Born Yesterday: Back on Broadway

After seeing the Broadway revival of Born Yesterday this week, more than a few of my friends asked me how it compared to the classic 1950 movie starring Judy Holliday (who also originated the role on stage).  I definitely enjoyed the show, but it's a great piece of entertainment that stands on its own.

I obviously never saw the original theater version in 1946, but the film version (also featuring Broderick Crawford and William Holden), directed by George Cukor, is still one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time.  It's unfair to compare the current stage version to any other renditions, even the last Broadway revival in 1989 starring Madeline Kahn and Ed Asner, or the 1993 movie remake starring Melanie Griffith, John Goodman, and Don Johnson.

Nevertheless, as much as both Jim Belushi and Robert Sean Leonard were excellent in their roles as Harry Brock and Paul Verrell, the outstanding achievement of this new production is the performance of newcomer Nina Arianda as Billie Dawn.  She starts out as a goofy, naive, "dumb blonde" stereotype and grows into one of the strongest theatrical characters in comedy history.  Credit lies, of course, with writer Garson Kanin for his script that still stands the test of time, but also with Nina who makes the character her own and deserves all the accolades she has received for her terrific Broadway debut, including a Tony Award nomination (and she should win, too!)

Born Yesterday is a wonderful show with an amazing set and an incredible cast.  If you're looking for laughs (with some good drama mixed in too), get your tickets now.