Neil Patrick Harris to play the devil in 'Damn Yankees' Broadway revival

Neil Patrick Harris will star as Applegate in the Broadway revival of 'Damn Yankees', opening April 20 Photo: Reuters Neil Patrick Harris is set to star in the upcoming Broadway revival of Damn Yankees, which will open next spring with Julianne Hough and Austin Scott also leading the cast. The production will begin previews at the Marquis Theatre on March 24 before its official Broadway opening on April 20. It marks the first Broadway revival of Damn Yankees in more than 30 years, following a production at Washington, D.C.'s Arena Stage last fall. Directed and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo, the new production features a revised book by Will Power and Dough Wright, with additional lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. The story moves the original 1950s setting into the early 2000s. Harris will play Applegate, a devilish figure who offers baseball fan Joe Boyd a deal that could help his struggling Baltimore Orioles. Hough will make her Broadway debut as Joe's wife, Lola, while Scott will portray Young Joe. First staged on Broadway in 1955, Damn Yankees follows a middle-aged baseball fan who makes a Faustian bargain in hopes of helping his team defeat the dominant New York Yankees. The original musical won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It was last revived on Broadway in 1993. Harris, who won a Tony Award for the 2014 revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, said the large-scale musical has been a long-standing goal for him. He also described playing Applegate as an opportunity to embrace a more mischievous role. The revival will also mark a collaboration between Broadway and Major League Baseball, with MLB and MLB Studios serving as production partners.