[NEohioPAL] Berko review: DAMN YANKEES (Carousel Dinner Theatre)

[Roy Berko]

Carousel lets Indians win pennant in ‘DAMN YANKEES’ 

Roy Berko

Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times	

--coolcleveland.com—

Knowing the disdain that locals have for the New York
Yankees baseball team, the staff at Carousel Dinner,
which is now producing ‘DAMN YANKEES,’ adapted the
script to ensure that our beloved Cleveland Indians
beat their dreaded rivals for the American League
pennant.

“DAMN YANKEES,’ a musical comedy with a book by George
Abbott and Douglass Wallop, and music and lyrics by
Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, is a modern retelling of
the Faust legend, with a baseball twist.  It is based
on  Wallop's novel, The Year The Yankees Lost The
Pennant.

The story centers on Joe Boyd, a middle-aged baseball
fanatic who sells his soul to the devil (Mr.
Applegate) for a chance to lead the Cleveland Indians,
his favorite team, to a pennant.  Reinvented as Joe
Hardy, Boyd transforms the hopeless Indians into a
super team.  In the process, with the help of Lola,
Applegate’s assistant, he outsmarts the devil.

‘DAMN YANKEES, which opened in 1955 with a cast that
included Gwenn Verdon and Ray Walston, won the Tony
Award for best musical of the year.  It ran over one
thousand productions, was made into a movie staring
Tab Hunter, and has had many revivals.  It was
choreographer Bob Fosse’s first Broadway hit.

The basically unspectacular score does include
“Whatever Lola Wants,” and “Heart.”

It should be noted that I saw a preview production of
the show, so much may have changed as the cast settles
into their roles.

Jerry Coyle (Joe Boyd) and Jan Leigh Herndon (Meg, his
wife) have nice singing voices and developed clear
characters.  Nathaniel Shaw (Joe Hardy) both
physically and vocally fits the role of the reluctant
star baseball player.  

Ashlee Fife, she of long legs and high kicks, dances
the role of Lola with the finesse and movements of a
former Radio City Rockette.  Unfortunately, that
doesn’t translate into seductive, which the role
requires.  Her “Whatever Lola  Wants” lacked the
necessary sizzle.

It’s pretty hard to evaluate Mark Kaplan, who
portrayed the devil, as he was a last minute
replacement in the role, after an injury to Jim Corti
who was scheduled to portray Mr. Applegate.  As is, he
just wasn’t as smarmy or manipulative as the role
requires.

Buddy Reeder, the dance captain, stood out among the
male dancers who were not always in sync.  (The timing
should improve with practice.)

“Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo” and “Two Lost Souls”
were well choreographed.

A wonderful backdrop of the old Cleveland Stadium and
a portrait gallery of former Indians players was well
received.

Costumer Dale DiBernardo hit a homer with his Indians’
uniforms.  During the era of the show, the Tribe home
uniforms were white pinstripes, had the numbers on the
back with no names and the caps had an odd shaped “C”
instead of the script “I” or Chief Yahoo head of the
present day.  DiBernardo got all that right!  He even
had the Larry Doby-like character in his famous number
14!

The musical sound was rather tinny.  The two keyboards
and percussionist didn’t produce the big brassy sound
that the music required.  

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:   ‘DAMN YANKEES’ is not a great
script and it doesn’t have a great score.  It is one
of those 1950s “nice” shows.  Carousel’s production,
under the direction of Marc Robin, is not memorable,
doesn’t hit a homer, but it doesn’t strike out either.

‘DAMN YANKEES’ runs through  June 28.  For tickets 
call 800-362 4100.  Show times are Tuesday through
Thursday evenings at 8:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday
evenings at 8:30 p.m. and Sunday evenings at 5 and
Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2 P.M.

Carousel’s next production is ‘VIAGGIO,’ a circque de
soleil type production.  It opens July 2 and runs
through August 23.


Roy Berko's blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2001 through 2008, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at http://royberko.info
      
His reviews can also be found on www.coolcleveland.com and NeOHIOpal (to subscibe visit http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/neohiopal.)


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