WASHINGTON, D.C. — New Year’s Eve () Erica and I went to Arena Stage to see Damn Yankees. We had debated whether to attend given the current ongoing depressing news about the Nats, but ultimately decided to go for it. We are so glad we did.
This was a my first visit to Arena Stage and their theater in the round square. The venue is not terribly big, so it has a really intimate feeling; like community theater, only nicer. By chance, we sat in the front row, which I recommend to anyone at this venue, particularly for this play.
The plot of the show is pretty simple, a middle-aged Senators fan, Joe Boyd (Lawrence Redmond) spends all of baseball season ignoring his wife Meg (Kay Walbye), which she laments in “Six Months Out of Every Year,” a song that made Erica laugh. Boyd, who played ball in high school is propositioned by a one, Mr. Applegate (a fantastic Brad Oscar of “The Producers”) to become the greatest ballplayer of all time, Joe Hardy (Matt Bogart). Hardy tries out for the Senators and soon he is the sensation of the league and the team is challenging the Yankees for the pennant. Hardy however longs to be back at home in Chevy Chase, realizing that he misses his suburban life. Along the way, Applegate becomes frustrated and sends in Lola (Meg Gillentine) to seduce Hardy. A reporter (Cindy Marchionda) finds out Hardy has no past, a commission investigates and exonerates him after Mrs. Boyd and friends testify that they know him.
As said before, Oscar, a D.C. native relishes his role. He understands that if you get to play the devil, you get to have a lot fun with it. Bogart works in the Hardy role – strong, good matured, and kind of dumb; and Gillentine sizzles as the sexy Lola. Rwrooor! The motley crew of ballplayers looks and sounds just like you would imagine a hapless team in the 1950s would.
After seeing Damn Yankees, I could only conclude that anyone who is against baseball in D.C. is just downright un-American.
On the way out, another patron, in a red Nats cap, mentioned they ought to play “Heart” during the seventh inning stretch. Hmmm, I think I mentioned that in 2004 on the blog…