Advertisement

Reggie Jackson to become a Broadway star for one night only

liz roscher
Staff writer
Reggie Jackson might do a little dancing when he appears in a benefit performance of the musical “Damn Yankees.” (AP Photo)
Reggie Jackson might do a little dancing when he appears in a benefit performance of the musical “Damn Yankees.” (AP Photo)

Baseball players do a lot of things when they’ve retired from the game. Coach, manager, analyst, stay-at-home dad, it’s a long list, and we’ve heard a lot of them before. But here’s one that we’ve never heard before: Broadway star!

Reggie Jackson, Mr. October himself, is venturing into the world of theater to take up the mantle of a Broadway star for one night only. Jackson has signed on to appear in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s benefit staging of “Damn Yankees,” a musical about baseball. (Yes, there is a musical about baseball.) Jackson will play Mr. Walsh, the owner of the Senators, the team that’s the main story of the show.

Sadly, the character of Mr. Walsh doesn’t have a solo song, and he’s not really a major character. But it still seems like it’ll be a lot of fun. Plus, Jackson will be surrounded by an incredibly talented cast. Matthew Morrison (of the TV show “Glee”) will play the main character Joe Hardy, Maggie Gyllenhaal will play sexy Lola, and Whoopi Goldberg will play Applegate, who is essentially Satan.

This isn’t really a career change for Jackson. The show is happening on just one night (Dec. 11 at 7:30 pm at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre in New York, get your tickets here), and all the proceeds from the event will go to support the mission of the non-profit Roundabout Theatre Company. A non-profit theater isn’t common these days, and Roundabout does important community work in music and theater education, develops new work from young artists, and makes theater accessible through their program for affordable tickets.

So while you’re only able to see Jackson on stage for one glorious night, it’s for a worthy cause. And you never know what this will lead to! Reggie Jackson starring in “Beauty and the Beast?” “Ragtime?” “Jersey Boys?” Or maybe this is a chance for young playwrights everywhere to send their best baseball plays and musicals to Mr. October. Who wouldn’t want to see a musical about the late 1970s New York Yankees?

– – – – – –

Liz Roscher is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on twitter! Follow @lizroscher

More from Yahoo Sports:
• Charles Robinson: NFL needs to come down hard on Gronk
• Pete Thamel: Inside the decision that may haunt the CFP committee
• Bills fans get out of hand, throw lewd object onto field
• NFL Playoff Projections: So much for the Separation Sunday