Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — For the first time in the history of theater, the musical production of "Damn Yankees" will debut with a huge plot twist all of the traditional male parts will given to females.
The Steamboat Springs High school is putting on its annual musical, except this time, things are a little different.
"All of the baseball players are girls. It's like a 'League of Their Own' put to music," said Stuart Handloff, director of the production. "We have a large number of talented and capable senior girls, so we wanted to give them all lead roles by changing the male baseball team to a female baseball team.
"The show is a great production with three big dance numbers, wonderful music and singing, and an interesting and intriguing story," Handloff said. "Besides, no one's ever heard of doing 'Damn Yankees' with girls. It gives the show a new slant."
The revised production is about a woman named Joe Hardy (played by Jenny John) who is frustrated by age. She was never able to play sports as a kid because she was a girl, and when they finally had a women's baseball team, she was too old to play. Hardy gets an opportunity to go back in time and play with the team, but the opportunity is not without cost. She makes a deal with the Devil (played by Julie Keenan) to play baseball.
"The show is about not taking things for granted," John said. "My character realizes this the hard way."
Halfway through the show, Hardy starts missing her family and will do whatever it takes to get back home. The Devil tries to lure her into selling her soul.
"My character is very mischievous and evil," Keenan said. "But at the same time very lovable."
To make the characters female, the script had to be edited a little. Most of the characters' names were changed, lines were toyed with and scenes were cut.
"We've changed a lot to make the show work," said Ryan Johnson, who plays the Devil's assistant. "It's different because it's never been done like this before it's brand new."
"The show is going to be really fun and inventive," Handloff said. "One where people smile the whole time."
"Damn Yankees" will open on Thursday at 7 p.m. Additional showings will be Friday with a Saturday matinee and evening show. Tickets are available at Steamboat Springs High School and at All That Jazz.