« “Damn Yankees” dated fun at the Encore »

Rating: 3 out of Fordyce

Now on stage at the Encore Theatre in Dexter is the venerable musical Damn Yankees. This tale of the man who sells his soul to the Devil to get a chance to beat the 1st place New York Yankees is still fun to watch and fun to sing along with all these years later.

It is dated, though. Somewhere along the line we lost the innocence of the 50’s and the calmness and serenity of watching baseball on one of the three channels available on the black and white TV in the warm months of summer.  There are also a few things that are politically incorrect by today’s standards.

This production was indeed a pleasure to watch. The cast was especially good. Steve DeBruyne was both old and young Joe.  I have seen this show many times and this was the first time I have seen the same actor play both roles.  Steve did it well.  MaryJo Cuppone was sexy and alluring as Lola and proved her talents many times in the show, especially in her signature number, “Whatever Lola Wants (Lola Gets).”

But this show belongs to Tobin Hissong. Once again he shows us his versatility as an actor as Mr. Applegate, the Devil who makes the pact with Joe. Tobin is perfectly devilish and delightful. You believe he has 666 tattooed somewhere on his body with a smiley face tattooed next to it. He not only acts well but brings down the house with his song-and-dance number “Those Were the Good Old Days.”

My only problem with this show was I  thought the team singing  “Heart” was a little mechanical; and the turntable part of the set, which was designed to be very clever, was a  little loud when it turned. From my seat, I could hear the crew changing the backstage side of the set while the other was in use. I hope in future shows the wonderful backstage folks will be a little quieter.

That only takes a little bit away from another great production at The Encore. I give this one a near perfect 3 out of Fordyce and urge you all to grab a ticket and a hot dog and enjoy this treat in Dexter.

PS:  Before the show, on our walk around Dexter we stumbled on a new restaurant to give us another great place to eat. Like all the eateries in Dexter, the Red Brick Kitchen & Bar features good food and pleasant service. We got to meet owner Peter Landrum. He  and his wife, Megan, run Dexter’s newest restaurant at 8093 Main Street.