Damn Yankees

I have never been a fan of Jerry Lewis, but as Applegate in Damn Yankees, he gives a devil of a performance. On opening night at the Kennedy Center, the audience gave him his due - a cheering, standing ovation. As with legend Carol Channing in Hello, Dolly!, this was as much a tribute to the grit and determination of the artist (starring in his first Broadway role at the age of 70) as to his talent. From the moment Applegate materializes in a puff of smoke at the request of middle-aged baseball fan Joe Boyd (Dennis Kelly), "I'd sell my soul for (the Washington Senators to have) one long-ball hitter!" he is a Faust who would be at home in political Washington. Suave, jaded and always worrying about his reputation, even as he revels in committing dastardly deeds. (The Kennedy Center audience could fully appreciate the appropriateness of his earthly hangout at a desk amid a maze of red pipes, located in the basement of the Senate.)

Of course, Applegate has the scene-stealing advantage of all those pyrotechnics - he is forever setting fires. But Lewis created the role he has performed since opening on Broadway in March 1995, from showbiz savvy. His show-stopping "Those Were the Good Old Days," in the second act incorporates that manic Jerry Lewis personality into the persona of the devil, as he regales us with jokes while battling batons - "You are witnessing a cane mutiny!" he bellows. His 65 years of experience seem to culminate in this 4 minutes of vaudeville, as he transcends the script to demonstrate black magic at its finest.

As his assistant, Lola, in sizzling pink mini-dress, Valerie Wright is sensuously provocative enough to drive a man mad, unless like Joe Hardy (Jon-Michael Flate), Boyd's younger incarnation, he happens to be one of the good ones, who never intended to sacrifice either wife or soul when he made the proverbial deal with the devil. Flate is virile and convincing as the 22-year-old Joe, and Meg (Joy Franz) is fine as Joe Boyd's long-suffering spouse, whose devotion is his salvation.

Propelling this revival is Rob Marshall's snappy choreography, which has the ensemble leaping ineptly around the playing field during "Blooper Ballet," and Lola and Joe Hardy dancing a delicious tango of temptation in "Whatever Lola Wants (Lola Gets)." Director O'Brien updated the jokes and reassigned the duet, "Two Lost Souls" from Joe Hardy and Lola to the temptresses' duet with Applegate. Judging from the seasonal madness that sweeps Washington, however, no updating of the premise was necessary - what Baltimore Orioles' fan wouldn't be willing to sacrifice his...er, something valuable to make it to the finals? (Although a 90's wife might be less patient than Meg with an errant spouse.)