Below is a recent review of Born Yesterday by Gilbert Theatre Examiner, Joseph Gordon.  We will be posting show photos from the performances soon. Until then, Enjoy!

Garson Kanin’s classic comedy Born Yesterday is more than a half century old but time has done nothing to wither its topical bite or delightful charm. Last night the Hale Centre Theatre opened its new production of Born Yesterday. There has never been a better time to revisit and marvel at this play’s enduring wisdom. Born Yesterday will continue, happily educating its audiences in civics and civility through May 22.

Born Yesterday opened on Broadway on February 4, 1946 at the Lyceum Theatre. The Kanin comedy starred Judy Holliday as Billie Dawn, the deceptively not so “dumb blonde,” Paul Douglas as junk merchant Harry Brock and Gary Merrill as reporter Paul Verrall. Holliday famously replaced the deserting, original star Jean Arthur with only a few days rehearsal. Of course, the rest is history. Holliday became an “overnight” sensation and Born Yesterday settled down for a highly successful four year, 1,642 performance run.

The Hale Centre Theatre’s Born Yesterday stars many of it’s audience’s favorite performers. Returning are Alaina Beauloye as Billie, Eric Thompson as Paul and Don Crosby as Harry.

The production is staged by another audience favorite, award winning director Allan Dietlein. Mr. Dietlein has staged the production with his seasoned, knowing eye, illuminating the play’s amazing, up-to-date political commentary, never missing the opportunity to highlight its delicious satire and comedy.

Alaina Beauloye is simply superb as Billie. She is as fresh and delightful as Holliday must have been on that opening night so long ago. Even if she just sashays silently across the stage, Beauloye commands the audience’s attention. When she speaks, Kanin’s words become comic poetry. Beauloye makes Billie’s apparent boredom with the Washington scene a pleasure to watch. What a chameleon! Beauloye can do it all, sing, act, dance. Hale Theatre audiences have been continuously charmed by the many roles she has created there. To play the stern Anna in The King and I, the shy Amalia in She Loves Me and now the radiant Billie in Born Yesterday is proof positive that she can do anything. And do it to perfection!

Eric Thompson’s Paul is all nerdy nerves and earnest sincerity. He easily erases William Holden’s less than stellar performance in the play’s classic film version. Thompson and Beauloye have a most believable and lovely compatibility. Their mutual affection is neither forced nor insincere.

Paul plays Pygmalion to Billie’s Galatea. Through his patient tutelage Billie blossoms touchingly into her own woman. Paul’s initial goal in accepting the role as her tutor may have first been motivated by his desire to get closer to Harry, a man he despises, but, like Pygmalion, he ultimately can not resist any of Billie’s charms, his Galatea.

Billie initially tries in vain to seduce Paul. She tells him that she feels the way to his heart is through his head. When Paul finally breaks down and asks Billie to marry him, she amusingly teases him saying that he only loves her for her brain.

Don Crosby’s Harry would be very comfortable as a member of the Soprano family. Crosby makes Brock’s buffoonish evil fun to watch. He never misses a beat, perfectly illustrating Harry’s oozing, vicious, mean spirited demeanor. You can’t help loving/hating his character, especially when he tells Billie, “I don’t own anything cheap but you.” Harry knows he has to marry Billie to protect himself from the law. When he tells her she has to marry him, Billie refuses saying that he is just too dumb for her now.

Director Allan Dietlein does double duty designing the beautifully appointed set. Sandy Dietlein has as done a superb job costuming the actors. Her designs for Billie are perfection right down to the black seams on her nylons.

Born Yesterday may have been born yesterday but Kanin’s play is gloriously alive and well and firmly living in the present.

Tickets are on sale now, so call the Box Office today at (480) 497-1181 or visit www.haletheatrearizona.com  You won’t want to miss this one!