Full Cast, Creative Team Set for Arena Stage’s Damn Yankees

Brad Oscar, Matt Bogart, and Meg Gillentine will star in the Arena Stage production of the classic musical Damn Yankees, December 9-February 5. The production will be directed by Molly Smith, Arena’s artistic director.

Based on Douglass Wallop’s novel The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant, Damn Yankees tells the story of a middle-aged man Joe Boyd who sells his soul to the devil (in the form of a Mr. Applegate) to become young Joe Hardy, a player who can help his beloved Washington Senators win the pennant. The show features a book by George Abbott and a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. It debuted on Broadway in 1956, winning 10 Tony Awards, including awards for stars Gwen Verdon and Ray Walston. The pair re-created their roles in the 1958 film version, which also starred Tab Hunter as Joe Hardy.

The Arena Stage production will co-star Kay Walbye (Meg), Cindy Marchionda (Gloria), Lawrence Redmond (Joe Boyd), Fred Schiffman (Welsh), Michael L. Forest (Van Buren), Lynn McNutt (Doris), Rayanne Gonzales (Sister), Tracy Lynn Olivera (Weston), Stephen F. Schmidt (Lynch), and Stephen Gregory Smith (Bryan/Reporter).

The ensemble will consist of Christopher Bloch, Philip Michael Baskerville, Kevin M. Burrows, Michelle Liu Coughlin, Steven Cupo, Drew DiStefano, Parker Esse, Michael S. Goddard, Deanne Harris, Elly Marie Marsh, Lynn Phillips, Diego Pietro, Kim Shriver, Harry A Winter, John Leslie Wolfe, Shaun R. Parry, and Kate Arnold. In addition, children from more than 20 D.C.-area school groups will participate in the show during the run.

The show’s creative team will include Baayork Lee (choreography), George Fulginiti-Shaker (musical direction), Martin Pakledinaz (costumes), Rachel Hauck (set design), and John Ambrosone (lighting design).

Oscar, who will play Mr. Applegate, is best known for his roles in The Producers, where he played both Franz Liebkind (earning a Tony Award nomination) and Max Bialystock. His other Broadway credits include Jekyll & Hyde and Aspects of Love. Bogart, who will play Joe Hardy, has starred on Broadway in Aida, Miss Saigon, and Smokey Joe’s Café. Gillentine, who will play the temptress Lola, has been seen on Broadway in Cats, Fosse, and The Frogs.