REVIEW: Damn Yankees at the Landor Theatre

This autumn, Clapham’s Landor Theatre presents the Broadway classic Damn Yankees to charming, if not completely convincing, effect in Robert McWhir’s intimate fringe revival.

A hit on Broadway in 1955, Damn Yankees has remained a perennial American musical theatre classic. One of just two Adler/Ross shows, recently revived The Pajama Game being the other - due to the premature death of Ross, Damn Yankees’ novel take on Baseball madness with a Faustian twist proves to be a charming and tuneful show with plenty of ‘heart’ as one lively, and raunchy, locker-room number suggests. 

FULL CAST announced for the Landor production of DAMN YANKEES

Jonathan D Ellis (Les Misérables, Blood Brothers) will star in the Landor Theatre’s revival of Adler and Ross’ Damn Yankees as the Mephistophelean Applegate, the role popularised by Jerry Lewis in the 1990s Broadway and West End productions.

He will be joined by Poppy Tierney (The Witches of Eastwick, Watermill Theatre, and Batman Live UK Tour) as Lola - ‘the best homewrecker on the devil’s staff’, Alex Lodge (Saturday Night Fever UK Tour) as Joe Hardy - a crack baseball player who isn’t all he seems, and Tony Stansfield as Van Buren, the role he first played in the 1990s West End run!

Damn Yankees to return to London and play at the Landor Theatre

A Faustian musical about baseball may not be the most obvious plot choice but this production is gutsy and exciting and is certainly good reason to hurry to The Landor. Damn Yankees is back!

From the composing and writing talent behind The Pajama Game, and with eight Tony Awards including Best Musical under its cap, Damn Yankees is the musical with enduring heart and is sure to be a home run hit.

When a devilish dealmaker offers Joe Boyd the chance to help the Washington Senators, his beloved baseball team, to win the Pennant race against those ‘Damn Yankees’, Joe takes it. But, as the Senators’ stats soar, Joe realises he's losing his wife and looks for a loophole. Enter sizzling-hot temptress Lola - a founding member of the Home Wreckers Hall of Fame.