'Born Yesterday' a message for us all

In wake of the anniversary of the Sept. 11 tragedies, Garson Kanin's play "Born Yesterday," running at the John Waldron Arts Center through Sept. 22, sends the audience a powerful message about the ideals upon which America is founded. \nThe play, set in Washington D.C. in 1947, focuses on the efforts of a horribly rich, self-absorbed, and avaricious tycoon named Harry Brock to refine his incredibly naive mistress, Billie Dawn, through education, but he gets more than he bargained for. His mistress' tutor, Paul Verral, instructs her not only in grammar and etiquette, but also in the ideas and beliefs of America's founding fathers. It is through these that Billie sees her lover's immoral business practices and personal cruelty, and so she frees herself from his oppressive grasp. \nThe sheer despicability of Harry Brock was wonderfully portrayed by senior Eduardo Torres, whose interpretation of the character left nothing likeable about the character. Steve Heise, who portrayed Brock's lackey lawyer, also conveyed a degree of despicability, as well as a very convincing drunken scene. \nThe highlight of this performance was Carrie Owen's incredibly versatile portrayal of an ignorant harlot who transforms into an intelligent lady. She performed both sides of Billie Dawn with such talent that it almost seemed as if she were playing two different parts. The rest of the cast is not wanting for compliments either. \nThe dialogue drew the audience into the world of the characters and always gave a sense of the plot moving forward. A drawback to the actual script itself is that the characters were obvious stereotypes of good and evil, which detracted a bit from its feasibility, and the theme of Billie's gaining independence through knowledge is hopelessly idealistic. \nThough the knowledge Billie gains is of truth and honesty learned from America's founders, and that says a lot for our country. It says we stand against selfish, amoral and unscrupulous men like Brock and his lackeys who will stop at nothing to gain more for themselves. And more importantly, it allows the audience to see if America actually lives up to those ideals. Since "Born Yesterday" is an affirmation of the righteous, honest and cooperative spirit that Sept. 11 brought out in us all, anybody with any degree of patriotism or any doubts about America's principles should see this play.