Born Yesterday
by Garson Kanin
Directed by Pamela Hunt
Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
March 16, 2018
Ruth Pferdehirt, Aaron Bartz
Photo by Jerry Naunheim, Jr.
Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Born Yesterday is a classic comedy that made a star of Judy Holliday, on stage in 1946 and on screen in 1950. The sharp, old-school screwball comedy is a potential star vehicle for whoever plays the role of Billie Dawn, the former showgirl who starts out playing into the “dumb blonde” stereotype but turns around to subvert it. The Rep, finishing out their season with this production, has found an ideal star for this role in gifted comic performer Ruth Pferdehirt. She’s not alone in this production, however, shining in a top-notch cast with the Rep’s well-known stellar production values.
The story takes place in in a luxurious suite in an upscale Washington, DC hotel in the late 1940s, where brash self-made millionaire and “junk man” Harry Brock (Andy Prosky) has come to exert his influence on some legislation that will benefit him and his business. He’s brought along his lawyer and chief advisor Ed Devery (Ted Deasy) to help him connect with a senator (Kurt Zischke) who is up for some financial “encouragement”. Harry has also brought along his longtime girlfriend and former chorus girl Billie (Pferdehirt), whose lack of manners and education embarrasss the equally uneducated Harry, who is trying to impress the society types in DC, including the senator and his wife (Gina Daniels). Rather than send Billie home, the domineering Harry enlists an idealistic young journalist, Paul Verrall (Aaron Bartz) to tutor Billie in some of the basics of government and society. The initially reluctant Billie and Paul soon disscover a mutual attraction, as Billie reveals that she’s a lot brighter than Harry, or anyone in his entourage, had expected. Soon, Billie discovers that all those papers Harry has been making her sign aren’t quite as innocuous as she had been led to believe, and Paul, in addition to his tutoring, also encourages her to assert her independence and stand up to the shady, increasingly volatile and violent Harry. All this is played out to the tune of Garson Kanin’s witty, incisive script that speaks a lot to today’s political climate as well as that of its day.
The powerhouse performance here is Pferdehirt in a wonderfully layered and also delightfully comic tour de force as Billie. Her increasing boldness, as well as her dawning sense of awareness of herself and the world around her, is magnificiently portrayed, with a strong stage presence and over-the-top but still relatable personality. She stuggles a little bit with consistency in terms of her New York accent early on, but that smooths out over the course of the play. She has great chemistry with the also excellent Prosky as the boorish, ruthlessly ambitious Harry, and with Bartz, who gives a charming performance as Paul. There’s also excellent support from the rest of the cast, including Deasy as the increasingly conflicted Ed; Randy Donaldson as Harry’s cousin and all-purpose assistant Eddie; Zischke and Daniels as Senator and Mrs. Hedges; Michelle Hand as the initially surly maid Helen; and also CeCe Hll, Cassandra Lopez, Tom Wethington, Michael Cassidy Flynn, Maison Kelly, and Ryan Lawson-Maeske in various ensemble roles. Director Pamela Hunt has staged the show in a fast-moving way that highlights the strength of the comedy and the characters, as well.
Visually, the show looks great. The 1940s high-society look has been ideally achieved in James Morgan’s sumptously appointed set. Lou Bird’s costumes are also stylish and period-appropriate, with a succession of colorful outfits for Billie and well-tailored suits for the men, as well as appropriate outfits for the various hotel staff members. There’s also excellent work from lighting designer Mary Jo Dondlinger and sound designer Rusty Wandall, helping to set the overall tone and mood of this sharp, bright and still thoughtful comedy.
This Born Yesterday is a delightful production. It’s bold, it’s funny, it’s surprisingly timely, and it has a great cast, led by the truly stellar performance of Pferdehirt as Billie. It’s a memorable way to close out a great season at the Rep.
Andy Prosky, Ruth Pferdehirt
Photo by Jerry Naunheim, Jr.
Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is presenting Born Yesterday until April 8, 2018.
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