The Observer, October 19, 2007
Volume XL, Issue 8
Footlighters pull off another entertaining show with production of Damn Yankees
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This past weekend, the Footlighters presented their fall production of Damn Yankees. Directed by Shauna Gerstenberger, the upbeat musical was quite a success. After having less than half of a semester to put the show together, the Footlighters pulled off another great production.
Damn Yankees, based off of Douglass Wallop's book The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant, is centered on Joe Boyd, played by junior Garret Coombs, and his love for his baseball team, the Washington Senators. After a particularly humiliating loss to the New York Yankees, Joe exclaims that he'd sell his soul for "one long ball hitter" to bring the team from the league disgrace to the pennant champions.
Unfortunately for Joe, someone was listening in on his lament. The instant after his wish was verbalized, Mr. Applegate appears in a puff of smoke. Mr. Applegate, played by freshman Stephen Berg, is the cynical and crafty devil to whom Joe sells his soul. After losing his soul, Joe is transformed into the young Joe Hardy, played by sophomore Dan Johnson – an unbelievably good ball player who, with some finagling by Applegate, becomes the hero of the Washington Senators. However, fame and professional baseball is not all Joe thought it would be, and he begins a struggle to escape from Applegate and return to his wife.
Overall, the performances by the actors were very good. Berg was phenomenal in his portrayal of Applegate. He was able to capture the snarky villain persona in his solo "Those Were the Good Old Days." Another newcomer who captured the audience's attention was freshman Laine Seliga, who played Applegate's attractive seductress, Lola. Seliga was able to deftly transform Lola from a heartless seductress to one of Joe's heartfelt fans. Her performance of "A Little Brains, a Little Talent" was quite good as well as the later duet with Joe Hardy, "Two Lost Souls." Johnson carried the show phenomenally as Joe Hardy. His talented vocals helped keep the musical moving during a few of the lengthier scenes.
There were a few rough spots in the show, particularly in blocking of the bigger scenes. Sometimes it was a little confusing to the audience as to where scenes were taking place. However, most of the confusion was centralized in the end of the first act, with the second much cleaner. The entire cast did a good job with the choreography and vocals throughout the show, making the most out of their limited stage space.
The pit, directed by senior John Blasko, was very consistent. They were on pitch throughout the show and did a terrific job despite the time constraint they had for rehearsing. Damn Yankees was a great success for the Footlighters. Each participant, no matter what their background, did a fabulous job. For more information about Footlighters, including info on their spring production of Chicago, visit their website at http://footlighters.case.edu/.
