Neil Patrick Harris Will Lead a New ‘Damn Yankees’ on Broadway

Neil Patrick Harris is returning to musical theater as Applegate in a new Broadway production of Damn Yankees. The revival is scheduled to begin previews at the Marquis Theatre on March 24, 2027, with an official opening set for April 20.

A familiar musical gets a modern setting

Harris announced the production at Yankee Stadium alongside Julianne Hough and Austin Scott. Hough will play Lola, while Scott takes the role of Young Joe. Additional casting has not yet been announced.

This version moves the story from the 1950s to the early 2000s and centers on devoted Baltimore Orioles fan Joe Boyd. Desperate to see his team return to glory, Joe accepts an offer from a mysterious stranger and his accomplice, only to discover that his second chance comes with consequences.

Sergio Trujillo will direct and choreograph the production. Will Power and Doug Wright have written a new book, with additional lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. Major League Baseball and MLB Studios are also joining the production, a partnership that links the show’s baseball plot directly to the sport’s business and cultural platform.

The role puts Harris back inside a major musical

Harris has extensive Broadway experience, but he described this large-scale musical as a personal first: a production built around an ensemble and substantial dance numbers. His Applegate is the devilish figure driving the bargain at the heart of the show, giving the actor room to lean into the character’s charm and manipulation.

The original Damn Yankees opened in 1955 and won seven Tony Awards, including best musical. Its music and lyrics were written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop. Broadway last revived the show in 1993, making the 2027 production its first return in more than three decades.

The project also follows a revised staging at Washington’s Arena Stage last fall. Harris arrives after winning a Tony Award for the 2014 revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and appearing recently in the Broadway revival of Art. With Hough making her Broadway debut and MLB formally involved, the new Damn Yankees is positioning its classic score inside a distinctly contemporary event.