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While Born Yesterday is obviously a comedy -- and a hilarious one at that -- it also contains poignant moral lessons, insightful questions about the state of the world and the people in it, and plenty of room for personal interpretation. I walked away from Born Yesterday feeling both introspective and uplifted, a feeling I greatly appreciate and owe to the purity of this show. The actors are impeccable in their characterizations, deliveries, and comic timing. Their bonds with one another are seamless: The relationships glow with truth as kinships between lovers, cousins, associates and friends are developed. Instead of weakening, as they could, the bonds between these people only grow stronger as the actors build on the complex themes of love, betrayal, greed and pride. Harry Brock (Michael P. Watkins) is a bullying entrepreneur who has traveled to Washington, D.C,. for the purpose of wooing a senator (William Campbell). The millionaire brings along his friend and advisor, Ed (John L. Muellner), his henchman cousin, Eddie (Jesse D. Lally), and his longtime girlfriend, Billie Dawn (Storm Kennedy). Neither Harry nor Billie are educated people and for this reason in particular they have been stuck in the same pattern for nine years. Though Ed advises that it would be wise to do so, Harry refuses to marry Billie because the idea of it intimidates him; while Billie, in her wide-eyed ignorance, consistently fools herself into believing that she has no desires in life beyond jewels and expensive clothes. They have both come from lower-class backgrounds, and have battled their own difficult way to the top. As the play unfolds, we watch each of them struggle as they try to believe that everything in their privileged but empty lives is perfect, and they need nothing beyond what they already have. However, things are thrown into chaos when Harry hires a journalist, Paul Verrall (Michael Walker) to "culture" Billie so that she can fit in with Washington society's bridge-playing politicians' wives. But when Paul and Billie are unavoidably drawn to one another, things become increasingly confusing for everyone involved. The humorous script and spirited performances keep the story from being too heavy or depressing. Michael P. Watkins is a joy to watch. As an actor, his incredible charisma paired with skilled subtlety enable him to create a detailed character. Storm Kennedy, tackling the challenging role of Billie Dawn, embraces her role with gusto and in making brave choices, she gives Billie a touch of a devil-may-care attitude that adds dimension to a character that could otherwise be an unvaried caricature. John L. Muellner's effortlessness establishes strong believability as Ed. Michael Walker is charming as the careful, considerate Paul, a man whose integrity is too strong to be worn down by the corruption that goes on all around him, and Jesse D. Lally is so funny as Harry's dim-witted cousin that at times his movements were so distracting I wanted to just watch him for his next animated gesture. Megan O'Connor Allen and William Campbell are excellent as the political Hedges couple, and each of the individuals making up the remainder of the supporting cast (John Elliott, Eric Murray and Michelle Nicola) are delightful additions to this shining production. When a show leaves you with new questions and reflections on your own life, you know you've seen good theater. And if you hurry to the Actor's Cabaret to catch Born Yesterday (which runs through June 2) you will have the opportunity to see some of the best theater this town has seen in a long time.
