Billie Dawn is among the most unforgettable characters of mid-century American theater — "breathtakingly beautiful and breathtakingly stupid," in the words of Garson Kanin, who made her the central force of his 1946 play "Born Yesterday."
How Billie, a la Eliza Doolittle, improves her mind and learns to assert herself makes for enduring comedy, a point reiterated by Vagabond Players in an uneven, but entertaining, production to close the company's 99th season.
With its perennially pertinent points about shady businessmen, shadier congressmen and crusading journalists, "Born Yesterday" spins an awfully clever and funny tale.
Billie (Anne Shoemaker) is a former chorus girl who arrives be-furred and befuddled at a swank Washington hotel with longtime boyfriend, the junkyard king Harry Brock (Steven Shriner). He's setting up operations to lobby his way into more power, aided by his Scotch-fueled lawyer Ed Devery (Mark Scharf) and a buyable senator (Bill Bossemeyer).
Enter a savvy reporter, Paul Verrall (Torberg M. Tonnessen). He unexpectedly ends up being hired to tutor Billie so she can fit better into D.C. society. The result is mind-opening to all concerned.
This Vagabond staging is not one of those occasions when the lines between community and professional theater blur greatly, but a couple of really crackling performances easily carry the day.
It's terrific fun watching Shoemaker's face as things begin to dawn on Billie, thanks to that crash course in vocabulary and philosophy. The actress, who produces a wonderfully squeaky, New Yawk-y accent, has no trouble getting laughs. She also makes the character endearing, nowhere more skillfully than in the scene when Billie tells Paul about her humble roots.
Shriner likewise commands the stage with his natural, finely detailed performance as the boorish Brock (mispronouncing "interview" is a nice extra touch). The actor shakes the walls barking out orders and dishing out insults, but Shriner also finds the right tone for those rare moments when a little speck of Brock's heart pokes through.
Although Tonnessen makes an earnest effort, he doesn't summon the flair needed to make Paul a romantic force, an equal side in the play's triangle of strong personalities. The supporting players offer more or less effective work.
Director Steve Goldklang keeps the action flowing tautly, for the most part. Adding considerably to the staging are evocative costumes and a well-appointed set.
The big star of this revival is the play itself. The writing in "Born Yesterday" sounds as sharp as ever. Timely, too. When Paul tells Brock, "A world full of ignorant people is too dangerous to live in," it sure has a fresh bite.