page: 1 2 3 4   May 5, 1955 46th Street Theatre George Abbott Bob Fosse Richard Adler and Jerry Ross Despite solid reviews, "Damn Yankees" was less than a resounding commercial success. The musical about a middle-aged real estate agent (Joe Boyd) who sells his soul to the devil to be transformed into a young baseball player (Joe Hardy) defied Broadway's conventional wisdom about the unpopularity of sports on stage. In the end, Broadway appeared to have been right. While the show made a star of dancer Gwen Verdon, most of its creators would later apologize for their involvement. "Damn Yankees" poster.