press release
Ogunquit Playhouse Presents the New Boston Red Sox Version of Damn Yankees!
For Immediate Release:
July 20, 2012
The devilishly sexy Damn Yankees (the new Boston Red Sox version!) is on stage at the Ogunquit Playhouse from July 25 – August 18. A bewitching seductress, America's favorite pastime and Satan himself mix it up in this popular Adler and Ross musical comedy starring Carson Kressley as Applegate (one stylishly sassy devil!).
The Ogunquit Playhouse has put a new twist on the familiar tale – the baseball action moves from Washington D.C. to Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox and brings the rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox off the field and on to the stage! To fuel the decades- old rivalry between the two veteran teams and to pay homage to Fenway’s 100th Anniversary, Tony Award winning playwright Joe DiPietro has updated the book for the Ogunquit production. Die hard Red Sox fan Joe Boyd offers his soul to this devil in return for “one long-ball hitter.” Applegate uses his power to turn Joe into a young, strong, handsome, long ball hitter with supernatural athletic abilities. As the team begins to win, Joe looks for a loophole to get out of the deal. The devilish dealmaker pulls out all the stops, most notably, the sizzling hot temptress Lola…. “Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets.”
Carson Kressley returns to the Ogunquit Playhouse after a 12 week run in an all new live production of “Dancing with the Stars: Live in Las Vegas,” to play Mr. Applegate in this Faustian baseball musical that won seven Tony Awards when it opened on Broadway 56 years ago. Hot off his run in “Dancing with the Stars,” Emmy-winning television star, celebrity stylist, author and fashion designer, Carson Kressley was last seen at the Ogunquit Playhouse in his critically acclaimed performance as Man in Chair during the 2010 run of The Drowsy Chaperone.
Broadway’s Erin Denman will steam up the stage as Lola. Ms. Denman last appeared on the Playhouse stage as Tess in Crazy For You in 2007 with Rue McClanahan. She has performed on Broadway in 42nd Street, in the National Tour and motion picture of The Producers and was most recently seen as Sally Cato in Mame at the Goodspeed Opera House. In the role of Joe Boyd is D.C. Anderson, who begins a run this fall in the new Broadway musical Rebecca, has worked at regional theatres throughout the U. S. in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Pippin, Martin Guerre and The Phantom of the Opera.Sam Prince will play Joe Hardy. He has performed Off-Broadway in Girl Crazy at City Center Encores! and in regional theatres throughout the U.S., including the Old Globe, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma and the Minneapolis Children's Theatre. Jennifer Cody returns to the Ogunquit stage in the role of Gloria.She was last seen at the Playhouse as “Ed”/Natalie in All Shook Up and Joy in Cinderella. Jennifer’s many Broadway and Off-Broadway roles include: Shrek the Musical, Pajama Game, Urinetown the Musical, No No Nanette, Best Little Whorehouse…, Seussical, Grease, Beauty and the Beast and Cats. She is best known for voicing Charlotte La Bouff in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, which she won the Annie Award (Voice over Oscar) for Outstanding Performance in a Motion Picture.
Broadway song and dance man Jeffry Denman returns to the Ogunquit Playhouse as Director and Choreographer. Denamn was in Ogunquit last season as choreographer for The Music Man, which was honored with the Moss Hart Award by the New England Theatre Conference in 2011. In 2007 he performed on the Ogunquit stage as Bobby Child in Crazy for You and in 2010 he played Sir Robin in Spamalot. Jeffry’s Off-Broadway credits include YANK! for which he was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award and a Joe A. Callaway Award Finalist as Best Choreographer; Naked Boys Singing! and Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice (NYMF - Outstanding Choreography Honorable Mention). Jeffry has been the Director/Choreographer of over a dozen installments of the hugely successful Broadway by the Yearconcerts at the Town Hall in New York City, also A Tribute to Lerner & Loewe, All Singin’ - All Dancin,’ and Broadway Unplugged. As a performer, Jeffry has appeared on Broadway in the original productions of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, The Producers and the final cast of Cats.
Musical Direction will be under Ken Clifton, who is no stranger to the Ogunquit Playhouse. He has been the music director for many Ogunquit Playhouse productions including this season’s Always Patsy Cline and South Pacific, 2011’s critically acclaimed production of Miss Saigon and the award winning, The Music Man and in 2010 for Sunset Blvd. and Chicago. Ken is the resident music director for the Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach, Florida and in addition works as a vocal coach and composer/lyricist.
Individual ticket prices start at $39 per show. Purchase tickets and gift certificates online at www.ogunquitplayhouse.org, or through the Box Office at 207-646-5511
The season continues with the Broadway smash hit from multiple Grammy Award-winning songwriter Dolly Parton, 9 To 5: The Musical, August 22 through September 15. This outrageously funny and heartfelt musical is based on the immensely popular movie and features the blockbuster title song plus a jubilant score that mixes Broadway and pop with Dolly's irresistible style. Buddy, The Buddy Holly Story rocks the 80th Anniversary season to a close from September 19 – October 21. Follow the incredible journey of Buddy's meteoric rise to fame with such rousing fifties favorites as "Peggy Sue," "Oh Boy," "Maybe Baby," and "That'll Be the Day!"