Ordway Center Opens DAMN YANKEES Tonight

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is excited to present Damn Yankees, tonight, June 16-28. Tickets for the Ordway produced musical comedy range from $36-$110 and can be purchased online at www.ordway.org, by phone at 651-224-4222 or in-person at the Ordway ticket office.

Based on the novel, "The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant," Ordway's Damn Yankees is a re-envisioned, modern version of the classic Faustian tale. An aging baseball fanatic is transformed into a star slugger after he makes a deal with the devil for the chance to lead his favorite team, the Washington Senators, to a pennant victory over the New York Yankees. Can he get his team a win and still outsmart the devil in time to win his soul back? Written by George Abbott with music by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, Damn Yankees includes such iconic songs as "Whatever Lola Wants" and "(You Gotta Have) Heart."

"We are so excited to be producing this classic show at the Ordway," said James A. Rocco, Ordway's vice president of programming and producing artistic director. "My colleagues, co-director/choreographer Sharon Halley and musical director Jeff Rizzo, and I love the sharp, saucy and fast-paced original production. With the permission of the writer's estate, we were able to conceptualize a new way to do the show for today's smart phone, social media, everything-in-an-instant culture."

To further extend the experience, ticket holders can enjoy stadium classics at the Ordway, including beer vendors, hot dogs, trivia on the big screen and more. An exclusively curated exhibit of unique and historic baseball memorabilia provided by the Minnesota Twins will also be on display for ticket holders.

The cast of Damn Yankees features a strong mix of local talent and Broadway veterans, some of whom are very familiar to the Ordway stage. Tari Kelly and Allen Fitzpatrick, who both have a long list of Broadway credits and starred in the Ordway's 2008 Ivey Award-winning production of Cabaret, will return to the Ordway stage as Lola and Van Buren, respectively. Monte Wheeler, who played Frank 'N Furter in the Ordway's 2007 production of The Rocky Horror Show, has been cast as Mr. Applegate. Other Broadway veterans that can be seen in Damn Yankees include Lawrence Clayton (Dreamgirls) as Joe Boyd, Thay Floyd (A Christmas Story) as Joe Hardy and Ann Morrision (Merrily We Roll Along) as Meg Boyd.

Damn Yankees is sponsored by the Star Tribune and Minnesota Twins. For tickets and more information about the show, visit www.DamnYankeesMusical.com.