ONSTAGE
What: Born Yesterday
Where: Roxy Theatre
When: Opens tonight, continues to June 11
Tickets: $20 to $47 at bluebridgetheatre.ca or 250 382 3370
听
听
For Victoria actor Kassiani (Casey) Austin, it was shaping up to be a long day. For starters, Austin 鈥� co-starring in a new stage production of Born Yesterday 鈥� had awakened at 3 a.m. and couldn鈥檛 get back to sleep. As well as doing a newspaper interview, she was taking part in a noon-to-midnight technical rehearsal of the play, which opens tonight at the Roxy Theatre.
鈥淵ou get to a certain point, you get used to the exhaustion,鈥� Austin said, looking surprisingly cheerful.
She plays the role of brassy Billie Dawn in Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre鈥檚 revival of Garson Kanin鈥檚 1946 romantic comedy. Classic film buffs may remember the 1950 movie version of Born Yesterday, starring Judy Holliday as Billie, a scatter-brained blond with a Cyndi Lauper-esque New York accent.
Austin had arisen in the wee hours to deal with her two-year-old son, Grover, who鈥檇 been rudely awakened by a leaky water bottle. On this particular day she was also looking after her daughter, Elektra, asleep just a few feet away in a helper鈥檚 arms. Elektra is only five weeks old, so she cannot be far from her mother鈥檚 side, rehearsals or no rehearsals.
鈥淲hen I auditioned for Born Yesterday, [director] Janet [Munsil] did ask me: 鈥楽o, how will this work?鈥� 鈥� Austin said.
It has worked out fine so far.
鈥淵esterday, I finally ended up on stage while nursing the baby. I sort of turned around and said: 鈥榃ell, we all knew it would come to this.鈥� 鈥�
Born Yesterday鈥檚 plot seems curiously prescient, given Donald Trump鈥檚 presidency in the U.S. Junkyard king Harry Brock (Jacob Richmond) is a crass businessman determined to succeed, even if it means ignoring all the rules. He visits Washington, D.C., with the purpose of influencing politicians to suit his nefarious purposes.
Brock hires a tutor, idealistic journalist Paul Verrall (Jonathan Mason), to teach Billie social graces. Billie receives a crash course on everything from literature to the law, and turns out to be much smarter than anyone imagined.
Munsil said Blue Bridge鈥檚 production retains the original script and post-war context.
鈥淲e haven鈥檛 updated the text, setting or the characters, although in a couple of places it鈥檚 so 鈥榦n the nose鈥� for today that鈥檚 it鈥檚 hard to believe we haven鈥檛. I suspect there will be new laughs in places Kanin the playwright never intended or imagined,鈥� she said.
The New York Times once described Billie as 鈥淎merican theatre鈥檚 definitive dumb blond.鈥� Certainly, Austin, who鈥檒l sport a blonde wig, will mine this side of the role. At the same time, she views Billie as something of a 鈥渇eminist,鈥� given the way her character asserts herself as the play progresses. This is Austin鈥檚 fourth production with Blue Bridge. She previously appeared in Uncle Vanya, The Importance of Being Earnest and had a wee role as a secretary in Death of a Salesman. 鈥淚 think I was on stage for 45 seconds. And it was terrifying,鈥� said Austin, noting that Death of a Salesman was her first professional gig. 鈥淭o this day, I still think it was one of the most challenging stage experiences of my career, so far. It was like being shot out of a cannon.鈥�
Austin鈥檚 husband is Nick Blasko, co-owner of Atomique Productions, an independent concert promotions company. She and Blasko co-founded Victoria鈥檚 annual Rifflandia rock festival, now in its 10th year .
鈥淚t was the two of us and his mom in a pop-up tent outside the McPherson [Playhouse] for the first year, selling tickets. That鈥檚 how it started,鈥� Austin said.
The daughter of a naturopathic physician and a trained economist, Austin didn鈥檛 start out intending to be an actor.
With no specific plans, she took a biochemistry degree from the University of Victoria. In her spare time she worked as a 1980s DJ, once accompanying pop duo Tegan and Sara across Canadian in a van as their opening act.
After that trip, Austin decided she鈥檇 like to host a cooking show. A friend advised her to take acting classes in preparation. Acting became a growing interest. She took classes in Los Angeles and took a Master of Fine Arts degree from Columbia University in New York City (one of her instructors was actor Dianne Wiest).
After roles with Classic Stage Company and La MaMa, Austin returned to Victoria. Here, Austin has also acted with Theatre Inconnu, appearing in Joshua Harmon鈥檚 Bad Jews.
Along the way, Austin found time to co-write and act in The Last New Year (2009), produced by the Toronto-based Nightingale Company. One day, she hopes to write a TV series.
Her immediate plans are to continue acting and raising her young family. 鈥淏oth sets of grandparents live here,鈥� Austin said, 鈥渨hich is hugely helpful.鈥