Damn Yankees, Landor Theatre

By Helena Payne

Damn Yankees is a satisfyingly slick and accomplished night at the theatre. The devilishly talented cast make the most of this niche musical, but in truth the quality of the material, music and lyrics is not sufficient to make this production an unequivocal home run.

Damn Yankees is a retelling of the Faustian legend set in 1950s Washington DC, and is certainly a bold decision by company Theatrica Ltd; to produce a musical that in its last incarnation in the UK ran for a mere three months before closing. Although possible to argue that the themes of this musical, fame, lust, greed and ambition are universal and as relevant today, if not more so than ever, I found the 50s framing rather quaint and irrelevant to a modern British audience. Unlike an American audience who might enjoy some nostalgia for a fading Empire and glories past, I found myself alienated from the anxieties and hopes of the protagonist. An American audience might use this piece to question the fantasy of the all-American Hero and the veracity of his Dream but this siphon illuminates little for us across the pond. Saying that, the story did feel remarkably familiar: an amalgamation of Goethe, The Mighty Ducks, 17 Again and A League of Their Own, it could have been a rainy Sunday afternoon on Channel 5.

Regardless, the performances and production values of Damn Yankees are undeniably fantastic. No expense had been spared transforming the intimate space of The Landor into a genuine 1950s locker room or the bowels of hell complete with fireplace and projected flames. The bats, kit bags, banners, benches and gear all look authentic so kudos must go to the design team for either sourcing or creating the atmosphere so definitively. Equally the costuming is strong and aesthetically pleasing, with bright 50s colours, fabrics and detailing adding to the sense of period. Though none so eye-catching as the slick-haired, shimmery-suited sass-pot that is Satan.

Incontrovertibly, the stand out performance of this production was Jonathan D Ellis who shamelessly hams his way through the part of Mr Applegate, more commonly known as Satan. And I loved every second of it. Every moment he was on stage I found myself thinking, “To hell with the rest of the show, can’t he just keep going?” To be honest I reckon he could have. The auditorium was in hysterics at the daintiest raised eyebrow or smallest of sighs. Usually I can’t abide such selfish acting, but it was too funny to fight; Ellis literally milked every second of stage time and hopelessly pulled focus, egged on by us. Camp, charismatic and disgustingly talented someone needs to give this man his own show, but I suspect as in this production he happily makes them all his own anyway. Favourite moments included his vicious rebuttal of Elizabeth Futter’s officious and nosey journalist Gloria with the exclamations, “Go home, get married, have children!” and his aside that his number was “worth the price of the ticket.” Ellis wasn’t wrong.

Strong support was provided by Zoe Tierney as the raucous and flirtatious Lola, and our protagonist Joe Hardy played by Zac Efron, sorry, Alex Lodge. However, the tone of proceedings was raised exponentially by the tight ensemble work. Every gesture of the choreography was imbued with vitality and charisma. Highlights included a topless and towelled chorus line of baseball players high kicking their way through the show's first big number, Heart. Indeed the show really lifted in these irreverent and surreal moments and balanced the music accompaniment that was, in truth, a little loud for some of the solo numbers. There was entertaining comedy work from Leah Pinney and Sophie May Whitfield who had obviously given in to theatrical temptation as well and hammed away with the best of them delivering amusingly bizarre results.

In one number the baseball coach advises his young team that “Baseball is only one half skill, there’s something bigger,” and I felt that this line rang true for Damn Yankees as a whole. It was unquestionably expertly performed and produced, but I felt the heart of the story was perhaps stilted by the limited scope of the music. I came out of the auditorium chortling and certainly entertained, but I wasn’t humming the tunes. I am also none the wiser about baseball. Although I’m ok with that.

Damn Yankees, Landor Theatre

Tickets HERE

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