Probably the golden age of musical theatre in the US was from 1950 to 1960. Great scripts like King and I, My Fair Lady, and West Side Story were staged. Also produced were such flops as Salad Days, Zuleika, Ankles Away, The Vamp, ShaNgri-La, Shinbone Alley, and Free As Air. Most shows were of the neither great nor flop variety. These included the likes of Call Me Madam, Guys and Dolls, Paint Your Wagon, Can-Can, Wonderful Town, Fanny, and The Pajama Game. Also included in the list was DAMN YANKEES, now on stage at Porthouse Theatre.
50s musicals were known for their levity and hit tunes, not for substance, so when a musical such as The Pajama Game had something to say to working class America about standing up and fighting for what they're due, it highly appealed to a middle-class audience... without really meaning to, it served as a precursor of meatier shows to follow in the decades ahead. Of course, Pajama Game is still light... and romantic - it's what audiences craved - with Babe (Karen Volpe) and Sid (Michael Dotson) finding romance and true love while they duke out their differences as labor and management. Now in a pleasantly gleeful production at DCLO (Downey Civic Light Opera) a joyously tuneful piece of nostalgia lives on, as just that - nostalgia, as it does belong to another time and place!
Today in 1954, The Pajama Game opened at the St. James Theatre, where it ran for 1063 performances. The Pajama Game is a musical based on the novel 7½ Cents by Richard Bissell. It features a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story deals with labor troubles in a pajama factory, where worker demands for a seven-and-a-half cents raise are going unheeded. In the midst of this ordeal, love blossoms between Babe, the grievance committee head, and Sid, the new factory superintendent. The original production won a Tony for Best Musical, and the 2006 Broadway revival won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.
Today in 1954, Damn Yankees opened at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rodgers Theatre), where it ran for 1019 performances. Damn Yankees is a musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during a time when the New York Yankees dominated Major League Baseball.
"You gotta have heart!" That's the central conceit of any production of "Damn Yankees". Without that heart they might as well be singing about golf. Well luckily the current production at the 5th Avenue Theatre in conjunction with the Paper Mill Playhouse has heart to spare combined with a killer cast and visually spectacular set.
The BroadHollow Theatre Company certainly put forth a noble effort in their production of the Tony Award winning Damn Yankees. However, this Jessey Waller directed incarnation, now playing at BayWay in East Islip through May 6th, didn't quite hit the ball out of the park.
Damn Yankees is headed to The 5th Avenue Theatre! This musical comedy is the story of an aging baseball fan who makes a deal with the Devil so his beloved hometown team can beat the Yankees in the race for the pennant. From the songwriting team of The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees is filled with hit songs including "Two Lost Souls" and the sultry favorite, "Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets." The Paper Mill Playhouse production will slide into Seattle this April. The creative team includes direction by Mark S. Hoebee (Paper Mill's Producing Artistic Director), music direction by Ben Whiteley, and choreography by Denis Michael Jones.
The IU Department of Theatre and Drama announces its second annual Indiana Festival Theatre season. Hosted in the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center on the IU Bloomington campus, the new season offers a slate of classic comedies and musicals for theater lovers of all ages
5th Avenue held its Spotlight Night for Damn Yankees on March 20. The evening took audiences behind the scenes of the new production of the musical comedy classic Damn Yankees. Featuring musical performances by some of Seattle's best singers and the cast of Damn Yankees, the event explored the stories that inspired the hit musical, including the legend of Faust. The night also took audiences through the careers of Damn Yankees book writer George Abbott and songwriters Richard Adler and Jerry Ross.
Watch Allen Fitzpatrick and the cast of Damn Yankees sing 'Heart' at Spotlight Night in the video below!
Damn Yankees is headed to The 5th Avenue Theatre! This musical comedy is the story of an aging baseball fan who makes a deal with the Devil so his beloved hometown team can beat the Yankees in the race for the pennant. From the songwriting team of The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees is filled with hit songs including "Two Lost Souls" and the sultry favorite, "Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets." The Paper Mill Playhouse production will slide into Seattle this April. The creative team includes direction by Mark S. Hoebee (Paper Mill's Producing Artistic Director), music direction by Ben Whiteley, and choreography by Denis Michael Jones.
With its funny, sexy and sentimental book by master craftsman George Abbott and a catchy and clever score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, Damn Yankees is a textbook example of the kind of big and brassy musicals that made Broadway's Golden Age glitter. Paper Mill's terrific new production is packed with boisterous comic performances and, as the song says, miles and miles and miles of heart.
