When Lincolnshire’s Marriott Theatre requested San Diego-based James Vasquez to direct the musical, “Damn Yankees,” operating April 12-June 4, there was no hesitation, simply pleasure.
“I love ‘Damn Yankees,’” mentioned Vasquez. “Two of my favorite things in life are musical theater and baseball,” he mentioned, and that’s what the present is about. The musical, which received seven Tony Awards, options numerous singing and dancing with a plot involving the New York Yankees and the Washington Senators and the race for the pennant within the Fifties.
“Given the opportunity to tell this story again was something I wasn’t going to pass up,” mentioned Vazquez, who directed the manufacturing in 2017 in San Diego.
There’s a lot extra Vasquez loves in regards to the present in addition to it being about baseball.
“For me it is a story about true love and about home,” he mentioned. “We assume the grass may be greener on the opposite aspect, however we are sometimes reminded what we do have, and the worth of that, and the significance of house and significance of affection.
“On top of that, I love the story of the underdog. I love seeing the underdog succeed. (The show has) all these characters that are quirky and funny. To see them succeed and find themselves, I love that.”
“Damn Yankees” opened on Broadway in 1955 and was primarily based on the 1954 novel, “The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant.” It ran for greater than 1,000 performances. It was revised within the Nineteen Nineties, however Vasquez mentioned he’s sticking to the unique, which features a host of songs the viewers will both know already or go away the theater singing.
The plot includes a middle-aged actual property agent, Joe Boyd, who stays up late cheering on the Washington Senators, although they carry on dropping. His spouse, Meg, goes to mattress whereas he curses, “If only the Senators had a long ball hitter, they could beat those damn Yankees.”
A mysterious man seems and tells Joe he’ll flip him right into a younger slugger named Joe Hardy who may assist the Senators win. Of course, there’s a catch. Boyd has to go away his spouse. Boyd makes the cope with the satan, however will get him to comply with let him stroll away from the deal underneath sure circumstances.
Joe Boyd, aka Joe Hardy, joins the crew, will get observed by a reporter, and the video games, not simply baseball, however human video games, start.
Vasquez mentioned he enjoys “revisiting” a present he’s executed earlier than with a brand new crew. “I come with strong ideas, but the actors start fleshing it out just by who they are and it gives me insight. I am able to bring a road map and then the actors fill in all the details,” he mentioned.
For instance, the actor enjoying outdated Joe must bow and invite his spouse to bop in a single scene. “I said, ‘Give a bow,’ and he just moved so naturally,” Vasquez mentioned. The means he bowed added one thing new to the present and likewise impressed the actor portraying younger Joe, Vasquez mentioned.
The musical rating is full of catchy tunes and Marriott’s theater-in-the-round fashion enabled the designers to create a baseball diamond on the set, Vasquez mentioned.
“I’ve got to say, my choreographer, Tyler Hanes, is knocking it out of the park, pun intended,” he added. “He’s gotten to know each of the guys (who are dancing) individually and their special skills.”
Vasquez mentioned he’s attending to know the theater group within the Chicago space, and is “wildly impressed … They challenge me. They make me better. I go home every night after rehearsal thinking about how to tell the story more clearly and more authentically.”
Showtimes are at 1 p.m. and seven:30 p.m. most Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 4 p.m. and eight p.m. Saturdays, and 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sundays, with choose performances at 1 p.m. on Thursdays.
‘Damn Yankees’
When: April 12-June 4
Where: Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire
Tickets: $55-$60
Information: 847-634-0200; MarriottTheatre.com
Sheryl DeVore is a contract reporter for the News-Sun.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com