Born Yesterday

Appearances are deceiving in the revival of Born Yesterday, currently in performances at the Cort Theater. The opulent set (designed by John Lee Beatty) filled with rich colors and golden tones and the plush costumes (by Catherine Zuber) might suggest a highbrow play with quiet, understated performances. But happily, Born Yesterday, directed by Doug Hughes, is an extremely entertaining and humorous production that inspires riotous laughter, scene after scene. This revival of Garson Kanin’s play illustrates the timeless comedic aspects as well as the more somber political undertones that still resonate strongly with today’s audience.Originally produced in 1946, Born Yesterday tells the story of Harry Brock (Jim Belushi), a coarse and corrupt business tycoon who arrives in Washington with his longtime girlfriend Billie Dawn (Nina Arianda, in a star-making performance). Happily uneducated and equally uncouth, Billie is a liability to Harry in the upper-crust Washington society, so he hires the somber journalist Paul Verrall (Robert Sean Leonard) to help smooth her rougher edges. In a variation on Pygmalion and My Fair Lady, the two fall for each other as Billie wakes up to what exactly her boyfriend is doing in Washington.Originally played by Judy Holliday and revived by Madeline Kahn, the role of Billie is perhaps the most well-known dumb blonde in the theatrical canon. Arianda steps into the shoes of these comedic legends and firmly claims the role as her own, carrying every scene she is in. Her peroxide blonde curls and Kewpie Doll makeup, as well as her ringing nasal voice and thick accent, perfectly embody the role of a woman who doesn’t realize just how much she is missing out on.When we first meet Billie, she is clearly content with her lot in life and doesn’t think she is missing out on anything. After all, as she tells Paul, she has two mink coats. She doesn’t care what others think of her, even if Harry does. Arianda’s extremely physical performance of Billie perfectly embodies this blissful ignorance. A scene of her playing cards with Harry, performed almost entirely in silence, actually allows the audience to witness her thought process as she proceeds to win repeatedly at gin. Her thoughtful and precise arrangement of cards is nothing short of hilarious.Paul, the Henry Higgins to Billie’s Eliza Doolittle, is played in a gallant and thoughtful performance by Leonard. A seasoned journalist in Washington, Paul is wearily accustomed to being disgusted by the wealthy bigwigs. Much to his surprise, he finds himself falling for Billie while simultaneously loathing Harry’s attempts to bribe Congressmen into passing bills that will ensure him even more profits. While Leonard gives a heartfelt performance and his speeches about humanity and goodwill are quite moving, the romance between himself and Billie feels like a last minute addition to the script; Paul and Billie are complete characters on their own. They don’t need to run off together to ensure a happy ending to this show.As Harry, Belushi is all bluster and bluff, shouting at anyone who will listen and obey his command. His staff of yes-men are played by Michael McGrath and Frank Wood, both excellent and joined onstage by Terry Beaver and Patricia Hodge as a corrupt senator and his wife. However, this Harry is anything but a villain; his stubborn determination to get his own way and hang onto what he thinks is rightfully his, whether it’s money or his girlfriend, renders him almost childlike. His need for Billie is sincere, even if he treats her badly.“I don’t see what I’m doin’ so wrong,” Harry says when accused of practicing unethical business methods. “This is America ain’t it? Where’s all this free enterprise they’re always talkin’ about?”Those questions and many others could easily be asked in a script set in 2010 rather than several decades before, and this realization is both amusing and saddening. Whether Harry is trying to profit from a post-war economy or Americans are complaining about CEO’s exorbitant holiday bonuses, the questioning of capitalism and a free market economy resonate quite strongly.Whether the timelessness of a dramatic work from the forties is something to celebrate or mourn is left to the audience to decide. While arguing with Harry about his wayward intentions, Billie says passionately, “This country with its institutions belongs to the people who inhibit it!” Perhaps that wasn’t a mere slip of the tongue after all.