But like other poets who teach, attend readings and conferences and have a private life away from work, Olds finds the time to write. She composes poems "longhand" with a ball-point pen in a grocery-store notebook when she has a minute. "I like the dance and ice-skating and caressing feel of hand writing rather than the hitting-keys feeling," Olds says. "Then I type up the poems I like best ... over and over, in full, as I revise them," using a manual portable typewriter she carries on her back when she travels. Sometimes when she's writing the first draft of a poem, Olds told EW, "I almost feel as if I'm listening for something 'already written.'" At this stage, the poem is sort of like "reading aloud, hearing it in my head," she says. The wide-ruled, supermarket notebooks she uses "contain the first drafts of poems and drawings of birds and diary entries -- all in the handwriting that I feel keeps it connected to the whole organism, for me, rather than just the head." She says she listens to jazz, blues and classical music, but not while she's writing. "Then I want each poem's own beats to find themselves -- often a combination of church hymn rhythm and rock and roll cut-and-thrust," Olds says. "I loved studying languages," Olds says, "swimming in grammars and vocabularies. That my American English was just one of many American Englishes, and that English was just one of so many world languages -- just the idea of that was so stunning. The profound emotional and musical differences between languages filled me with wonder!." Despite the wide use of the pronoun "I" in her work, Olds reminds us that "no one knows if the speaker of the poem is the poet or not" because "each 'I' could be a persona." She says that when "mulling over the issue of apparent autobiography ... with fellow poets, we usually seem to figure out that each one of us has to learn if we can trust our instincts about loyalty and privacy or not. There aren't any rules, I think. What does our soul feel comfortable with?" she asks. Sharon Olds' published works include Satan Says (U. Pittsburg Press, 1980), The Dead and the Living (Knopf, 1984), The Gold Cell (Knopf, 1989), The Father (Knopf, 1992), The Wellspring (Knopf, 1995) and Blood Tin, Straw (Knopf, 1999). Olds will also read in Portland at 7:30 pm on May 18 at the Wieden and Kennedy Atrium (call Literary Arts 503 -227-2583 for tickets). Book
Notes:
Some years ago, I wrote a column about fuchsias that didn't mention Delta Farm and Nursery, the ultimate local source. The truth is, I had heard of Delta Farm but I knew almost nothing about it, and a phone call (on the day of my deadline) was not returned in time. Little did I know that a book on my desk, just arrived in the mail, could have answered all my questions. Since then, Faye and Ron Spidell's already impressive fuchsia inventory has grown to more than 600 varieties, with an emphasis on hardy garden kinds that return year after year. How do I know this? Did I put in another call to Delta Farm? No, I just picked up the latest edition of A Gaga Gardener's Guide to Nearby Nurseries. The first edition of Ellen Schlesinger's inspired little book appeared in 1996. It described 22 sources for ornamental plants in the Eugene-Springfield area. Nurseries come and go. Some had disappeared by the 1998 edition, but the total listing had risen to 31. Once again, a few have fallen by the wayside, but 17 new entries more than compensate. The guide now describes a whopping 45 places to buy plants. What's more, an arbitrary and not particularly useful list of plants at the back of the book has yielded space to descriptions of local public gardens, garden clubs and societies, garden tours and annual plant sales. Schlesinger is a gardener, writer and neighborhood activist who is seriously passionate about plants and the process of acquiring them. My own plant lust pales by comparison. The warmth of her writing gives the reader a feel for the great variety of people who grow and sell plants in our area. Whether you are looking for a day out with the children, a hard-to-find plant or just the best price on colorful annuals, there is plenty here for you. Do you insist on plants that never had a chemical fix? Would you like to know which nurseries have great display gardens, or where to find the best selections of Japanese maple, lavender, vines, water plants or woodland perennials? The Gaga Guide will point you in the right direction, tell you when the nurseries are open, and let you know if you should you wear your gumboots. There is some very good news for gardeners in the latest edition. For one thing, native plants are more available locally than ever before. Not only is Bloomer's stepping up its inventory of natives, but Trillium Gardens, previously the only specialty natives nursery featured, has been joined by two new listings on the other side of town, or three if you include a source for native trees. Fans of Heatheroak Rhododendron Nursery who went into mourning when the Hopewells retired to Hawaii will want to check out a new nursery on the same site. Prices are reportedly still low, and the rhodies have been joined by Del's Japanese Maples. Forget Mail Order Kenan Rowlett (The Artistic Gardener) sells bamboo, grasses and cannas at the Farmer's Market. Now he has opened the small but crammed garden and nursery around his home to shoppers. Grasses never look their best in nursery pots, but they are a terrific addition to perennial gardens. Go and visit some of them in action, and I am sure you'll see what I mean. The Gaga Guide is available from garden centers and nurseries (Bloomer's, Gray's, Greer's, Baltzer's, Down to Earth and Johnson Bros.). Or send a check for $14.95 (plus $1.50 for S&H) to: Waccabuc Books, P.O. Box 26009, Eugene 97402 Plant Sales Coming Up: -- Mount Pisgah Wildflower Festival and Plant Sale, 33735 Seavey Loop Road, Eugene. Sunday, May 20. Opens at 10 am. Another good sale, well known for bargain prices in a fabulous setting. Some native plants are usually available.
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