Photos by David Allen
Speaking of musicals, there is a good one coming up at Foothill Music Theatre about the S.F. Giants going to hell on the slow train — sorry! — just too depressed by the precipitious fall of the Champs and the 11-0 shutout by Cincinnati on Monday. At Foothill, really, it's the Richard Adler-Jerry Ross Damn Yankees, about making a deal with the devil to win the pennant. (Could it work for the Giants?)
The production, running July 26 — Aug. 18 in the Smithwick Theatre, is directed by Tom Gough, with music direction by Catherine Snider, and choreography by Katie O’Bryon.
The story, you will recall, follows middle-aged baseball fanatic Joe Boyd who trades his soul to the Devil for a chance to lead his favorite team to victory in the pennant race against the hated New York Yankees. Boyd becomes young baseball sensation Joe Hardy, who transforms the hapless Washington Senators into a winning team, only to realize the true worth of the life he's left behind. (Whatever that could be, against money and glory.)
Among the obstacles the Devil throws his way, is his comely protégé Lola, a sexy siren who is used to getting whatever she wants: "I always get what I aim for / And your heart'n soul is what I came for." Not great grammar, but scary-seductive enough.
The Foothill cast features Jeff Clarke as Mr. Applegate, Jen Wheatonfox as Lola, Dan Mitchell as Joe Hardy, and a large group of athletic thespians. A special attraction of Foothill productions is the orchestra. Says Snider, music director and conductor:
In an era of shrinking orchestra pits, it’s very important to us that we use local musicians and give our audiences the experience the show’s creators intended.Our musicians are all Bay Area professionals. Some do have day jobs, ranging from Silicon Valley techie to music teacher. Others are full-time musicians.
We rehearse once on our own, and the next time we meet is for the sitzprobe with the actors, about two weeks before opening. That’s always a fun night for me as the conductor, because I can see the cast get re-energized when they hear the orchestra for the first time, and the orchestra gets excited about the gig they’ve taken on when they hear the high quality of the cast! I love working through the show with actors and band, making adjustments, cleaning up — it’s probably one of my most musically satisfying moments in the whole process. Then we bring the band in on the Tuesday of opening week.
Snider's comment on the music of Damn Yankees:
It beautifully captures the 1950s Broadway sound. Latin-flavored numbers were trendy at the time and are scattered throughout the show, as are the oh-so-cool jazz sounds that we associate with the ‘50s and Bob Fosse musicals. The songs that are most well-known from the show illustrate the versatility of the score: "Heart" (barbershop quartet), "Whatever Lola Wants" (Latin), and "Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, MO" (hoedown).This show calls for a robust reed section, with all the books doubling on saxes as well as the usual clarinets and flutes; you can best hear the reason for that in the Lola dance numbers, where the saxes have some really sexy jazz features.