The Newman University Music and Theatre Departments are gearing up for the fall musical “Damn Yankees,” which will open Thursday, Nov. 19. The show will be presented Nov. 19 – 22 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. All shows are in the Performance Hall, inside the De Mattias Fine Arts Center on the Newman campus. Tickets are $12 for Adults, $10 for seniors and Newman University faculty and staff, $5 for students, and free for Newman University students.
“Damn Yankees” is about Joe Boyd, an aging Washington Senators fan who is willing to sell his soul to the devil for the Senators to beat the New York Yankees. He meets Applegate who offers him a chance to play for the team himself. However, when Boyd starts to miss his wife, he questions whether he wanted it in the first place.
Senior Wesley Williams who plays Applegate said that the experience has been fun for him because it has given him the opportunity to play a role he’s always dreamed of playing.
“I was exposed to this musical at a very young age,” he said. “It taught me that musicals can be a lot more than just singing. They can be about cool stuff like history and baseball. I’m enjoying every minute of it and just trying to soak it all in before the inevitable final curtain closes and we have to call it an end.”
Technical Director Jamison Rhoads said the set build process has been a good experience as he’s had student help along the way.
“A show like this I call ‘a show of little houses’ because Welch’s office is a small office on a platform and Meg’s house looks like a house in the ’50s on a platform,” Rhoads said. “I’m excited to see it come together because when it all comes together and things are moving and things are shifting, it should be pretty neat.”
Senior Alison Byrne, who plays Lola, the devil’s temptress said she’s had a lot of fun exploring her character.
“I think it’s a great cap off to a senior year with a classic musical,” Byrne said. “It’s something that everybody kind of knows even if they don’t know they know it. So it’s a universal kind of show.”
Showtimes:
- Nov. 19-21, 8 p.m.
- Nov. 22, 2 p.m.
Admission price at the door:
- $12 – Adults
- $10 – Seniors and Newman University Faculty and Staff
- $5 – Students
- Free – Newman University Students
