Review: DAMN YANKEES at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre Explores Sports Obsession

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Theo's final production of its 2025-2026 season runs through July 5

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If you’ve ever been so invested in something — particularly sports — that it starts to dictate your mood, consume your everyday life, and affect your relationship, then you might be able to relate to Damn Yankees, now playing at the Theo’s Fred Anzevino Theatre.

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Damn Yankees is a modern retelling of the Faust legend, with real estate agent Joe Boyd ( Thomas M. Shea ) selling his soul to the devilish Mr. Applegate ( Tommy Thurston ) and leaving behind his wife Meg Boyd (Meghan Hoyt) for the sake of baseball, which has basically inserted itself as the third person in their marriage, established straight out of the gate with the longing and reflective opening number, “Six Months Out of Every Year.” He turns into Joe Hardy (Luke Nowakowski), a young baseball sensation whose mission is to help the Washington Senators beat the New York Yankees and win the pennant. He also demands an escape clause: he can walk away from the deal on September 24 and return to his old life with his wife, but if not, he remains Joe Hardy forever.

The ensemble that makes up the Washington Senators is one of the strongest parts of this production. With Van Buren (Reginald Hemphill) at the helm as the team manager, Jon Parker Jackson, Jacob Merschel, Spencer Curtis, Brady Magruder, and Quinn Rigg are endearing, bumbling players with hopeful personalities and energetic choreography, particularly in “Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, MO”, a catchy number that’s led by the investigative and curious sports reporter Gloria Thorpe ( Alex Madda ).

Despite Joe Hardy’s rise to fame, his heart remains with his wife, to Applegate’s dismay. Nowakowski plays Hardy’s yearning beautifully, and the “A Man Doesn’t Know” duet between him and Hoyt really tugs at the heartstrings. Applegate enlists the help of Lola (Jenny Couch), his seductive assistant who tries to tempt Joe Hardy into leaving his wife. Though the two antagonists are pretty one-dimensional characters, Couch is a very talented dancer and gets a chance to shine with her choreography in “Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets”, while Thurston plays Applegate as a sleazy Disney villain, which is fully exhibited in his number “Those Were The Good Old Days.”

This production is directed by Daryl D. Brooks, music directed by Ryan Brewster, and choreographed by Christopher Chase Carter . The creative and immersive set design from Manuel Ortiz transforms the intimate Theo cabaret space into a ballpark, with some audience members sitting in the nosebleed. The lighting design from Ellie Fey, costume design from Marquecia Jordan , and wig design from Keith Ryan bring it all together and transport us to the 1950s baseball culture.

As live theater goes, the cast did a great job adjusting to opening weekend hiccups, and as they say, the show must go on. The press preview night performance had some technical difficulties involving the four-piece band before the final scene and number. While the show finished off technically strong with an a cappella rendition of “A Man Doesn’t Know (Reprise)”, the ending itself was slightly jarring, not just from the loss of momentum from technical difficulties but mostly due to the abrupt nature of the ending from the source material itself. One is left wondering what lessons are learned from Joe Boyd, as he seemingly gets it all with no consequences. It’s a dissatisfying ending on its own, with the entire second act missing the charm of the first act, but despite the problems with the book, the cast’s performance in this production really hits it out of the park.

Damn Yankee plays at The Fred Anzevino Theatre (721 Howard Street, Evanston) through July 5, 2026, to close out Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre’s 2025-2026 season. Tickets are available at the link below.

Photo credit: Elizabeth Stenholt Photography

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/chicago/article/Review-DAMN-YANKEES-at-Theo-Ubique-Cabaret-Theatre-20260601)._