WISH-LIST WEDNESDAY: Damn Yankees

PREMIERED: 1955 (46th Street Theatre, NYC)

MUSIC/LYRICS: Richard Adler & Jerry Ross

BOOK: George Abbott / Douglass Wallop

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We return this week with a broadway golden age musical that not too long ago celebrated its 70th anniversary, and has its third revival in the big apple not too far round the corner. Richard Adler and Jerry Ross aren't what one would call prolific in their composition for the stage, in fact their partnership was tragically cut short due to the early death of Ross at the age of 29, however their two biggest hits have certainly gone down in the annals of history as two of the most significant and influential musicals of the 1950s, not just due to their modern settings and pop-inspired scores, but also because they helped launch the career of legendary choreographer and director Bob Fosse, both winning him Tony Awards.

The musical tells the story of middle aged real estate agent Joe Boyd, and his long-standing obsession with the ever losing "Washington Senators" baseball team, believing that if they had a long ball hitter, they could "beat those damn Yankees". So what does he do? Of course he sells his soul to the devil, presented as slick salesman Mr. Applegate, so that his beloved Senators can get that hallowed win over the New York baseball outfit, turning himself into the young sensation Joe Hardy to spearhead their path to victory. Though the pressure of the fame afforded to him by this deal eventually starts to get to him, he manages to outsmart the devil in the end, running back to wife Meg as middle-aged Joe just in time, with the help of Applegate's glamorous secretary Lola.

Originally premiering at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rodgers) on broadway back in 1955, the show was an instant smash, proving that Adler and Ross' previous hit "The Pajama Game" was no fluke, establishing them as a potent, albeit short-lived, force to be reckoned with in the world of musical theatre. It has struggled to find similar success in the UK, largely due to the collective indifference towards baseball culture, however that hasn't stopped it from being staged twice in the west end, and with next year seeing a fresh broadway revival set to materialise, we could well see reinvigorated interest in this often forgotten musical classic...

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Have you ever seen "Damn Yankees"? Would you also add it to your wish-list? Let me know below, or via my Instagram page.