Danbury's
Musicals at Richter Opens Season with "Damn Yankees"
June 22
Danbury, Conn. -- Musicals at Richter, celebrating its
22nd season as the longest-running outdoor theater in Connecticut,
kicks off the summer with Jerry Ross and Richard Adler's
lively and comic musical tribute to America's baseball obsession,
"Damn Yankees," playing June 22 through July 8.
Staged on the grounds of the Richter Arts Center in Danbury,
performances take place outdoors under the stars Friday
through Sunday evenings at 8:30 p.m., with a specially discounted
preview the first Thursday of the run, June 22.
Penned by the same team who wrote Broadway's current hit
revival "The Pajama Game," this classic musical
comedy follows the story of middle-aged baseball fanatic
Joe Boyd who trades his soul to the Devil (the charming
Mr. Applegate) for a chance to lead his favorite team to
victory in the pennant race against the New York Yankees.
Boyd is transformed into 22-year-old baseball sensation
Joe Hardy who reinvigorates the hapless Washington Senators
and turns them into a winning team. While Joe enjoys this
newfound youth, he realizes how much he misses the life
(and wife) he's left behind. As Joe considers exercising
the "escape clause" he managed to negotiate in
his pact with the Devil, Mr. Applegate employs an impressive
arsenal of underhanded trickery to convince Joe to keep
his bargain, including enlisting the aid of a seductive
witch named Lola.
The original 1955 production was directed by the legendary
George Abbott and choreographed by Bob Fosse. A winner of
7 Tony Awards, it featured Ray Walston as the Devil and
Gwen Verdon as the temptress Lola. It was made into a popular
movie in 1958 with most of the original Broadway cast and
Tab Hunter in the role of Joe Hardy. "Damn Yankees"
was successfully revived in 1994 under the direction of
Jack O'Brien ("Hairspray," "Dirty Rotten
Scoundrels") and starred Victor Garber as Applegate
and Bebe Neuwirth as Lola. Garber was later replaced by
Jerry Lewis, in his long-awaited Broadway debut.
Songs from the memorable score include "Six Months
Out of Every Year," "Goodbye, Old Girl, "
"Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo.," "Whatever
Lola Wants," "Who Gets the Pain When They Do the
Mambo," "Near to You," "Heart,"
and "Those Were The Good Old Days."
Directed, vocally directed and choreographed by Musicals
at Richter founding artistic director Brad Blake of Danbury,
this rousing celebration of our national pastime features
Leo Brown of Stormville, New York as Joe Boyd, Jody Bayer
of Danbury as his long-suffering wife Meg, Matt Schmiedel
of Ridgefield as young Joe Hardy, Stephen DiRocco of Wilton
as the cunning Mr. Applegate, and Shannon MacKeil of Trumbull
as the fiery Lola. The principal cast also includes Stephen
Sedlak of Danbury as Senators manager Benny Van Buren, Bridget
Krompinger of New Fairfield as reporter Gloria Thorpe, and
Mike Lozier of New Milford as team owner Mr. Welch.Nancy
Edwards of Mahopac, New York and Dolly Conner of Danbury
portray Meg's friends Sister and Doris Miller. Featured
in ensemble roles are Jessica Alex of Washington Depot,
Erin McDonald of Mahopac, New York and Kate Valiska of Danbury.
The determined Washington Senators team includes Benjamin
Panzarino, Billy Dempster and Robert Sniffin of Danbury;
Brendan Padgett of Watertown,: John Curran, Matt Farina,
Mike Tedaldi and Stephen Papallo of New Fairfield; Nick
Petrovich of Sandy Hook; and Patrick Zaia of Milford.
Charles Wade of Bridgeport serves as musical director
for the production. Scenic design is by Brad Blake, with
lighting design by Eric Schutz of Danbury. Costumes are
by Alison Murphy of Danbury. Alicia Dempster of Danbury
is Production Stage Manager and MarieGelston of Pawling,
New York is producer.
Musicals at Richter's 2006 main stage musical season continues
with "Titanic" (July 13-29), Maury Yeston's hauntingly
beautiful retelling of the doomed ship's voyage, also directed
by
Mr. Blake; and "The King and I" (August 3-19),
Rodgers and Hammerstein's sumptuous, time-honored tale of
East meets West, directed by Kyle Minor of Danbury.
For the younger set, the popular children's theater series
"Fairy Tale Theater" resumes its Saturday morning
offerings July 8 through 29 at Wooster School in Danbury.
Longtime Danbury area performer and educator Elyse Jasensky
directs a 15-member ensemble of young performers in hour-long
versions of classic tales such as "Cinderella,"
"Goldilocks and the Three Bears" "The Emperor's
New Clothes," "Rapunzel," "Rumpelstiltskin,"
and "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."
Now in its 22nd season, Musicals at Richter is Connecticut's
longest-running outdoor theater. Performances are given
on weekends at the Richter Arts Center (next to the Richter
Park Golf Course), 100 Aunt Hack Road, in Danbury. Nestled
in the hills of Western Connecticut, the Arts Center stage
has served as the scenic backdrop for over 60 musicals produced
by Musicals at Richter, as well as a professional springboard
for hundreds of up-and-coming performers. For further information,
visit the website at www.musicalsatrichter.org, linfo@musicalsatrichter.org.
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