Paper Mill Playhouse just opened Damn Yankees, directed by Paper Mill Playhouse's Producing Artistic Director, Mark S. Hoebee, with choreography by Denis Jones. The cast features Howard McGillin (Applegate), Chryssie Whitehead (Lola), Christopher Charles Wood (Joe Hardy), Joseph Kolinski (Joe Boyd), Patti Cohenour (Meg Boyd) and Nancy Anderson (Gloria Thorpe).
BroadwayWorld was there for the big opening and brings you coverage from the first curtain call below!
Paper Mill Playhouse just began previews for Damn Yankees, directed by Paper Mill Playhouse's Producing Artistic Director, Mark S. Hoebee, with choreography by Denis Jones. The cast features Howard McGillin (Applegate), Chryssie Whitehead (Lola), Christopher Charles Wood (Joe Hardy), Joseph Kolinski (Joe Boyd), Patti Cohenour (Meg Boyd) and Nancy Anderson (Gloria Thorpe). Damn Yankees runs at the Millburn, New Jersey theater through Sunday, April 1, 2012. Opening night is scheduled for Sunday, March 11, 2012.
BroadwayWorld brings you production photos below!
Paper Mill Playhouse just began previews for Damn Yankees, directed by Paper Mill Playhouse's Producing Artistic Director, Mark S. Hoebee, with choreography by Denis Jones. The cast features Howard McGillin (Applegate), Chryssie Whitehead (Lola), Christopher Charles Wood (Joe Hardy), Joseph Kolinski (Joe Boyd), Patti Cohenour (Meg Boyd) and Nancy Anderson (Gloria Thorpe). Damn Yankees runs at the Millburn, New Jersey theater through Sunday, April 1, 2012. Opening night is scheduled for Sunday, March 11, 2012.
BroadwayWorld brings you performance highlights below!
One of the greatest joys of our job is seeing our audiences transformed by a theatre performance. At some point in Roundabout's 46-year history, you've likely experienced a play or musical that has inspired you. Roundabout has been fortunate to produce award-winning productions on Broadway for 20 years now. You may even recall our first Broadway production of Anna Christie at the Criterion Center in 1992.
Paper Mill Playhouse is currently in rehearsals for Damn Yankees, directed by Paper Mill Playhouse's Producing Artistic Director, Mark S. Hoebee, with choreography by Denis Jones. The cast features Howard McGillin (Applegate), Chryssie Whitehead (Lola), Christopher Charles Wood (Joe Hardy), Joseph Kolinski (Joe Boyd), Patti Cohenour (Meg Boyd) and Nancy Anderson (Gloria Thorpe). Damn Yankees begins performances on Wednesday, March 7, 2012, and runs at the Millburn, New Jersey theater through Sunday, April 1, 2012. Opening night is scheduled for Sunday, March 11, 2012.
Yesterday, February 29, the company met the press and below we bring you photo coverage of the cast in action!
Paper Mill Playhouse is currently in rehearsals for Damn Yankees, directed by Paper Mill Playhouse's Producing Artistic Director, Mark S. Hoebee, with choreography by Denis Jones. The cast features Howard McGillin (Applegate), Chryssie Whitehead (Lola), Christopher Charles Wood (Joe Hardy), Joseph Kolinski (Joe Boyd), Patti Cohenour (Meg Boyd) and Nancy Anderson (Gloria Thorpe). Damn Yankees begins performances on Wednesday, March 7, 2012, and runs at the Millburn, New Jersey theater through Sunday, April 1, 2012. Opening night is scheduled for Sunday, March 11, 2012.
Today, the company met the press and below we brings you complete photo and video coverage of the event.
Paper Mill Playhouse is currently in rehearsals for Damn Yankees, directed by Paper Mill Playhouse's Producing Artistic Director, Mark S. Hoebee, with choreography by Denis Jones. The cast features Howard McGillin (Applegate), Chryssie Whitehead (Lola), Christopher Charles Wood (Joe Hardy), Joseph Kolinski (Joe Boyd), Patti Cohenour (Meg Boyd) and Nancy Anderson (Gloria Thorpe). Damn Yankees begins performances on Wednesday, March 7, 2012, and runs at the Millburn, New Jersey theater through Sunday, April 1, 2012. Opening night is scheduled for Sunday, March 11, 2012.
Today in 2006, The Pajama Game opened at the America Airlines Theatre, where it ran for 129 performances. The Pajama Game is a musical based on the novel 7½ Cents by Richard Bissell. It features a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story deals with labor troubles in a pajama factory, where worker demands for a seven-and-a-half cents raise are going unheeded. In the midst of this ordeal, love blossoms between Babe, the grievance committee head, and Sid, the new factory superintendent. The original Broadway production opened on May 13, 1954, and ran for 1,063 performances.
