The title of Garson Kanin’s play proves all too accurate with the new Broadway revival of Born Yesterday. This comedy about a crooked businessman in cahoots with corrupt politicians may have been written in 1946, but it seems timelier than ever in this era of tawdry Washington backroom dealings. The same can’t quite be said of its romance plotline, which has become familiar via the endless imitators that have followed it.

The main specter hanging over the production, of course, is Judy Holliday, whose indelible performance as the not-so-dumb showgirl Billie Dawn was immortalized in George Cukor’s hit 1950 screen adaptation. It’s a daunting challenge for any young actress, but Nina Arianda, a newcomer who made a big splash last year in Off-Broadway’s Venus in Furs, acquits herself nicely.

As does Jim Belushi in the central role of Harry Brock, the scrap-metal tycoon from New Jersey who muscles anyone who tries to get in his way. It’s no surprise that the actor would effectively convey the character’s bluster and vulgarity. But in this rather dark-tinged production directed by Doug Hughes, he also conveys a genuine menace that ups the reality quotient even if it occasionally detracts from the play’s humor. When his Brock slaps Billie around, it’s a genuinely shocking moment that produces gasps from the audience.

Arianda, whose sexy gams are well showcased in a variety of slinky outfits courtesy of costume designer Catherine Zuber, is delicious as Billie, infusing her line readings with an amusing Betty Boop vocal style. She’s far more sexed-up than was Holliday, who more effectively conveyed the character’s sweetness and underlying intelligence. When her Billie comes on to Paul (Robert Sean Leonard), the journalist hired by Brock to tutor her in the ways of Washington, there’s little doubt about her carnal intentions.

Unfortunately, Sean Leonard is so stiff and humorless in the role—unlike William Holden, who brought a genuine twinkle to his performance in the film—that the blossoming love affair between Paul and Billie never feels convincing.

The other main problem with the revival is its sluggish pacing, which makes the two-and-a-half hour running time seem even longer. The production never quite crackles, with the actors delivering their comic banter in far too ponderous fashion. This is particularly true of such normally reliable supporting players as Frank Wood as Brock’s scheming lawyer and Terry Beaver as a corrupt senator, although Michael McGrath gets it right as a dim-witted henchman.

It sure looks swell, however, with John Lee Beatty’s lavish set design of a garish hotel suite garnering its own well-deserved applause. 

Cort Theatre, 138 W. 48th St. 212-239-6200. www.Telecharge.com.