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The Rep presents Born Yesterday
By The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
This article was published March 15, 2007 at 11:22 a.m.
Joan Hess plays Billie Dawn, the former showgirl who has started to see the light, to the dismay of her man, shady war-time tycoon Harry Brock, played by Scott Coopwood, in the Rep production Born Yesterday, opening tonight.
LITTLE ROCK — Political scandals were not born yesterday, with the guilty verdict in the Scooter Libby trial. In fact, Garson Kanin, a writer and director, wrote Born Yesterday while he was stationed in London during World War II. Kanin's play was set in Washington, in 1946, the year after the end of the war, and the accompanying revelations of questionable war profiteering over the preceding five years.
The play, considered a classic American romantic comedy, ran on Broadway for almost four years and inspired a film version in 1950. Judy Holliday won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Billie Dawn, while her co-stars were Broderick Crawford as Harry Brock and William Holden as a journalist hired to bring some sophistication to Billie. The movie was remade in 1993 and there was also a brief Broadway revival in 1989.
Now Arkansas Repertory Theatre is opening its version Friday, complete with period fashions, suits and wide ties, and hats for men and women. It's a show hailed for its mix of elements that recall Will Rogers, Noel Coward and even George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. The new production is previewed in Friday's Arkansas Weekend section.
Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
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