Born Yesterday to close 26 Jun



The Broadway revival of Garson Kanin's comedy Born Yesterday, starring Jim Belushi and Nina Arianda, directed by Doug Hughes, has posted early closing notices and will play its final performance on 26 Jun 2011. When the show closes it will have played 28 previews and 73 regular performances.

Born Yesterday opened at the Cort Theatre on 24 Apr 2011, following previews from 31 Mar, and was booking through to 31 Jul 2011.

The show opened to mostly good reviews: Come watch a star (Arianda) being born. (newyorktheatreguide); Solid but inessential revival (NY Times); Deliciously witty and pungent (NY Daily News).

For her performance as 'Billie Dawn,' Nina Arianda was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play.

The cast also featuresRobert Sean Leonard, Frank Wood, Terry Beaver, Patricia Hodges, Michael McGrath, Fred Arsenault, Bill Christ, Jennifer Regan, Liv Rooth, Danny Rutigliano, Andrew Weems and Robert Emmet Lunney.

In Born Yesterday an uncouth, corrupt tycoon, Harry Brock, brings his showgirl mistress Billie Dawn with him to Washington, D.C. When Billie's ignorance becomes a liability to Brock's business dealings, he hires a journalist, Paul Verrall, to educate his girlfriend. In the process of learning, Billie Dawn realizes how corrupt her boyfriend is and begins interfering with his plans to bribe a Congressman into passing legislation that would allow Brock's business to make more money.

The revival is Born Yesterday's third outing on Broadway. It had its New York premiere on 4 Feb 1946 at Broadway's Lyceum Theatre, starring Paul Douglas, Judy Holliday, and Gary Merrill, and directed by its author Garson Kanin. It became an instant hit, ran for 1,642 performances (moving to the Henry Miller's Theatre), and remains the seventh longest running play in Broadway history.

It was revived in 1998 at the 46th Street Theatre (now Richard Rodgers Theatre), starring Edward Asner as 'Harry Brock' and Madeline Kahn as 'Billie Dawn,' with direction by Josephine R. Abady.

The play has twice been adapted for the silver screen. The 1950 movie adaptation, once again saw Judy Holliday play the role of 'Billie,' this time alongside Broderick Crawford as 'Harry.' The movie shot the then unknown Billie Holiday to fame - and the star won her first Academy Award (for Best Actress), winning against Gloria Swanson, nominated for 'Sunset Boulevard,' Bette Davis, for 'All About Eve,' and Anne Baxter, for 'All About Eve.'

The 1993 movie saw John Goodman take on the role of 'Harry Brock' and Melanie Griffith that of 'Billie Dawn.' Melanie Griffith was not well received by ciritics and was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award (the awards 'dishonor' the worst achievements of the movie year.)

Jim Belushi and Nina Arianda More production photographs

Originally published on

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