These days, the words “Washington Senators” are likely to call up images of political gridlock more than baseball.

But as the classic 1955 musical “Damn Yankees” — now playing at Dexter’s Encore Theatre — reminds us, the Senators were once a professional team that was the league’s perennial doormat, much to the distress of its long-suffering fans.

“Yankees” (with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) focuses on an aging Senators fan named Joe (Steve DeBruyne), who makes a deal with the devil, or Mr. Applegate (Tobin Hissong). Joe will sacrifice the life he has with his beloved wife, Meg (Sonja Marquis), and risk his eternal soul for the chance to be young again and become the long-ball hitter that the Senators so desperately need.

But Joe negotiates for an escape clause that would allow him to return to Meg at season’s end, should he choose to do so. And when it appears that that’s Joe’s intention, Applegate sends his resident temptress, Lola (MaryJo Cuppone), to turn Joe’s head.

Normally, Joe is played by two actors, but director Dan Cooney has given DeBruyne the challenge of playing both the young and old versions of the character. Fortunately, DeBruyne is up to the task, changing both his physical mannerisms and his voice (speaking and singing) enough between transitions to make the two characters distinct, but still believable as the same person. (Yes, a few visible markers of age on Old Joe would have further enhanced the illusion, but this would have been logistically tough to achieve, given the fleet pace of Encore’s two-and-a-half-hour production.)

Plus, DeBruyne, as always, is a magnetic, appealing presence on stage with a killer voice. His performance of “Goodbye Old Girl” had me welling up, and it’s only the second song in the show.

Also in fine voice were the Senators, who, as a male ensemble, sounded terrific at Sunday’s matinee. In particular, “The Game” — wherein the players talk about not getting distracted by women, etc. during their off-hours — was a joy, backed up by Barbara F. Cullen’s sharp choreography; and “Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, MO,” featuring Thalia Schramm as sportswriter Gloria Thorpe, was another winner.

Yet “Heart,” despite sounding good, looked pretty stiff, dancing-wise, and “Who’s Got the Pain?” seemed jumbled and a bit sloppy. (An interesting side note: I noticed during this viewing of "Yankees" that “Pain” is a number that is catchy but has a pretty strained connection to the plot, just like “Steam Heat” in Adler and Ross’ other hit, “The Pajama Game.”)

Music director Tyler Driskill leads a strong orchestra, though, skillfully filling out the familiar score with his small group.

The show features a handful songs that went on to become musical theater classics, of course, but with the exception of “Goodbye Old Girl,” the ballads are bland, as are patches of Abbott and Wallop’s book. Still, the show has a simple, nostalgic charm, and the story's “bad guys” offer some much-appreciated whimsy.

As Applegate, Hissong is darkly slick without overdoing it, having fun with his role as a snaky, toxic salesman. Cuppone is likable as Lola, and her transformation from Joe’s seducer to Joe’s ally is well-wrought. Strangely, though — perhaps partly as a result of Cullen’s choreography for the character, paired with Colleen Meyers’ occasional costume missteps regarding the would-be temptress — Lola seems to lack palpable, sexual heat. This may be the price that must be paid for a family-friendly production, but the consequence is clearly a more muted dynamic.

Daniel C. Walker’s cleverly versatile set makes every inch of the Encore’s small performance space count (though the revolve was pretty noisy during scene changes); and aside from Lola’s costumes, Meyers outfits the performers with a good eye for the era and a consistent, appropriate palette.

So while I wouldn’t call Cooney’s “Yankees” a home run, it’s a hit that’s a for-sure double, possible triple.

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.