Neil Patrick Harris, Julianne Hough, & Austin Scott Will Lead DAMN YANKEES on Broadway

Damn Yankees is heading back to Broadway. Producers Lia Vollack, Haley Swindal, and Julie Boardman announced today that the seven-time Tony and Emmy Award-winning musical will return this spring, starring Tony Award and five-time Emmy Award winner Neil Patrick Harris as Applegate, Emmy Award winner Julianne Hough in her Broadway musical debut as Lola, and Austin Scott (Hamilton) as Young Joe.

The production will begin previews Wednesday, March 24, 2027 at the Marquis Theatre (210 W 46th St), with an official opening set for Tuesday, April 20, 2027. Single tickets are on sale now at DamnYankeesBroadway.com.

The newly reimagined adaptation features a book by Lucille Lortel Award winner Will Power and Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Doug Wright, with additional lyrics by Tony Award winner Lynn Ahrens, and direction and choreography by Tony Award winner Sergio Trujillo. The production arrives following a sold-out engagement at Arena Stage last fall, where it earned 13 Helen Hayes Award nominations (the most of any musical that season) and won eight awards, including Best Musical. The Washington Post called it “a winning reinvention of a classic.”

The engagement marks the first Broadway revival of Damn Yankees in more than 30 years. In a first for a Broadway musical, Major League Baseball and its Emmy Award-winning production label MLB Studios will serve as a partner on the production.

In this version, it’s the early 2000s, and diehard baseball fan Joe Boyd dreams of seeing his beloved Baltimore Orioles return to glory. When a charming stranger and his captivating accomplice arrive with an offer too good to refuse, Joe makes a deal that could give both him and his team a second chance. There’s just one catch.

“Damn Yankees has always been one of our great American musicals, but I wasn’t interested in simply reviving it,” said Trujillo. “This ‘revisal’ preserves the heart, wit and soaring score that audiences love and is a real opportunity to bring joy back into the theater. Damn Yankees is a celebration of America, and I hope audiences see themselves in it and remind them of the magic that only a great American musical can deliver. Let’s play ball!”

Lead producer Lia Vollack (MJ, Eurovision the Musical) said, “What could be more exciting than bringing Neil Patrick Harris, Julianne Hough and Austin Scott together in a musical as irresistible as Damn Yankees? I am thrilled to be joining Sergio, this extraordinary creative team and my producing partners on this big, joyful, high-octane Broadway musical, and I can’t wait for audiences to experience it!”

For lead producer Haley Swindal, the project carries a family connection. The eldest granddaughter of legendary New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, Swindal follows in the footsteps of a grandfather who, beyond his reputation as “The Boss,” invested in six Broadway productions, including the 1970 Tony Award-winning musical Applause and the 1974 Best Musical nominee Seesaw.

“Baseball is mythology. Broadway is mythology. They both deliver thrilling, unrepeatable live entertainment to millions of fans each year,” said Swindal. “Bringing them together, with MLB at the table and this extraordinary creative team, isn’t just a revival. It’s a collision of American icons.”

Noah Garden, MLB’s Deputy Commissioner of Business and Media, added, “It’s incredibly important that our game continues to resonate outside the diamond and into different areas of culture. Baseball and Broadway fans both love high drama, high stakes and high hopes that they’re about to watch something unforgettable happen. Damn Yankees celebrates that shared spirit, and we’re proud to help bring that energy to the stage.”

Based on the novel The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant by Douglass Wallop, Damn Yankees debuted on Broadway in 1955 and won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The show features music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross and an original book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop. Its score includes standards such as “Heart” and “Whatever Lola Wants.”

General management is by Foresight Theatrical, with Mark Shacket serving as executive producer. Additional casting will be announced shortly.

About The Cast of Damn Yankees

Neil Patrick Harris (Applegate) is best known for playing Barney Stinson on “How I Met Your Mother” and Count Olaf in Netflix’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events.” He originated the title role in the Tony Award-winning Broadway production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and his stage credits include Peter Pan Goes Wrong, Into the Woods, Assassins, Proof, Cabaret, Company, Sweeney Todd, Rent, and most recently the revival of Yasmina Reza’s ART. As a director, his credits include the Hollywood Bowl’s Rent and Tick, tick… Boom! at the Kennedy Center, which he also starred in. He produced the Off-Broadway hit In & Of Itself and co-produced The Lost Boys: A New Musical.

Julianne Hough (Lola) rose to fame on “Dancing with the Stars,” where she became the youngest pro to win twice before joining the judges’ panel and later becoming the show’s host. Her film credits include Burlesque, Footloose, Rock of Ages, Safe Haven, and Grease Live!, and she returned to film this year in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride. She made her Broadway debut in 2022 in POTUS. She is also the founder of the movement platform KINRGY and co-founder of the dance convention tour Ovation.

Austin Scott (Young Joe) made his debut playing the title role in Hamilton on Broadway and on tour, then originated the role of Joe Scott in Girl From the North Country. He most recently played Shakespeare in & Juliet on Broadway and starred as Omari in GODDESS at The Public Theater. His screen credits include A Jazzman’s Blues, FX’s “Clipped,” Mr. Monk’s Last Case, “Sistas,” and “Pose.”