn Yankees — is “Whatever Lola Wants”. Yeah, it’s clearly one of the best songs of the bunch, but it earns its keep in the presentation, which is all on Lola’s shoulders. Lesli Margherita’s dancing is passable, but it’s her singing and acting (the latter fully exploited by solid choices made by Girbés and director Cynthia Ferrer) that punch your ticket. She’s extremely funny, and things only get funnier in Applegate’s postmortem on her failed seduction. As Applegate, Skowron gets the majority of the show’s laughs, several of which come out of absurd little touches that fly right by if you’re not paying attention. And on opening night both Skowron and Margherita found hilarious improvs.
But because Damn Yankees — more than Grease — is so much about the dancing, there’s no way not to feel that generally too little is happening onstage. “Who’s Got the Pain?”, for example, cries out for more bodily recognition of the Latinate syncopation, while “Two Lost Souls”, despite some nice Fosse-esque hats/poses/jazz hands, never gets near where it needs to go. Part of the problem is that the ensemble for Damn Yankees is just too small. I know from experience Musical Theatre West can put together and do wonders with a large ensemble (e.g., 2018’s Guys & Dolls); I can’t begin to guess why they’ve gone another route here.
But despite its obvious shortcomings, this Damn Yankees is fun — and that, more than any of the elements in isolation, is what this show is most about.
Damn Yankees at Musical Theatre West
Times: Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 1pm, plus Oct. 20 7:30pm & Oct. 23 6pm
The show runs through October 30.
Cost: $20–$96
Details: (562) 856-1999, musical.org
Venue: Carpenter Performing Arts Center (6200 W. Atherton, Long Beach)