The Aerospace Players bring devilish good fun to the Armstrong in “Damn Yankees”

The Aerospace Players are performing “Damn Yankees” in July at the Armstrong Theatre in Torrance. They just wrapped up a successful opening weekend and have 3 remaining shows this coming weekend: July 24th, 25th and 26th. The musical score is supported by a live, full orchestra (which is rare for community theatre) and audience reaction during the performance was enthusiastic. The music, dancing, sets, lighting and acting were strong – all the elements you want to see come together for a great performance.

The Tony Award winning musical comedy “Damn Yankees” is based on the novel, “The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant” by Douglass Wallop. It is a take on the classic Faustian parable telling the story of middle-aged baseball fanatic Joe Boyd, who trades his soul to the Devil (Mr. Applegate). Joe transforms into young baseball sensation Joe Hardy for a chance to lead his favorite team, the Washington Senators, to victory in the pennant race against those dang New York Yankees. “Damn Yankees” was choreographed by Bob Fosse early in his career and includes standard classic songs such as “Whatever Lola Wants” and “(You’ve Gotta Have) Heart.” The original production of “Damn Yankees” opened in 1955 with a Broadway revival produced in 1994.

Let’s start with the shows choreographer, Rebecca Wade. I love Fosse’s work and wanted to know how much his work influenced hers in this show:

“’Damn Yankees’ was early in Bob Fosse's career, one of the first broadway shows he ever choreographed, nearly two decades before ‘Pippin’ and ‘Chicago,’ two of his most notorious director-choreographer credits, would hit the stage. Despite the early days, the iconic Fosse style is still prevalent throughout ‘Damn Yankees,’ brought to life by one of the greatest dancers on the Broadway stage, Gwen Verdon. It was important to me to pay homage to Fosse's original vision of ‘Damn Yankees,’ even while most of the choreography in this production is my own original [work]. As such, there are elements of Fosse's choreography in several of the numbers; Gwen Verdon's iconic hunched over walk across the stage in ‘Whatever Lola Wants,’ or the body isolations and hip movements of ‘Who's Got the Pain.’ The nightclub scene and ‘Two Lost Souls’ is very heavily influenced by Fosse's specific style of jazz.”

Rebecca grew up heavily immersed in the arts and is a classically trained pianist and pipe organist. She grew up training in ballet, jazz, and other dance styles. She has directed, music directed, choreographed, stage managed and performed in shows at both community and professional regional theaters in Los Angeles.

Let’s jump to that devilishly good devil, Ben Hess, as Mr. Applegate. This is Ben’s first show with The Aerospace Players. When asked what drew him to this role:

“I was in high school when the revival of ‘Damn Yankees’ with Victor Garber and Bebe Neuwirth came out and I listened to the soundtrack all the time. Applegate is a role I’ve wanted to play ever since. I was drawn to the idea of the devil as by turns charming and bombastic—unfiltered and gleeful about his role making everyone else as miserable as he is. And it helps that his song is a lot of fun to sing!”

Well, Ben, Mr. Applegate and his devilettes are also a lot of fun to watch!

Ben has an undergraduate degree in theatre arts at BYU and a masters degrees in public administration and elementary education. Some favorite past roles include Tarleton in “Misalliance,” Neville in “The Secret Garden,” Father in “Ragtime,” Falstaff in “Merry Wives of Windsor,” Badger in “The Wind in the Willows” and Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince in “Into the Woods.” Ben has made Torrance his home the past 10 years.

Charles Keppler plays young baseball phenomenon, Joe Hardy. I asked Charles what drew him to the role of Joe, and you’d better sit down. The answer is deep:

“Joe Hardy is a dream and a wish, and a temptation. An ardent desire for greatness and ambition, bottled within a classic American boy and American sport. But he also represents the loss and the cost of that greatness. The lesson of Joe Hardy is a classic Faustian tale that maybe the allure of fame and success isn't a true desire after all. In both the naivety of youth and the maturity of age, Joe Hardy is human - and that is one of the most fun things to explore for me in this character.”

Charles is a systems engineer and program manager by day and a talented lead actor (and poet) in the evenings and on weekends. Some of his past favorite roles include Dmitry in “Anastasia,” Monty Navarro in “A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder”, and Chip in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

Last, but not least, the lovely Lynn Valkov who plays the devil’s seductress minion, Lola. When asked what drew her to this role:

“’Damn Yankees’ was the first show I ever did (I was 11 years old and in the Joe Hardy fan club) and I remember always singing along to Lola’s songs. In the movie Lola’s character is hilarious and I thought it would be so fun to bring that humor to life myself.”

Lynn has a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering and a masters in Aerospace Engineering. She was deeply involved in musical theatre and show choir back in high school and returned to theater in her free time last year. The world is a better place with Lynn on the stage. Past roles include Katherine in “Newsies” and ensemble roles in “The Producers.”

I asked for some parting words of wisdom, so here it goes!

Rebecca Wade: “Art is so important, to tell stories and to explore the world without ever having to leave our hometowns. Art brings people together, it makes us laugh, makes us cry, makes us think in ways we didn't think possible before. I am honored to have the opportunity to create something that, for just two hours, brings us all together.”

Ben Hess: “Theatre builds community and teaches. Watching gives us a glimpse into other experiences and points of view, provides audiences with cultural touch points and shared experiences, and hopefully it makes for a fun night out! Anyone can learn, and most of us could do with walking around in each other’s shoes.”

Lynn Valkov: “If you want to do something, go do it!! You don’t need to wait on anybody to do what you want to do.”

Charles Keppler: “My biggest motto in life is to not take yourself too seriously.”

“Damn Yankees” is directed by Chuck Gustafson, a Hermosa Beach resident. Chuck is a retired Sr. VP of The Aerospace Corporation. He won the Torrance Performing Arts Consortium (TPAC) Making a Difference award in 2010 and the TPAC President’s Award in 2020. Chuck has been involved in The Aerospace Players since its inception in 1988 playing Eugene Florczyk in “Grease.” He made his directorial debut with the show “Guys and Dolls” in 1994.

The Aerospace Players’ remaining performances of “Damn Yankees” at the James R Armstrong Theatre, Torrance are: Thursday, July 24th @ 7:30pm, Friday, July 25th @ 7:30pm and closing matinee Saturday, July 26th @ 2pm.

The Arts Council of Torrance (artscounciloftorrance.org) is sponsoring KIDS FREE Matinee for the July 26th performance. First 100 Children (13 and under) admitted free. Must be accompanied by a ticketed adult. Increasing awareness and promoting appreciation for the arts in Torrance. To RSVP email: aerospaceplayers@gmail.com.

The Aerospace Players is an Aerospace Employees Association club founded in 1988, making the Armstrong its home for productions since 1994.

Location: James R Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance, California 90503

Tickets: $26 Adults. $24 Seniors, Students, Children. $22 group rate (10 or more tickets, single show).

Tickets can be purchased online at http://aeroplayers.org/ or in person at the James Armstrong box office. Box office phone: (310) 781-7171.

Information: Questions or to RSVP for KIDS FREE Matinee performance Saturday, July 26th, email aerospaceplayers@gmail.com.

Website: http://aeroplayers.org/

Facebook: @TheAerospacePlayers

Instagram: @aerospaceplayers