Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Born For The Challenge
FSLT dramedy offers laughs and lessons
Live theater matters in 2019, because when it is done well we are transported to another world for two or three short hours and learn something about ourselves in return,” says Duff Taylor.
He’s talking about “Born Yesterday,” the 1946 dramedy by Garson Kanin — but he might as well be talking about the Fort Smith Little Theatre cast, too. Every one of them says working on this show, with Taylor at the helm, has taught them things about themselves.
“This character has been a dream role of mine — from one of my favorite movies — so I am very excited for the opportunity to portray Billie,” the heroine of the piece, says Summer Robinson, an FSLT veteran. “She is full of personality and attitude — an incredible role filled with sass that is ripe for the stage.”
But playing the “ditzy, uncultured showgirl” has also pushed Robinson out of her comfort zone.
“Learning how NOT to talk good has been a fun challenge for me,” she says. “I do love Billie’s accent and fluid way of conversing — but learning lines that aren’t spoken correctly has definitely been new for me. This story is full of laughs but still a very sentimental one. I bet that audiences will be drawn to attach themselves to the characters in this play all the way through the end.”
In the story, Billie accompanies her boyfriend, Harry Brock, described as “a wealthy but crude businessman,” on a trip to Washington, D.C., where he hopes to buy a Congressman. Her lack of social savvy embarrasses Brock, and he hires a reporter, Paul Verrall, to educate her in a Pygmalian way. Of course, it backfires, and she begins to question Brock’s business dealings and falls for the reporter.
“Playing the bad guy in this production has been a very different experience for me and very unlike my usual roles,” says Charles Belt, who portrays Harry Brock. “So, ‘flying off the handle’ as part of this character has been quite the challenge, yet totally
worth it in terms of diversifying my theatrical skills.”
Belt comes to FSLT with experience from Second City Improv Olympics in Chicago and then Mulberry Community Theatre.
“I want to say that I am new here — but having done back-to-back shows at the beginning of the season here at FSLT, I feel like a part of the family,” he says. “I am loving every minute of being involved with this wonderful community theater.”
Greg Campbell makes his debut on the FSLT stage as Paul Verrall — but he’s an old friend of Robinson’s.
“Greg has been incredible to work with,” she says. “He makes me laugh every night, and so having chemistry on stage with him is easy. The last time we worked together was 14 years ago in high school on the Southside stage, right here in Fort Smith!”
“I find it interesting and challenging that the character I portray is significantly smarter than I am — as per my opinion,” says Campbell. “And I hope that audiences can see how Paul evolves as he tries to get through a rough situation.”
For Taylor, “Born Yesterday” is also a walk down memory lane.
“A year ago, I was asked to submit a show at the last minute due to scheduling problems with this year’s proposed slate,” he explains. “I had not intended to direct this year, and it was a surprise to find myself searching for a title we could announce for this year’s season. I chose ‘Born Yesterday’ because it was the first show I ever appeared in for the Fort Smith Little Theatre, and the theme is as timely today as it was in 1946 when it appeared on Broadway.
“Our theater is more vibrant, successful, appreciated and financially secure than it has ever been,” Taylor adds proudly. “A few years ago I went to Greece and stood in the amphitheater at Delphi in which man’s first plays were ever produced, where Oedipus learned his fate from the oracle, where the original Omphalos stone stood, and thought the only difference is our theater is smaller. The drive to create and entertain within the ‘fourth wall’ spans the millennia.”