The Last Night of Ballyhoo was a game by Alfred Uhry who premiered in 1996 in Atlanta. His drama is a comedy/drama, set in Atlanta, Georgia, in December 1939.
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Plot
The drama is organized in a high-class Jewish-Jewish community living in Atlanta, Georgia in December 1939. Hitler has just conquered Poland, with Gone with the Wind coming soon, and Adolph Freitag (owner of Dixie Bedding Company ), his sister Boo, and Reba's brother-in-law, along with Lala and Sunny's nephews - their very assimilated Jewish family owns a Christmas tree in the front parlor - looking forward to Ballyhoo, a fancy cotillion ball sponsored by their limited country club. Adolph's employee, Joe Farkas, was a qualified scholar and a Jew of Eastern Europe, familiar with prejudice but unable to understand his existence within his own religious community. Her presence encouraged Sunny's students to examine the intra-ethnic bias, her Jewish identity (or lack thereof), and the beliefs with which she was brought up.
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Character
Boo Levy - Mother Lala, Sunny aunt, and Adolphs sister. Her husband is dead, and she struggles with her daughter's desire to be socially successful. Boo is the main character that drives inter-Jewish racism. Pictured in character figure as 'Adolf's sister, a few years older.'
Sunny Freitag - A junior at a fine liberal arts college (Wellesley College), Sunny is interested in the work of Eugene V. Debs and Upton Sinclair. He fights with Jewish identity, but faces this through his relationship with Joe. It is not known whether the final scene is a dream or a reality. Described in character characters as 'Princess Reba, 20s.'
Adolph Freitag - Praising Sunny, but has little tolerance for Lala. Adolph is a good soul, who understands the good impact that Joe has on the family. Described in character cast as 'an entrepreneur, late 40s.'
Lala Levy - Obsessed with 'Gone With The Wind.' Somewhat childish and awkward, Lala finally found a husband in Peachy. Lala fights with her mother because of their Jewish identity and social status. Described in character cast as 'Boo's daughter, 20's.'
Reba Freitag - Sister-in-law for Adolph and Boo. Reba is rather simple, but more astute than others give credit. Like other characters, Reba does not realize what it means to be Jewish. Described in the character cast as 'Brother's brother-in-law, middle 40s.'
Joe Farkas - Works for Adolph Freitag, and finds an intellectual match at Sunny. Challenge families to reassess their ideas about identity and family. Described in the character character as 'Adolf's business assistant, 20's.'
Peachy Weil - Find matches in Lala. Known for his irritating and outspoken behavior. Pictured in a character figure as 'a visitor from Lake Charles, 20s.'
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Originally a series of sketches, each featuring a different family member from the exclusive City Standard Club, Ballyhoo was inspired by childhood childhood memories. In revising the drama, Uhry chose to focus only on Freitags and expand their storyline into two innings. Ballyhoo was commissioned by the Olympic Art Festival for the 1996 Summer Olympics and staged at the Atlanta Theater Alliance that year. These Atlanta players include Terry Beaver as Adolph, Dana Ivey as Boo, Stephen Mailer as Joe, Jessalyn Gilsig as Sunny, Mary Bacon as Lala, Valerie J. Curtin as Aunt Reba, and Stephen Largay as Peachy Weil. (T. Beaver, D. Ivey, and S. Largay are the only cast members transferred to Broadway.)
Production
The drama was opened on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theater on February 27, 1997 and closed on 28 June 1998 after 556 performances. Directed by Ron Lagomarsino, original actors including Terry Beaver as Adolph, Dana Ivey as Boo, Paul Rudd as Joe, Arija Bareikis as Sunny, Jessica Hecht as Lala, Celia Weston as Aunt Reba, and Stephen Largay as Peachy Weil.
Substitutes later on the run include Peter Michael Goetz as Adolph, Kelly Bishop (in about May 1998) and Carole Shelley (on August 26, 1997) as Boo, Mark Feuerstein and Christopher Gartin as Joe, Kimberly Williams as Sunny (on August 26, 1997 ), and Cynthia Nixon (on August 26, 1997) and Ilana Levine as Lala.
Critical reception
Ben Brantley of the New York Times observed, "Much of the odd and idiosyncratic Southern humor reminds us of the vintage episodes of the TV situation television. Designing Women .. Mr. Uhry one previous drama, Driving Miss Daisy ... is a simple work of sentimentality and social commentary made in passing, here the author uses a more direct and conventional way of working brighter to bait laughter and tears.> Ballyhoo is not an awkward job, in its own terms, it is an old-fashioned sewing style, and Mr. Uhry has an interesting and burning subject in the self-hatred implied in social stratification at between the South Jews, especially given that this drama is set on World War II night, but the context in which it sits it can feel very efficacious... No one doubts that Ballyhoo is sincere, good to work, but almost never felt spontaneous. Despite the provocative subject, the shape is a convenient theatrical equivalent of food, something for those who like their nostalgic repackaged in the guise of something new. "
Awards and nominations
- 1997 Tony Award for the Best Play (winner)
- 1997 Tony Award, Best Featured Actor in Play, Terry Beaver (nominee)
- 1997 Tony Award, Best Featured Actress in Play, Dana Ivey (nominee)
- 1997Tony Award, Best Actress in Playing Actress, Celia Weston (nominee)
- Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Broadway Play (winner)
- 1997 Drama Desk Award for New Extraordinary Play (nominee)
- 1997 Drama Desk Award, Extraordinary Featured Actress on Play, Dana Ivey (winner)
- 1997 Drama Desk Award, Best Actress in Playing Actress, Celia Weston (nominee)
- 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Drama - finalist
References
External links
- Ballyhoo Last Night on the Broadway Internet Database
- Ballyhoo Last Night on the Broadway Internet Database
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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