Photo Credit: Liz Lauren
Shady businessman Harry Brock has big plans during his visit to Washington, D.C., and he doesn’t want his paramour, former chorus girl Billie Dawn, causing problems with her uneducated ways. Brock hires journalist Paul Verrall to tutor the uneducated Billie, only to discover that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.
The familiar premise helps sculpt a hilarious and insightful narrative in Garson Kanin’s Born Yesterday, which opened recently in American Players Theatre’s outdoor Hill Theatre in Spring Green. APT’s combined technical and artistic skills result in a romp that has the audience both laughing and thinking, the latter evident in the spontaneous applause erupting whenever Kanin, through his characters, offers commentary on government corruption and manipulation that strikes uncomfortably close to home with the current presidential administration.
But Born Yesterday transcends mere political manifesto, creating a very human story of growth and the desire to do more than play the cards that life has dealt. Billie’s growth as a person, hilarious as it is, drives a more meaningful story of hope and desire, and the plucky former chorus girl exceeds all expectations.
APT’s cast is uniformly accomplished in their roles, but the true standouts are David Daniel as Harry Brock and Colleen Madden as Billie. The pair delivers performances that stand at the top of their already impressive Spring Green careers.
Under APT Artistic Director Brenda DeVita’s insightful direction, Daniel creates an appropriately loutish, bullying, hardscrabble hoodlum as an uncouth clown, but one with both brass knuckles and bribes close at hand. The owner of more than 100 junkyards nationwide, Daniel’s character never strays from its crass roots.
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But the show belongs body and soul to Madden, whose ditzy chorus girl is rife with ticks, tricks and nuances that far exceed what Kanin’s character often commands. One’s tempted to describe Billie as Madden’s career-defining performance if only the actor hadn’t already delivered so many great performances.
Fabio Toblini’s elegant costume design and Nathan Stuber’s swanky 1940s set beautifully round out Kanin’s snapshot in time. But it’s a snapshot that provides lessons for all times, and isn’t that the heart beating at the center of all great theater?
Through Sept. 22 at American Players Theatre, 5950 Golf Course Road, Spring Green. For tickets call 608-588-2361 or visit americanplayers.org.
