THEATER

CLASSIC POLITICAL CORRUPTION FOR THE MAINSTREAM

SF Playhouse turns to 1950's Broadway Classic for Political Statement

By Faustina Arriola

She might be Born Yersterday but she's not dumb

SF Playhouse’s decision to produce Garson Kanin’s 1950’s broadway hit Born Yesterday is without a doubt one long nod to our current political situation. With the Trump administration reaching new levels of political corruption, it’s always wise to go back to the classics to gain some needed perspective, even a big mainstream Broadway classic such as Kanin’s. So this production of Born Yesterday has a little more than entertainment on its mind and clearly wants to alert and educate friends and neighbors that there’s something rotten at the heart of the country.

Under our current president, the sharks at the top of the food chain are always looking for shortcuts to make their work easier and their bank accounts larger. The same can be said for Harry Brock, the lovable but corrupt lobbyist whose romantic travails fuel the plot. Despite the 70-year difference, the play’s threats are our threats: how to stem the power of corruption and promote democracy. What isn’t the same (at least not yet) is the remedy, and in Born Yesterday that comes in the irrepressible form of Billie Dawn, Brock’s stupid-smart, naïve-canny mistress who turns out to be the real lead in all this mess and an unique form of salvation.

Some of the corrupt

Kanin’s play is hilarious and plot-heavy: Brock arrives in Washington D.C. in the hopes of swaying an amendment to his favor with the help of his crafty lawyer Ed Devery and the easily-manipulable Senator Norval Hedges. After an embarrassing meeting in which his air-headed mistress Billie speaks and acts in an unrefined manner, Brock decides that she needs to be educated on how to behave and hires Paul Verrall, an intelligent reporter who has originally come to interview Brock on his success.

We learn through their interview that Brock made his money selling off scrap metal from hundreds of junkyards, a hefty number of which are actually owned by an unaware Billie Dawn. The more that her world and mind is opened by Verrall’s lessons and book recommendations, the more aware she becomes of her inner honesty, intelligence, and of the current political situation. In an interesting way, she’s a stand in for the audience. We’re dumb, but smart and her awakening is our awakening.

SF Playhouse’s two-level set is both gorgeous and efficient. The huge stage left window looking out over the Washington D.C. cityscape is both spectacular and welcoming. You feel as if you are right there and part of the action. The use of practical lights throughout the set give a warmth to the rather ornate hotel furnishing, and sweeps us up into the excitement. Susi Damilano’s dynamic staging, which has the characters slipping back and forth between the furniture as if it were a carefully-choreographed ballet, captures the nuttiness of political corruption.

A Strong Cast

The cast is uniformly strong. I adored Millie Brook’s accent as Billie Dawn and all her little quirks, from dancing across the room in excitement to screaming some of her lines—she’s hilarious and steals the show. Michael Torres as Harry Brock also gives a strong performance, although I feel as if his performance could have been more precise—he has a tendency to slur his words. Jason Kapoor as Paul Verrall is skillful and acts wonderfully smug around Brock, a great contrast to how gentle and patient he is with Billie.

Despite being over 70-years old, the play’s lessons still hold: political corruption is a constant. At the same time, it also holds the same hope--that the people stand together to call out and address the corruption that we see, and remedy it. The passion that Billie Dawn holds for justice at the very end is meant to inspire and encourage the audience, while also bringing a call to action. Will you join her in the fight to true democracy?

©Faustina Arriola and the CCA Arts Review