Walnut scores with newest play
Erica Hope
Issue date: 4/3/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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This production, directed by Mark Clements and written by Garson Kanin, follows the story of Harry Brock, played by Marco Verna, a rich recycler of steel and his blonde and blissfully ignorant girlfriend of seven years, Billie (Kate Fahrner). Brock is a big man with a Brooklyn accent who grew up in New Jersey. He uses his stature to play the game of life through dishonesty and coercion, and he now knows little else. This strategy first began when he stole a paper route from another boy by force in elementary school. He continued his dirty affairs into middle school as he stole, and then sold, the junkyard man his own garbage. Today, in 1946, Brock has made it big within the steel industry and during the height of the war he brings his wealth and power, along with Billie, to Washington, D.C. as he and his fallen angel of an adviser, Ed Devery (David Hess) attempt to bribe Senator Hedges (Greg Wood) in their favor.
It is in Brock's richly decorated and highly pigmented hotel room - "There is such a thing as being too colorful," Devery drolls - where the entire play takes place. The audience laughs at the loud and uncouth Billie as her screaming "WHAAAAT?" echoes down from the bedroom. She is just not cut out for a high-class, aristocratic society. With all the charm of a mischievous four-year-old, Billie attempts to sneak gin when there are guests and then pouts in high-pitched, grammatically incorrect sentences when she is denied.
Besides her utter lack of etiquette, Billie is ignorant. She is happily unaware of current events and despite her recent move to the nation's capitol, she does not even know what Congress is. When asked why she is satisfied with such little knowledge she replies, "As long as I know how to get what I want, that all I want to know."
"Every time she opens her kisser, a mess comes out of it," Brock states, as it is clear Billie needs to improve. Brock pays Paul Verral (Darren Michael Hengst) to refine Billie and uses this opportunity to keep an eye on the upstanding young writer who is known for his investigations on the sordid underworld of dirty politics. As Billie puts the moves on Verral, we begin to think that he may become too distracted to make progress. However, Verral's morals hold him firmly enough to squeeze several stacks of books, numerous tours of Washington, and hours spent surveying newspapers and practicing etiquette, into Billie before they share their first kiss.
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