Granddaughter of Former Yankees Owner Is Raising Money to Bring DAMN YANKEES to Broadway

The New York Times has reported that Haley Swindal, the granddaughter of former New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and producer of Damn Yankees at Arena Stage, has raised $1.8 million to support the production. Swindal, alongside her producing partner, Broadway's Julie Boardman, is currently seeking support for a Broadway budget.

BroadwayWorld previously reported that after it concludes its Arena Stage run on November 9, Damn Yankees is eyeing a bow on Broadway next fall.

Swindal shared, "If there’s something for me to produce, that I think I can get right, it’s a Broadway and baseball musical... It’s really the first time that I’m merging these two things together, and saying: ‘This is me. I’m both of these two things.’"

The new production "updates the tale by swapping the 1950s (and their postwar buoyancy) for 2000 (and its pre-9/11 optimism). Our hero’s team has changed, too, with the Baltimore Orioles pinch-hitting for the Washington Senators. And Donica’s Joe Hardy has been reimagined as a Black character driven to live out the big league dream his father, a Negro Leagues standout, never could." shared director Sergio Trujillo.

Set against the backdrop of the early 2000s Yankees dynasty—when the Bronx was home to a seemingly unbeatable lineup of MLB superstars—a die-hard baseball fan makes a deal with the devil to help his rival team clinch the pennant, only to find himself torn between fame, temptation, and the life he left behind.

Featuring iconic numbers like “Whatever Lola Wants” and “Who’s Got the Pain?,” this irresistible musical comedy blends high-stakes romance with a devilish dose of mischief. Packed with all the charm that made it a classic, this reimagining immerses audiences in a whirlwind of love, laughter, ego, and sacrifice.

The new version will see Joe’s father as a baseball pro in the Negro Leagues and the minors in the 1950s, when only the best of the best Black players got a shot at the majors. After he strikes a bargain with Applegate, played here by Rob McClure, Joe doesn't set out to just lift up his favorite team — he’s rectifying an injustice that’s loomed over his family.