Born Yesterday Is Born Anew for Trump-Era Audiences

A larger-than-life narcissistic loudmouthed businessman with an eye for beautiful women comes to Washington, DC with plans to take the city — and thereby the country — by storm. He’s a loud-mouthed millionaire who’s made a fortune by ruthlessly tearing down his competition, yet declares himself a champion of “free enterprise.” Sound familiar? Thankfully, Your Theatre Inc.’s current production of Garson Kanin’s leftist leaning comedy Born Yesterday has many more laughs per minute than our current political situation.

Set in 1946, the show opens with the arrival of brassy businessman Harry Brock (Bob Goodwin) and his colorful entourage. He’s come to town to grease some palms and make sure that an amendment goes sailing through the senate, cementing the success of his shady business dealings. Their arrival is a comedic whirlwind of luggage, colorful personas and seemingly every employee of the hotel.

Harry is a broad-shouldered brute of a man who looks decidedly out of place in this lavishly decorated two-level hotel suite. More at home in his wife-beater and bathrobe, he doffs his shoes and barks orders to any and all. Forcefully played by a perfectly cast Bob Goodwin, Harry is a man of base needs – his platinum-haired girlfriend Billie Dawn (the very entertaining Lydia Johnson) fills one, his scruffy sidekick Eddie (a hilariously spot-on Dennis J. Smith) is his go-to enforcer and everyone is expected to provide him with the compliance and validation he craves.

Harry may be the big boss but the “brains” behind the operation is Harry’s permanently pickled lawyer Ed Devery. The role is skillfully (under)played by stage veteran Roger H. Allen who successfully avoids any hint of caricature and instead shows us a broken man who is painfully aware he has sold his soul in exchange for his six-figure salary.

Through Ed’s connections, Harry will soon have a senator firmly in his pocket — but first they must impress the straight-laced politician (a perfectly cast Stephen R. Kay) and his genteel wife (an amusingly expressive Valerie J. Reynolds).

Throwing a wrench into their well-manicured plans is Harry’s brassy bombshell of a girlfriend, Billie Dawn. Played by Lydia Johnson, Billie is the quintessential “dumb blonde” – from the way she carries herself, her self-admitted indifference to Harry’s business to her brazen opinions expressed in an outrageously funny, yet revealingly dispirited way. As written, the part could easily slip into the realm of parody. But in Johnson’s deft hands, the iconic character is played not just for laughs, but with insight. We meet a colorfully blunt, uneducated woman who knows how far she can get with her looks and is resigned to her singular place in Harry’s world.

In an effort to bring Billie up to speed to at least go unnoticed within the well-bred DC crowd, Harry brings a straight-laced magazine reporter, Paul Verrall, on the payroll as her tutor. Charmingly played by Matthew R. Gregory, the character is unfortunately saddled with much of Kanin’s idealistic rhetoric about the state of politics, ethics and the plight of the common man. Soon he is drawn to her maturing intelligence and quirky sensibility. The attraction is mutual and the onstage chemistry between the two is delightful.

As the saying goes, “A little knowledge goes a long way,” and soon Billie begins to understand Paul’s teachings and clearly see the part she plays in Harry’s scheme. Kudos to director Suzanne Bergeron for keeping the comedy front and center, yet not at the expense of genuine moments. One of the highlights of the staging for me was that every member of the supporting ensemble (James Bergeron, Lee Bonia, Stephanie Paquette and Zara Lemieux) were each given individuality as they portraying the endless parade of bellhops, maids, waiters, barbers and more. I also thoroughly enjoyed the pitch perfect period set design by Lawrence R. Houbre, Jr. and the luxe set décor and insightful costuming by Mark P. Fuller.

Born Yesterday by Garson Kanin, directed by Suzanne Bergeron, at Your Theatre, Inc. 136 Rivet St, New Bedford MA (part of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church). Performances are Thursday through Sunday on November 17, 18, 19 at 8:00 pm and November 20 at 2:30 pm. For tickets, call 508-993-0772, or email info@yourtheatre.org. Venue is handicapped accessible. For more information visit yourtheatre.org.