Neil Patrick Harris is heading back to Broadway, and this time he is playing the devilish side of America’s favorite pastime.
Harris will star as Applegate in a new production of the classic musical Damn Yankees, which begins preview performances March 24, 2027, at Broadway’s Marquis Theatre. The official opening is scheduled for April 20.
Joining Harris are Julianne Hough as Lola and Austin Scott as Young Joe. The production will give Hough, already known for her work as a dancer, actress and television personality, her Broadway musical debut.
Sergio Trujillo will direct and choreograph the revival, which arrives in New York following a sold-out engagement at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.
The production is more than a straightforward return of the 1950s musical. Will Power and Doug Wright have created a new adaptation, with Lynn Ahrens contributing additional lyrics. The setting has also been shifted to the early 2000s, giving the show’s baseball-centered story a more contemporary backdrop.
At its heart, Damn Yankees remains a story about ambition and the price of getting exactly what you think you want. A frustrated baseball fan is offered the opportunity to become a star and help transform the fortunes of his beloved team, but the deal comes with consequences that extend far beyond the ballpark.
The musical originally opened on Broadway in 1955, with music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross and a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop. It became one of Broadway’s major hits of the era and won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Its score also produced enduring musical theater standards, including “Heart,” “Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets” and “Two Lost Souls.”
The upcoming production represents the show’s first Broadway revival in more than three decades, giving a new generation the chance to see the baseball fantasy on a New York stage.
The baseball connection will extend beyond the plot. Major League Baseball and MLB Studios are participating as partners in the production, an unusually natural pairing for a musical in which pennant races, fandom and temptation are all part of the game.
For Harris, the production marks another major Broadway role following an extensive stage career that includes Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a performance that earned him the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.
With Harris playing Applegate, Hough stepping into Lola’s shoes and a reworked version of the story heading to the Marquis Theatre, Damn Yankees is preparing to take another swing at Broadway more than 70 years after its original debut.
