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Damn Yankees returns to Broadway for its first revival in three decades, starring Neil Patrick Harris and Julianne Hough with an early-2000s setting.
Neil Patrick Harris and Julianne Hough to Lead First Broadway Revival of Damn Yankees in Over 30 Years
The classic musical Damn Yankees is returning to Broadway for its first revival in more than three decades. Neil Patrick Harris and Julianne Hough will lead the cast as the devilish Applegate and the temptress Lola, respectively. They were announced as the star-struck leads during a press conference held at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, September 27, 2026. Austin Scott rounds out the principal cast as Young Joe, the baseball phenom at the centre of the story's Faustian bargain.
Based on Douglass Wallop's novel The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant, the newly reimagined production relocates its action to the early 2000s and swaps the original Washington Senators for the Baltimore Orioles. In this updated version, diehard Orioles fan Joe Boyd makes a deal with a charming stranger and his accomplice in a bid to help his team return to glory. The original score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross remains intact, supplemented by additional lyrics from Tony Award-winning lyricist Lynn Ahrens.
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Director and choreographer Sergio Trujillo guides the production, which arrives following a sold-out engagement at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. The creative team also features a revised book written by Will Power and Doug Wright. Trujillo stated in a release that the revisal preserves the heart, wit, and soaring score of the original work while bringing fresh joy back into the theatre.
Major League Baseball and its Emmy Award-winning production arm, MLB Studios, have partnered on the show, marking the first time the league has backed a Broadway musical. Lead producer Haley Swindal, the eldest granddaughter of late New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, noted the family connection to both baseball and Broadway.
Swindal is producing the revival alongside Lia Vollack and Julie Boardman."Baseball is mythology. Broadway is mythology. They both deliver thrilling, unrepeatable live entertainment to millions of fans each year,"
Haley Swindal, Lead Producer, via uk.news.yahoo.com
Noah Garden, MLB's Deputy Commissioner of Business and Media, highlighted the importance of connecting the sport with broader cultural areas, noting that both baseball and Broadway fans share a love for high drama and high stakes. Steinbrenner himself previously invested in multiple Broadway productions, including Applause and Seesaw.
The production holds personal milestones for its leading actors. For Hough, an Emmy winner for her choreography on Dancing with the Stars, the engagement marks her first starring role in a Broadway musical. She previously made her Broadway debut in the 2022 comedy POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive. Harris, who won a Tony Award in 2014 for Hedwig and the Angry Inch, returns to the stage following work across television, film, and theatre. Scott, who made his Broadway debut in the title role of Hamilton and appeared in the Arena Stage engagement, joins them as Young Joe.
| Revival | Year | Venue | Notable Cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | 1955 | Broadway | Ray Walston, Gwen Verdon, Stephen Douglass |
| 1994 | 1994 | Marquis Theatre | Victor Garber, Bebe Neuwirth, Jarrod Emick |
| 2027 (upcoming) | 2027 | Marquis Theatre | Neil Patrick Harris, Julianne Hough, Austin Scott |
The original 1955 Broadway production ran for 1,019 performances and won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The show's most recent Broadway revival opened in 1994 at the Marquis Theatre and ran for more than 500 performances.
The upcoming production will begin previews at the Marquis Theatre on March 24, 2027, one day before the Yankees play their first game of the season. An official opening night is scheduled for April 20, 2027. Single tickets are currently available on the official website, with further casting announcements expected in the coming months.
