Ford's Theatre: "Born Yesterday"

What a wonderful production!  "Born Yesterday" first opened on Broadway in 1946, and even though this incarnation is also set in 1946, the messages of this political farce are no less true today.  A rich corporate buffoon arrives in DC with his chorus girl mistress and he plans to step up his meddling with the help of a corrupt Senator.  Soon, even he is smart enough to realize that his girlfriend is not refined enough to be an asset in the scheme; however, he's also arrogant enough to believe that employing the tutorial services of a political reporter he just happened to meet on the first day is the solution.  The reporter wants the dirt.  The dame is a quick study and soon takes over the show as some hyjinx ensues.  The writing is extremely tight and witty and only falls short at the very end when it becomes a little too preachy.  The director's notes explains that in its original version it was a lot more preachy and only a series of out of town reviews which necessitated rewrites led to the final version's emphasis on the heroine. 

The set was spectacular, even by Ford's Theatre standards.  It's a small stage, and ideally suited for a single set play.  The costumes were also beautiful, and a tribute to the creativity of the costume designer's embracing of a small play in an appropriately big way.

I loved it, and I think the main reason why has to be laid at the feet of the actors.  It was like an all-star game in baseball.  I have seen all by one of them in a wide variety of productions over the past two years.  And far from being stale or predictable, they were to a person fresh and exciting.  I feel like as an ensemble, they should receive a nomination.  As individuals they are already all winners in my book.  Ed Gero as the meddling mogul was as finely tuned as I have ever seen him--and I have never seen him miss a beat, but you could tell that he seemed to be on point even more as he seemed to be doing that thing that really defines the final degree of perfection in a performance: he was enjoying himself, too.  I recently saw, Cody Nickell as Anthony in Shakespeare's "Anthony and Cleopatra".  He did a find job being dashing and handsome and the warrior brought low by love.  Here as the ultimately do-gooder I swear to you, I had to look at his face in the program several times (where he looked more like Anthony) just to figure out how this could be the same person.  The top honors, though, go to Kimberly Gilbert in the roll of the girl friend, Billie Dawn.  She was funny and innocent and yet not and her gift of knowing exactly how to deliver a line--especially when it was part of joke was so impressive.

There are a couple of more weeks left and for the price, this is a production worth every penny.

Edward Gero as Harry Brock and Cody Nickell as Paul
Verrall

Most of the cast: Eric Hissom as Ed Devery, Evan Casey as
Eddie Brock, Todd Scofield as Senator Norval Hedges,
Edward Gero as Harry Brock, Kimberly Gilbert as Billie
Dawn and Naomi Jacobson as Mrs Hedges

Todd Scofield, Naomi Jacobson, and Edward Gero

Eric Hissom, Todd Scofield, and Edward Gero

Kimberly Gilbert and Cody Nickell

Cody Nickell, Kimberly Gilbert and Ed Gero