The classic Broadway hit "Damn Yankees" will be performed at the Evert B. Person Theatre on the Sonoma State University campus in nine performances beginning with opening night at 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 20. The production runs through Oct. 29.
This classic musical by George Abbott and Douglas Wallop, with music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, is a production that features songs such as "You Gotta Have Heart," "Whatever Lola Wants" and "Shoeless Joe From Hannibal, MO."
Under the skillful stage direction of former Sonoma State University dance professor Ann Woodhead, and the musical direction of Robert Young, the Evert B. Person stage will be transformed into a ball diamond, complete with grandstands, dugouts, signage and lights.
"Damn Yankees" is the story of middle aged Joe Boyd, who trades his soul to the Devil for the opportunity to lead his beloved cellar dwelling Washington Senators to the pennant against the hated Yankees.
During the course of his baseball journey, Joe is transformed into the strapping young ballplayer, Joe Hardy, who hits, fields and throws like a hall of famer. Once he takes the field with his beloved Senators, the team catches fire, and they begin to play baseball like never before.
Joe is a sensation; the team is winning, but he has made a deal with the devil, who, in this case is Mr. Applegate.He must leave his wife behind. Nothing but a note to let her know he is gone. But Joe, a business man in real life, has negotiated an out clause in this deal. On a specified date, he can decide whether to remain a ballplayer or go back to his wife and old way of life.
The temptations are great for young Joe Hardy. The newspaper clippings, the adulation from the adoring fans, the hero status from his fellow ballplayers and of course Lola, a siren of a woman that Mr. Applegate has tempted Joe with. And, as in most cases when dealing with the Devil, the deal isn't always what it seems. What looks so wonderful at the outset, has a way of ending in disappointment. Will that happen to Joe?
"Damn Yankees" has wonderful singing, dancing, choreography, sets and costumes and is an ideal show for the whole family.
Tickets are $15 general, $12 for faculty, alumni and staff and $8 for students and seniors. To purchase them, contact the Center for Performing Arts box office at (707) 664-2353. The Box Office is open Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m.
The Evert B. Person Theatre is accessible to the disabled
Parking at the University is $2.50 durinig the week and is free on the weekends.
