Director Doug Hughes plays most of Garson Kanin's Born Yesterday like slapstick farce. The entire cast is excellent with Terry Beaver offering a lovely turn as a senator's wife, and Robert Sean Leonard quite charming as the third point of the triangle because he plays it totally real. The end is a foregone conclusion, but that doesn't interfere with our enjoyment of this lively show.
John Lee's great cartoon set, full kitsch, and Catherine Zuber's exaggerated costumes are like a Charlotte Russe, with Nina Arianda (as the Galatea) as the cherry on top. She and Jim Belushi, who fills the theater with his strong presence, are larger than life. Arianda's a good comedienne with some great physical moves; she should have a bright future. Belushi unfailingly commands our attention while fulfilling the character.
The jokes are funny, the action is energetic, and it's all fun as we root for Billie Dawn at the dawn of her life as a person.
Previews:
February 24, 2011
Opened:
April 24, 2011
Ended:
open run
Country:
USA
State:
New York
City:
New York
Company/Producers:
Philip Morgaman, Anne & Vincent Caruso, Frankie J. Grande, James P. MacGilvray, Brian Kapetanis, Robert S. Basso in assoc w/ Peter J. Puleo.
Theater Type:
Broadway
Theater:
Cort Theater
Theater Address:
138 West 48th Street
Website:
bornyesterdayonbroadway.com
Genre:
Comedy
Director:
Doug Hughes
Review:
Cast:
Jim Belushi (Harry), Nina Arianda (Billie), Robert Sean Leonard (Paul), Frank Wood (Ed), Terry Beaver (Hedges), Patricia Hodges (Mrs. Hedges), Michael McGrath (Eddie), Fred Arsenault, Bill Christ, Jennifer Regan (Helen), Liv Rooth (manicurist), Danny Rutigliano (Bellhop), Andrew Weems.
Technical:
Set: John Lee Beatty; Cost: Catherine Zuber; Light: Peter Kaczorowski; Music/Sound: David Van Tieghem; Hair/Wigs: Tom Watson; Fight Dir: J. David Brimmer.
Critic:
Richmond Shepard
Date Reviewed:
May 2011
