Saturday, July 15, 2006
Matthew DiBattiste returns to theater after taking a break.
By L. CROW
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
New Castle Playhouse is celebrating the baseball season by presenting the class '50s musical, "Damn Yankees," directed by Michael Cavalier. And while there is a moral to this story, it is mostly just plain fun, filled with lots of wonderful music and dance, the perfect distraction from these dog days of summer.
The story is about an aging Joe Boyd, a Washington Senators fan who, in a moment of frustration, says he would sell his soul to the devil just to see his team beat those damn Yankees. And so the devil appears, in the form of a seedy Mr. Applegate to grant him his wish. He becomes the young Joe Hardy, baseball hero, but soon finds that winning the World Series isn't anywhere near as important as he once thought. It is the love he feels for his wife, and his determination to return to her that sets him free from the devil's spell.
But this makes the play sound all serious, and it is anything but that. The talented cast and production staff at NCP found all kinds of ways to emphasize the humor.
Costumes and cast
One way was in the hilarious costumes. The two comical sidekicks, Doris and Sister (Amy Warner and Helen-Marie Gould) were hysterical to begin with, but their appearance onstage, always in matching dresses, added to their uproarious humor.
One clever costume theme was the color-coordinated husbands and baseball widows in the opening song "Six Months." Three cheers to costume designer Peggy Hanna.
An additional aspect of this production that put it into the top-notch category was the spectacular dancing. Choreographer Julia Garda absolutely outdid herself, especially with the locker room scenes, where the guys combined athletic moves with dance. One of the best dance scenes was with the guys and reporter Gloria Thorpe (Kali Davies), which brought cheers from the crowd.
But, of course, the strongest point in this production was the cast itself -- all solid actors and singers; a pleasure to see and hear. Cavalier, as usual, created the perfect chemistry in filling each role.
Taking on roles
The role of Joe Hardy was played by Matthew DiBattiste. It was wonderful to see him back onstage again after his brief hiatus from the theater. The break seemed to have really recharged his batteries. His singing was fabulous.
That old devil, Applegate, was played by a mischievous Bob Hazen, who could be sneaky, cynical, overpowering, humorous and rotten all at once -- perfect qualities for someone who finds delight throughout the ages by causing nasty things to happen. He sang about his history of sordid deeds in the tongue-in-cheek "Those Were the Good Ole Days."
April Aven, as the devil's seductress Lola, was dazzling, especially her provocative strip tease song and dance in "Whatever Lola Wants." She shook her body in all the right places in her attempt to distract the hopelessly faithful Joe.
Davies, in the other lead female role, played the perfect nosy reporter, aggressively strutting her stuff on stage.
This one is worth the drive to New Castle, guaranteed to perk you up and bring a smile.
XThe play continues through July 30, Fridays/Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets: (724) 657-9369.