Actor Drew Plummer received a promotion this weekend, from the supporting cast of the Washington Senators to starter. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he knocked the ball out of the park.
Plummer, slated to be part of the ensemble in the role of Vernon in Damn Yankees, stepped into the lead as Joe Hardy in place of James Daly Saturday evening.
The Sheridan College graduate played Hardy with a convincing sense of wonder at finding himself the talk of the town for his prowess at the plate and in the field. Of course, Hardy should feel in awe of his own abilities, as he only recently morphed from 40-something Joe Boyd, a fan so dedicated to the Washington nine that he would, in his words, “go to hell for his team.”
Plummer wowed the audience from the moment he made his entrance during the musical’s second number. To the sound of the orchestra playing Goodbye Old Girl, Plummer’s Hardy magically replaced Boyd, played by Shane Carty, and confidently danced his way to the edge of the stage. His face beaming with ebullience, Plummer pushed his baritone to its limits and received a loud ovation from theatre goers.
Plummer’s was one of a number of standout performances in the Faustian musical about a dedicated fan of the hapless Senators. Frustrated with his team’s continuous futility, he sells his soul for a chance for his beloved Senators to beat the New York Yankees for the pennant.
It is the mysterious Applegate with whom Boyd makes the deal to transform into the slugger Hardy. The sly, oily Applegate, the devil in human form, appears out of nowhere to offer the real estate agent a chance to save the struggling Senators. Boyd takes the deal, insisting on an escape clause, and he leaves his wife Meg to join the team.
Hardy quickly finds a spot on his hometown team, impressing Senators manager Van Buren (Jay Turvey, in a performance that seemed to come right out of a 1950s baseball film) from the moment he steps into the dugout. Hardy’s new teammates are equally excited at the prospect of the team finally adding a long-ball hitter good enough to take on the hated Yanks.
Mike Nadajewski ate up the stage as Applegate. The veteran of eight years at Stratford Festival played the role with unbridled glee. His spotlight performance in Those Were the Good Old Days was a comic tour de force. Nadajewski drew in the audience, lying cross-legged on the stage by the end of the number, leaving them begging for more.
And Nadajewski had great evil chemistry with Kimberley Rampersad as Lola, his female assistant whom he enlists to ensure Hardy is unable to enact the escape clause, set to expire near the end of the baseball season, on Sept. 24.
Rampersad’s Lola is the temptress, ensuring her co-conspirator Applegate she is up to the challenge he has set for her. Rampersad takes the spotlight on A Little Brains, A Little Talent, outlining exactly how she plans to woo the hapless Hardy. And she returns for the Latin-inflected Whatever Lola Wants, her response to Hardy’s rebuff of her initial advances.
Rampersad brings the right amount of sexiness and seduction to the role of Lola. Whether dancing triumphantly on a bed or reclining sultrily on a divan, it’s easy to feel Hardy is doomed to miss the best-before date on that escape clause and spend the rest of his days in a fiery domain, far from his wife, who is still pining for her lost love.
As the musical enters Act 2, it’s Plummer’s Hardy who pines for Meg. As the long baseball season drags on he misses her more and more. Plummer brings a sweetness to his scenes with Patty Jamieson’s Meg, pulling at the audience’s heartstrings.
As well, the duet between Hardy and Lola on Two Lost Souls is a show-stopper. Plummer matches Lola one fleet-footed move after another, with the ensemble providing support throughout.
The set design by Cory Sincennes is like an extra character in Damn Yankees. From the opening set, a wall of old magazine ads placing the musical clearly in the middle of the 1950s, to the stunning, fluidly-flowing baseball stadium, it’s a marvel to watch the actors interact with their surroundings. One has to give stage manager Beatrice Campbell and her crew much credit for the way everything comes together with perfect timing.
As well, the choreography by Allison Plamondon is wonderful, especially on the large ensemble numbers, such as The Game, when the nine members of the Senators gather in the clubhouse to sing of their exploits with the opposite sex.
For its 60th season, Shaw Festival has hit a home run with Damn Yankees, right down to its choice of understudies such as Plummer, who was able to pinch-hit for Daly and capture the pennant this weekend.
Damn Yankees runs at the Shaw Festival Theatre until Oct. 9. For information about Shaw Festival tickets, please see shawfest.com.
