Yesterday Plays Today
By Paul Atreides
Author, playwright, and Theatre critic at EatMoreArtVegas.com
Las Vegas Little Theatre (LVLT) opens the 46th season with Garson Kanin's classic comedy Born Yesterday. Lest you think an old chestnut like this has no relevance to today, this one does. Underneath the story arc of the ditzy girl plucked from the Broadway chorus of Anything Goes and being kept by the mobster, it's about political intrigue, the nonsense that goes on in the back rooms of Congress.
Directed by Chris Davies, the cast is chock full of talent, from the leads to the actors taking on multiple minor roles.
Trenton Klinkefus and Dusty Shaffer as Bellhops, Shakiem R. Smith as Paul Verrall, Geneva Williams as Helen, and David Ament, as Assistant Manager of the Washington, D.C. hotel where the action takes place, open the show. Ament in particular enters with a fully-realized, nuanced and funny character. But they all hit the mark with brisk pacing and great comedic timing.
Chalk it up to exhaustion from Hell Week rehearsals, but that wasn't maintained. The pacing fell with long pauses and an awful lot of unmotivated blocking as characters wander the set for no reason. Both affected the comedy. That is not to say the characterizations aren't good because they are good.
Blake Boles plays Harry Brock, the narcissistic thug who comes to Washington to buy a senator. Boles portrays the bully with the right amount of bluster, barking orders at everyone in the room. He's gruff, loud, commanding, and appropriately nasty.
When it comes to the role of Billie, the ditzy chorus girl, it's tough not to imitate what Judy Holliday did with this iconic role in the film adaptation. Francesca Petrucci makes the role her own except for the high, squeaky voice. She turns in her best scenes when she barks back at Harry without thinking. And her "What!?!" bellowed from offstage is a real hoot.
Alan Roberts as Ed Devery, the lawyer who helps Harry with all the legal shenanigans, managed to hit the comedy bits with perfect timing. In Act 2, when he gets more and more drunk, Roberts shines.
Throughout the play, Billie is tutored to muster the refinement and smarts needed to enhance Harry's chances. Shakiem R. Smith plays tutor Paul Verrall with true finesse as he stands up to Harry's bullying and shows true patience with the struggling Billie. Smith carries himself with confidence; there's an assuredness in his stage presence.
Jack Stroud, Faith Solomon, and Mrs. Hedges turn in fine performances as senators. Even with no dialogue, both stayed in the scenes with reactions to the other actors. Solomon's responses to the unrefined Billie and the boorish Harry never looked rehearsed.
Edan Dingle, as Eddie, Harry's cousin, and gofer, is appropriately staunch while maintaining an undercurrent of fear of his boss. He cowers from Harry and imitates the intimidation of those he's told to push around.
Production values are top-notch, especially the beautifully detailed set design by Ron Lindblom. The two-level hotel suite is marked by period crown moldings, baseboards, and soft pastel walls. There's even a pouffe.
By this review's publication, the entire production should settle in and hit its stride. Go, watch a woman come into her own and stand up to the misogyny of the time, and have some fun with the underlying politics. Sound familiar?
Special Note: LVLT has permanently changed its evening performance curtain time to 7 p.m.
What: Born Yesterday
When: 7 p.m. Friday - Saturday; 2 p.m. Sundays through September 22
2 p.m. Saturday, September 14, 21
Where: Las Vegas Little Theatre - Mainstage, 3920 Schiff Drive
Tickets: $35 (702-362-7996; www.lvlt.org)
Grade: ***1/2 Satisfying
Producer: Las Vegas Little Theatre; Director: Chris Davies; Set Design: Ron Lindblom; Lighting Design: Ginny Adams; Sound: Lisa Tollefson; Costume Design: Dusty Shaffer; Stage Manager: Eva Aguilar
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