‘Damn Yankees’ is a grand slam

Tom Titus

You’ve got to have heart -- not to mention a plethora of talent -- to

put on a full-scale musical the caliber of the Academy of the

Performing Arts’ production of “Damn Yankees,” enjoying a two-weekend

revival in the Huntington Beach High School auditorium.

Sure, it’s an oldie, but it’s nonetheless a goodie, particularly

the way director Tim Nelson’s proteges kick the devil out of some of

the musical theater’s most familiar numbers. With baseball season

right around the corner (and our Anaheim Angels having come back from

the precipice to win the World Series two years ago), this show is

especially timely -- and not all that familiar to its young

participants, having been absent from the local scene for many years.

The academy has pulled out all the stops to underscore the

baseball motif -- there’s the National Anthem and a ceremonial first

pitch, and intermission is referred to as the seventh-inning stretch.

And then the talented, enthusiastic high schoolers take the field.

The time is 1954, or thereabouts (although Nelson isn’t above

inserting references to Donald Trump or Martha Stewart to glean an

extra chuckle or two) and the Washington Senators are firmly

ensconced at the bottom of the American League standings (there were

no “divisions” back then), praying for a hot-hitting savior to help

them overcome those damn New York Yankees.

Enter Shoeless Joe Hardy (Matt Bartosch), the reincarnation of a

frustrated middle-aged fan named Joe Boyd (Brian Chapman) who’d sell

his soul for a pennant. That’s precisely the price the shady Mr.

Applegate (A.J. Gutierrez) requires to bring a championship to the

nation’s capital.

Gutierrez is devilishly effective in the latter role, both in his

vocalizing and his series of pointed asides, which possibly only the

more seasoned observers will comprehend. He hits his stride, as might

be expected, in the vaudevillesque solo “Those Were the Good Old

Days,” abetted by some lavish technical effects.

Bartosch earnestly enacts the mysterious superstar Joe Hardy,

offering a splendid singing voice most evident in his opening number,

“Goodbye, Old Girl,” following his transformation. He also excels in

his new character’s tender relationship with his temporarily

abandoned wife, beautifully played by Erin Bull.

Grand larceny is gleefully performed, however, by Mary Braun as

the underworld temptress Lola, as she steals every scene in sight

with her seductive performance and superior dancing style. Braun

might not get “Whatever Lola Wants,” but she wins the audience hands

down.

Another strong performance is delivered by Nathan Singh as the

Washington manager, who needs his especially deep voice to make

himself heard above the chorus and orchestra. Courtney Davis kicks up

a storm as the meddling newspaper reporter and Timm Pierson excels as

the blunt, bombastic team owner.

One of the pure pleasures of the production is the scintillating

choreography of Diane Makas-Weber, whose work on production numbers

such as “Heart,” “Shoeless Joe From Hannibal, Mo.” -- and,

surprisingly, “Two Lost Souls,” which expands from a duet to a dance

showcase -- is outstanding.

Ensemble showmanship, particularly by the young actors playing the

Senators’ team members, is another plus, as several of them display

gymnastic as well as terpsichorean talents. Curiously, most wear

their first names, rather than their surnames, on the back of their

uniforms (Rocky, Ozzie, Lenny, etc.), although whether names were

even used at all on uniforms back then is doubtful.

Musical director Gregg Gilboe conducts the robust full student

orchestra, while Nelson doubles as vocal director. Technical director

Joe Batte’s colorful settings brighten the stage considerably, as do

Kathleen Timm’s costumes. Sound engineer Randy Stevens has concocted

some fearsome effects from the mouth of Hades to punctuate

Applegate’s pronouncements.

“Damn Yankees” is one of the musical theater’s guilty pleasures,

and a production so splendidly crafted makes it all the more

enjoyable. These are minor league performers mounting a major league

show.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Independent.