Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Theater Review: Born Yesterday

Nina Arianda Shines in Broadway Debut
By Lauren Yarger
Stepping into shoes once filled by Judy Holliday in both the original stage production and the 1950 film adapted from it might prove daunting for some, but Nina Arianda, making her Broadway debut as Billie Dawn in the revival of Garson Kanin’s Born Yesterday leaves any memories in the dust.

Arianda is brilliant as the showgirl lacking in social graces who tries to improve herself to fit in with the swells hobnobbing in the 1946 political scene in Washington DC.

Jim Belushi plays her brash boyfriend, Harry Brock, a crooked junk business operator looking to expand his operations through bribing Sen.Norval Hodges (Terry Beaver) and some legal maneuvering by his morally sold-out attorney, Ed Devery (Frank Wood). His loud and awkward mistress is a contrast to the type of refined woman accepted in Washington society, like the senator’s wife, Mrs. Hodges (Patricia Hodges), however, so Brock hires reporter Paul Verrall (Robert Sean Leonard) to smooth her rough edges and educate her.

The effervescent Billie throws herself into the task, discovering Brock’s true character and his intentions to use her in some shady business dealings. Meanwhile, Verrall finds himself increasingly attracted to the delightful, big-hearted, easy going girl.

Director Doug Hughes coaxes excellent performances from the actors and gives them room to develop really interesting characters: Brock becomes increasingly obnoxious; Billie blossoms in intelligence and confidence and Devery fades into self loathing. It’s funny, savvy and surprisingly contemporary. It’s also easy to look at thanks to Catherine Zuber’s lovely period costumes and John Lee Beatty’s opulent hotel suite. Subtle touches, like having Mrs. Hodges’ mauve suite stand out against the gaudy orangey color of the sofa in Brock’s suite, are a nice collaboration to bring the message home of two worlds clashing.

All of the performances are first rate, but Arianda’s not-so-dumb blonde, nasal laughs and perfect comedic timing are what propel the play into one of the most enjoyable times at the theater this season. I'm guessing she might just give Frances McDormand (Good People) a run for the Best Actress Tony.
Born Yesterday plays at the Cort Theatre, 138 West 48th St., NYC. Discounted tickets are available at http://www.givenik.com/show_info.php/Masterworks/311/individual.
Christians might also like to know:
Lord’s name taken in vain
Violence
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Our reviews are professional reviews written without a religious bias. At the end of them, you can find a listing of language, content or theological issues that Christians might want to know about when deciding which shows to see.

** Mature indicates that the show has posted an advisory because of content. Usually this means I would recommend no one under the age of 16 attend.

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

My Bio

Lauren Yarger has written, directed and produced numerous shows and special events for both secular and Christian audiences. She co-wrote a Christian musical version of “A Christmas Carol” which played to sold-out audiences of over 3,000 in Vermont and was awarded the Vermont Bessie (theater and film awards) for “People’s Choice for Theatre.” She also has written two other dinner theaters, sketches for church services and devotions for Christian artists. Her play concept, "From Reel to Real: The Jennifer O'Neill Story" was presented as part of the League of professional Theatre Women's Julia's reading Room Series in New York. Shifting from reviewing to producing, Yarger owns Gracewell Productions, which produced the Table Reading Series at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT. She trained for three years in the Broadway League’s Producer Development Program, completed the Commercial Theater Institute's Producing Intensive and other training and produced a one-woman musical about Mary Magdalene that toured nationally and closed with an off-Broadway run. She was a Fellow at the National Critics Institute at the O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. She wrote reviews of Broadway and Off-Broadway theater (the only ones you can find in the US with an added Christian perspective) at http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com/.

She is editor of The Connecticut Arts Connection (http://ctarts.blogspot.com), an award-winning website featuring theater and arts news for the state. She was a contributing editor for BroadwayWorld.com. She previously served as theater reviewer for the Manchester Journal-Inquirer, Connecticut theater editor for CurtainUp.com and as Connecticut and New York reviewer for American Theater Web.

She is a Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women. She is a former vice president and voting member of The Drama Desk.

She is a freelance writer and playwright (member Dramatists Guild of America). She is a member if the The Outer Critics Circle (producer of the annual awards ceremony) and a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, serving as Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter. Yarger was a book reviewer for Publishers Weekly A former newspaper editor and graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Yarger also worked in arts management for the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and served for nine years as the Executive Director of Masterwork Productions, Inc. She lives with her husband in West Granby, CT. They have two adult children.

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All material is copyright 2008- 2024 by Lauren Yarger. Reviews and articles may not be reprinted without permission. Contact reflectionsinthelight@gmail.com

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Key to Content Notes:

God's name taken in vain -- means God or Jesus is used in dialogue without speaking directly to or about them.

Language -- means some curse words are used. "Minor" usually means the words are not too strong or that it only occurs once or twice throughout the show.

Strong Language -- means some of the more heavy duty curse words are used.

Nudity -- means a man or woman's backside, a man's lower front or a woman's front are revealed.

Scantily clad -- means actors' private areas are technically covered, but I can see a lot of them.

Sexual Language -- means the dialogue contains sexually explicit language but there's no action.

Sexual Activity -- means a man and woman are performing sexual acts.

Adultery -- Means a married man or woman is involved sexually with someone besides their spouse. If this is depicted with sexual acts on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Sex Outside of Marriage -- means a man and woman are involved sexually without being married. If this is depicted sexually on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Homosexuality -- means this is in the show, but not physically depicted.

Homosexual activity -- means two persons of the same sex are embracing/kissing. If they do more than that, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Cross Dresser -- Means someone is dressing as the opposite sex. If they do more than that on stage the listing would include the corresponding "sexual activity" and/or "homosexual activity" as well.

Cross Gender -- A man is playing a female part or a woman is playing a man's part.

Suggestive Dancing -- means dancing contains sexually suggestive moves.

Derogatory (category added Fall 2012) Language or circumstances where women or people of a certain race are referred to or treated in a negative and demeaning manner.

Other content matters such as torture, suicide, or rape will be noted, with details revealed only as necessary in the review itself.

The term "throughout" added to any of the above means it happens many times throughout the show.

Reviewing Policy

I receive free seats to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows made available to all voting members of the Outer Critics Circle. Journalistically, I provide an unbiased review and am under no obligation to make positive statements. Sometimes shows do not make tickets available to reviewers. If these are shows my readers want to know about I will purchase a ticket. If a personal friend is involved in a production, I'll let you know, but it won't influence a review. If I feel there is a conflict, I won't review their portion of the production.

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