Ignorance can be a powerful tool in the hands of those in power, despots easily gain the upper hand when ruling over ignorant masses, unaware of political manipulations and alliances between money and government taking place behind the scenes. Even when riled, the ignorant are more easily appeased by trinkets and empty phrases. In order to rally and revolt, one needs some understanding and knowledge, at the very least – knowledge of one’s own situation.
The Beer Sheva Theatre production of Garson Kanin’s Born Yesterday, directed by Rafi Niv, is a delightful romantic comedy and more. Beautifully conceived and executed, fast-paced and full of fun, it conveys a message as it entertains.
Garson Kanin’s play was first performed in the 1940s with Judy Holliday as former showgirl Billie Dawn, plaything to junk dealer Harry Brock, who makes a play for the big time and comes to Washington D.C. to bribe Senator Hedges into supporting legislation that would allow Brock to get away with his illicit schemes. The successful play was made into a film directed by George Cukor in 1950, reprising her stage role, Holliday won an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Rafi Niv strikes just the right tone here, keeping the feel of the period without letting it weigh too heavily on the production. It can sometimes be more challenging to translate a play that is relatively close to our time and lives. One accepts variations on Shakespeare or Greek classics more easily somehow, the closer the time and place to our own, the more likely we are to make comparisons and spot awkward moments. Happily, this is not the case here. The set and costumes place the viewer emphatically there, in another place and time, and Ido Riklin’s translation is very smooth and flowing, the snappy dialogue right in time with the 40s era music.
The sumptuous Art Deco set design by Svetlana Berger glows like a jewel, conveying the lavish lifestyle of those who have money, and its seductive allure to those who have not. Yehudit Aharon’s costumes articulate the nuances of class and social strata, as well as being a pleasure to regard. Billie Dawn, as befits a not-quite-reformed showgirl, is dressed in overly fancy gowns and furs, skin tight dresses and opulent fabrics, while Mrs. Hedges the Senator’s wife, is modestly feminine in a pale pink yet rather severely cut suit.
Billie (Meirav Shirom) does not make much of a first impression beyond her perfect hourglass figure and rather grating squawking voice – but that’s the point. We see her at first as her nasty, boorish boyfriend Harry (David Kigler) sees her – a bit of fluff, a stupid woman, pretty to look at but not a person of consequence. And yet…When his lawyer suggests that Billie’s lack of polish might be an obstacle to Harry’s plans, he is loathe to get rid of her, and instead, decides to hire a private tutor, journalist Paul Verrall (Yaron Brobinsky) to help her learn how to behave in polite society. If only Harry had heard of Pygmalion he might have thought twice before embarking on this course of action.
Harry is just as uneducated as Billie, his coarse manners, foul language and utter disregard of morals are truly offensive and David Kigler plays him to the hilt. Meirav Shirom is a very appealing Billie. We may not think much of her at first, yet one soon realizes that she is not a bad person, she simply doesn’t know any better. The senator’s wife knows so much more than Billie, a lady must always modulate her voice and exercise restraint in thought, word and deed. In her bemused looks Mrs. Hedges conveys her opinion of Harry quite succinctly, Ora Meirson brings a lot of pizzazz to a small role.
Much is conveyed through movement and music. We get to know Billie once she is alone, when she puts on a record and gives us a juicy rendition of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (recorded by the Andrews Sisters in 1941). She is lively, energetic and fun, and once given a chance, she is eager to learn and become not only a more informed, but a better person. That is the difference between Harry and Billie: Harry would use any knowledge he has to take advantage of others, Billie uses her new-found understanding to seek out truth and justice.
One of the pleasures of this production is the presence of the “invisible” people, the hotel staff who serve the wealthy and powerful. Opening and providing amusing and spritely choreographed interludes between scenes, the maid and bell boys are a visible testimony to a social order that does not offer them much of a chance. As in every good comedy, the servants are often the wisest. In the opening scene, Helen the maid (Tal Michlovich) tells Paul: “One night in this hotel costs as much as I make in three months. I think it’s criminal.”
Born Yesterday by Garson Kanin, translated by Ido Riklin, directed by Rafi Niv.
Set design: Svetlana Berger; Costume design: Yehudit Aharon; Lighting design: Ziv Voloshin; Music: Ran Bagno; Choreography: Oz Morag; Stage combat: Genadi Bebitzky; Cast in order of appearance: Tal Michlovich – Helen; Yaron Brobinsky – Paul Verrall; Amit Epstein – first bell boy; Uri Savri – second bell boy; Nir Manky – Eddie Brock; David Kigler – Harry Brock; Meirav Shirom – Billie Dawn; Muli Shulman – Jim Devery; Ofer Zohar – Senator Hedges; Ora Meirson – Mrs. Hedges.
