On the very last day of the MLB season, Sunday, September 27, the New York Yankees hosted a special press conference to announce that a revival of Damn Yankees will be coming to Broadway in 2027. Three of the stars of the new production, Neil Patrick Harris, Julianne Hough, and Austin Scott, along with choreographer Sergio Trujillo, were on hand in the Yankee press room for the announcement. An on-the-field announcement was also planned but washed away by the Nor’easter that slammed the city this weekend. 

The MC for Sunday’s press conference at Yankee Stadium was Rick Miramontez, executive from DKC/O&M PR, asking questions of the performers and inviting the press to ask their own. 

The Queens Gazette team of Dan Miller and Joyce Vetere Milowski were in the mix and were actually called to ask a question. “Did the cast or creative team of the new production of Damn Yankees reach out to the New York Yankees or Major League Baseball to secure a consultant to discuss what it’s like to be a professional baseball  player?” The answer was yes! They do in fact have a MLB consultant with major league experience which should help the cast find more realistic meaning to their roles.  

It was really an extraordinary idea to actually make the announcement at Yankee Stadium on the last scheduled game of the 2026 season against the Baltimore Orioles, who will be portrayed in the new production. 

Damn Yankees hit the Broadway stage on May 5, 1955 telling a story of a young man playing for the Washington Senators bent on defeating the New York Yankees. The reboot will take place in 2000 with the protagonist having superpowers and longing to lead his team, the Baltimore Orioles, to defeat the Yankees. The new revised production is based on the original but it takes on a life of its own, with these outstanding performers. Austin Scott will portray the young athlete, Joe Hardy, craving to become a superstar baseball player on the Baltimore Orioles that is battling to beat New York Yankees. Julianne Hough will play the part of the devil’s assistant, played in 1951 by the iconic Gwen Verdon. Ms. Hough said she understands that she has big dance shoes to fill.  Ms. Verdon won the Tony for her performance in 1955. Neil Patrick Harris, a veteran of television  and theater, will play the Devil, a role he thinks will be challenging. Mr. Harris revealed that while he has had an extensive career in theater this will be his first attempt at doing a Broadway show. He is very excited about the opportunity to give it a try. Mr. Harris, known as a singer, dancer and actor, is best known for starring in Doogie Howser, M.D and his starring role as Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, both situation comedies. 

The original version had the Yankees play the Washington Senators, but the 2027 reboot will have the Yankees facing the Baltimore Orioles, the team they were to play this past Sunday to conclude the 2026 regular MLB season. 

The musical will be produced by Julie Boardman, Lia Villack, and the granddaughter of former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, Haley Swindal. 

The new production will soon light up the Broadway stage when it hits New York City for previews on March 14, and an opening night on April 20, at the Marquis Theatre in Manhattan. Readers of the Queens Gazette will learn more about this iconic production and how to purchase tickets right here in your neighborhood newspaper, the Queens Gazette. 

Choreographer Sergio Trujillo, Julianne Hough, Austin Scott, and Neil Patrick Harris. 

 

Rick Miramontez, Chief Executive of PR firm OMK/DC serving as MC for the press conference.