Born Yesterday (MTC)

The Melbourne Theatre Company's production of Garson Kanin's civic-minded comedy Born Yesterday, which was first staged on Broadway in 1946, feels particularly timely in January 2017, and not necessarily in a good way. The play, of course, revolves around the enlightenment — both intellectual and moral — of showgirl Billie Dawn, endearingly and engagingly portrayed by Christie Whelan Browne, whose ongoing ascent as a stage star is given an extra boost by her performance here. But it's Billie's boyfriend - boorish, swaggering "junkman" Harry Brock (Russell Dykstra) - who comes across as the most resonant character right now.

As Harry stomps around his Washington hotel room, imposing his will on anyone and everyone with a combination of self-made-man rhetoric and bellicose bullying as he tries to gain some much-needed political leverage, we're all too easy reminded of another truculent dickhead who has recently taken the capital and the Capitol of the US by storm. As a result, it became difficult for me to fully surrender to Born Yesterday's charms, but it wasn't just the real-world analogies that made it hard to warm to this production. I couldn't help but have issues with Kanin's play, director Dean Bryant's handling of it and the performances of some of the cast members.

It's rarely a wise move to view a work that's over 50 years old through the filter of 21st century sensibilities, but the noble intentions of journalist Paul Verrall (Joel Jackson), hired by Harry to give the happily dim Billie a crash-course education so she'll be more presentable to the Washington set, have the dreaded taint of condescension. That possibly could be forgiven if Kanin's witty banter between Billie, Paul and Harry flowed a little freer, but for every exchange that sings or one-liner that hits the mark, there are others that simply fall flat or fail to rise in the first place. While one can feel Bryant trying to make the most of Dale Ferguson's spacious set, which lovingly evokes the elegance of well-to-do post-WWII America, it's obvious at times that the actors are not moving organically but arbitrarily, simply to avoid a sense of stagnation.

Born Yesterday is Billie's show - the 1950 film version won Judy Holliday an Oscar - and Whelan Browne does wonderful work with the character's sweet nature, underlying shrewdness and gradual embrace of her independence. While Dykstra and Jackson aren't bad - indeed, both have their share of strong moments playing opposite ends of the masculine spectrum - they're simply not as consistent. And the performances by some of the supporting cast is even more patchy. There are laughs to be had and enjoyment to be gained from this production, but without Whelan Browne there would be a lot less.

MTC presents Born Yesterday to 25 Feb at The Southbank Theatre.