Maggie Gyllenhaal, Whoopi Goldberg & James Earl Jones to Lead Damn Yankees in Concert

Maggie Gyllenhaal, Whoopi Goldberg and James Earl Jones will bring plenty of "Heart" to a special benefit performance of Damn Yankees! The concert event, presented by Roundabout Theatre Company, will take place on December 11 at 7:30pm at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.

The classic show by George Abbott, Douglass Wallop, Richard Adler and Jerry Ross will feature Gyllenhaal as Lola, with Goldberg as Applegate and Jones as Mr. Welch. Three-time Tony winner Kathleen Marshall will direct and choreograph this special event. Additional cast members and creative team will be announced soon.

In Damn Yankees, Joe Boyd sells his soul to the devil to be the homerun hitter that will guide his favorite team, the Washington Senators, to a win against those "Damn Yankees." The show features the classical musical-theater standards "Heart," "Two Lost Souls," "A Little Brains, A Little Talent" and "Whatever Lola Wants." 

Proceeds from the Damn Yankees benefit will support Roundabout's many programs and initiatives, including Education at Roundabout. Certain tickets will include admission to an exclusive cast party following the performance. 

Maggie Gyllenhaal made her Broadway debut in The Real Thing. She has been seen off-Broadway in Uncle Vanya and Three Sisters. Gyllenhaal is an Oscar nominee for Crazy Heart who earned a Golden Globe Award for The Honourable Woman and nominations for Sherrybaby and Secretary.

Whoopi Goldberg is the current co-host of TV's The View who won a Tony Award as producer of Thoroughly Modern Millie and an Oscar for her performance in Ghost. Her Broadway acting credits include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Xanadu.

James Earl Jones won Tony Awards for Fences and The Great White Hope and earned a 2017 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement. His almost 60-year Broadway career has included performances in Sunrise at Campobello, Danton's Death, The Iceman Cometh, Of Mice and Men, On Golden Pond, You Can't Take It With You and The Gin Game. Jones was nominated for an Oscar for the 1971 film version of The Great White Hope and earned an honorary Oscar in 2012. Jones is an Emmy winner for Heat Wave.