"Damn Yankees" Performs to Sold Out Audience
Saint John’s High School proudly performed for a sold-out audience in the recent production of Damn Yankees. The production, featuring more than forty-five students, including both Saint John’s students and members of the local community, performed on November 2nd, 3rd and 4th at 7PM in the Robert R. Jay Performing Arts Center at Saint John’s High School in Shrewsbury, MA.
Based on the novel, The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant by Douglass Wallop, Damn Yankees the Broadway mega-hit and winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, hits it out of the park! The winning score by Adler and Ross and a devilish book by George Abbot have made this sporty musical comedy a true American classic.
Middle-aged baseball fanatic Joe Boyd, trades his soul to the Devil, also known as Mr. Applegate, for a chance to lead his favorite team to victory in the pennant race against the New York Yankees. As young baseball sensation, Joe Hardy, he transforms the hapless Washington Senators into a winning team, only to realize the true worth of the life that he's left behind. Joe ultimately outsmarts Applegate, returns to his former self and shepherds the Senators to the World Series.
The Damn Yankees production at Saint John’s High was directed and designed by Nathan Colby, in conjunction with Musical Director Richard Monroe, Choreographer Sheila Waters Fucci, and Costume Designer Kurt Hultgren.
The Thursday night show featured the debut of the short film, Pioneer Passion. Film creator and current Saint John’s senior Richie Joseph has curated this new work inspired by the musical, Damn Yankees. Using the main characters struggle between his passion for baseball and the love of his wife, Joseph has explored the theme of passion and how it impacts our daily life. Join us for this introspective as members of the cast, Saint John’s baseball team, and other Saint John’s students and faculty talk about what passion means to them.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM DAMN YANKEES
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM DAMN YANKEES
MORE ABOUT THEATER AT SAINT JOHN’S HIGH SCHOOL
Every year, the Saint John's Theater puts on several shows for the community. Many talented students have the opportunity to audition and perform at three major productions throughout the school year, or become involved with set construction or stage crew.
While always known for academic rigor and athletic excellence, attention to the performing arts grew with the inception of the Spring Show in the 1970s. There was a renewed interest in theatre and music owing to the pioneering work of several faculty and alumni. Things were looking up for the arts even more as the school community moved into the Ryken Center which included the first true theatre space on the Shrewsbury campus in 1999. At that time a semester requirement of Fine Arts study was added the curriculum to help fulfill the school’s mission to educate the whole person, including his aesthetic awareness and growth.
As the school now moves into the Robert R. Jay Performing Arts Center, with a state-of-the-art theatre and performing space, band and chorus rooms, and a light-filled art studio, it is exciting to witness how the program is continuing to grow for the future.
