Interview: Jordan Donica Steps Up to the Plate in Damn Yankees

In less than a decade, Jordan Donica has become one of Broadway’s most sought-after leading men, with major roles in Phantom of the Opera, My Fair Lady, and Camelot, for which he was Tony nominated as Sir Lancelot.

Now, he’s dazzling DC-area audiences in Arena Stage’s much-talked-about “revisal” of the Damn Yankees. Donica steps into the cleats of Joe Hardy, now a Black baseball superstar who is the new incarnation of the much older Joe Boyd, and who might forever be owned by the devil (played by Rob McClure).

TheaterMania spoke to Donica about why he wanted to do this show, how he feels about the changes made to it for this production, his history of playing roles originally written for white actors, and his success as Dr. William Kirkland on HBO’s hit series “The Gilded Age.”

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Is this your first time with Damn Yankees or do you have a history with it?
Back in high school, I played Applegate, but I really wanted to be Joe. It was a huge lesson for me. My ego couldn’t handle not getting the lead.

One day, my theater director, Pete Anderson, took me aside. He said “you’re a great singer and a great athlete” – I played football in school – “but, more importantly, you’re a great actor and we need that for Applegate.” It was the first time someone told me that. I also learned that everyone was put in the necessary position for the show to succeed. Damn Yankees is about being a team player and sublimating your own ego, and I needed to learn that.

Tell me about the character’s new backstory.
It’s the same story in some ways. He leaves his wife behind to be this star baseball player, and he thinks he’s giving up his life and future for the good of the city. Here, he’s also trying to fulfill the dream of his father, a Negro League player who wasn’t chosen to go professional for whatever reason. So, the devil convinces him to live out both his dream and his father’s dream. But the devil is a liar, as always, so he goes through a lot of the same hurdles as Joe did in the original.

Joe’s songs are basically the same; in fact, Joe sings “Two Lost Souls” with Lola again, which got changed for the last Broadway revival. But the big thing is Joe now dances, even though I originally told our director-choreographer, Sergio Trujillo, I couldn’t dance. But I knew I couldn’t just stand on the sidelines. It’s been fun to explore that vocabulary, and I am glad I’ve been given the chance to tell the story through movement.

Do you think the updating to 2000 makes sense?
One thing I love about this production is the time period! You have to remember that once we survived Y2K, everything was great in 2000. And then 9/11 happened and the world shifted. Even though I am only 31, it’s nice to be able to live back in that time. Not everyone in our cast was even born in 2001. I really think our playwrights, Doug Wright and Will Power, have done a great job.

Since you’ve often played roles on Broadway that were originally written for white actors, how does it feel this time to step into a part that’s been reimagined with your identity in mind?
I think it was important to the creative team and Sergio, and it is important to me, that it’s not reductionist casting. I don’t see myself as the Black guy playing the white guy. In fact, I do a lot of research for every role and people can take a historical dive with me.

When I played Raoul in Phantom, I found there was a large African diaspora throughout France as early as the 1700s, and there were even French Black aristocrats by the time the show took place. For Max in Sunset Boulevard, I decided he wasn’t chosen by Hollywood to succeed as a director because of his race and hanging on to Norma was his only road to success. For My Fair Lady, I learned there were Black Edwardians who came to London for things like the racing season. My characters belong where they are.

Can we talk for a minute about your success on HBO’s The Gilded Age as Dr. William Kirkland?
Every role I’ve ever done in the theater has led me to that show. As you might know, I was about to head to London to play the lead in Phantom and then I get this call that Julian Fellowes and Sonja Warfield wanted to do a Zoom with me. That was not on my bingo card. They had written the first four episodes of Season three and sent me the information about William and I quickly realized this was my dream role. Of course, I had already done my research about Black doctors in Rhode Island. We talked for almost two hours about how I saw the scenes and the character.

I credit Julian and Sonja for trusting me; there is no greater feeling for an actor than to be trusted. And now I get to inhabit history, and I get to work with these incredible actors like Phylicia Rashad, Audra McDonald, Denée Benton, and our leader, Carrie Coon. I am so excited to go back! I don’t know exactly what will happen, but I know it will be a fabulous season.

Is there anything you want so badly you would make a deal with the devil?
No! I am living my dream life. I was blessed to be raised by women who taught me that this is the life we get, and while there will always be hard work, make sure to choose something you love. No matter the story I am telling, I can bring the most of myself, my truth, my work ethic, my faith, and my humanity to every project. I have always followed my call, and I have awareness of the gifts I have been blessed with.

That said, playing Javert in Les Misèrables at the Muny was one of the greatest roles of my life, singing “Stars” to actual stars. I would love to revisit that show and that part if I could.