MLB Joins Broadway: 'Damn Yankees' Revival Announced

MLB Studios will partner on the first 'Damn Yankees' Broadway revival in three decades, with Neil Patrick Harris, Julianne Hough and Austin Scott at the Marquis Theatre.

Major League Baseball and its Emmy-winning production label, MLB Studios, will serve as partners on the upcoming Broadway revival of *Damn Yankees* — a first for a Broadway musical, according to mlb.com and corroborated by Variety, Playbill and broadway.com. The announcement came Sunday at a press conference at Yankee Stadium, where star Neil Patrick Harris, Julianne Hough and Austin Scott appeared ahead of the Yankees' final regular-season game, which Playbill notes was ultimately cancelled due to inclement weather. Lead producer Haley Swindal — granddaughter of legendary Yankees owner George Steinbrenner — framed the partnership, per Variety: "Baseball is mythology. Broadway is mythology... It's a collision of American icons."

Tony and Emmy winner Neil Patrick Harris will play the devilish Mr. Applegate, while Emmy winner Julianne Hough — best known for *Dancing with the Stars* — makes her Broadway musical debut as Lola, and Austin Scott (*Hamilton*) plays Young Joe Hardy. Harris, who won a Tony for the 2014 revival of *Hedwig and the Angry Inch*, told press he had never done a big Broadway musical with a large ensemble and dance numbers, calling it "a bucket list" item, Variety reports. mlb.com quotes him praising Hough as "such a triple threat" whose skills go beyond dancing, and Scott told mlb.com that Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge's power and confidence offer inspiration for his take on Joe.

This is not a museum piece. Director and choreographer Sergio Trujillo, working with book writers Will Power and Doug Wright, has relocated the 1950s-set story to the year 2000, when the Yankees were coming off three straight World Series titles, mlb.com reports. Because the original's Washington Senators no longer exist, the Baltimore Orioles step in as New York's rival — a choice Trujillo explained to Playbill as a "David and Goliath" story with authenticity, noting Baltimore's rich Black baseball history. Playbill also reports the adaptation adds that Joe Hardy's father played in the Negro Leagues but was barred from major league play in the 1950s, a backstory Trujillo says heightens the stakes for Joe.

The original opened May 5, 1955, winning seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, with music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross and songs like "Whatever Lola Wants" introduced by Gwen Verdon under Bob Fosse's choreography. Playbill notes the new staging follows a sold-out, critically acclaimed Arena Stage run in Washington, D.C., last fall that earned 13 Helen Hayes Award nominations.

Julie Boardman, Lia Vollack and Haley Swindal lead-produce, with Mark Shacket of Foresight Theatrical executive producing, per Playbill. The MLB partnership fits what Playbill describes as a broader cultural moment linking baseball and Broadway: *Hamilton* recently marked its 10th anniversary with a themed day at Yankee Stadium, Derek Klena joined the Savannah Bananas, and former Mets player José Iglesias and Yankees legend Bernie Williams are currently making Broadway debuts in *Buena Vista Social Club*. MLB deputy commissioner Noah Garden said in a statement, quoted by mlb.com, that it is "incredibly important that our game continues to resonate outside the diamond."

Previews begin March 24, 2027 at the Marquis Theatre — one day before the first Yankees game of the season, as Playbill notes — with official opening night set for April 20, 2027. Additional casting has yet to be announced, with broadway.com reporting further names will come shortly, and tickets and email updates are available at damnyankeesbroadway.com. Let's play ball!"