The Eunice Players are presenting The Last Night of Ballyhoo on April 14th and the 17th through the 20th. The show on the 14th is a dinner theatre and begins at 6 pm. The shows on the 17th through the 19th begin at 7 pm. For ticket prices and more information, call (337) 457-3330.
The comedy-drama is set in the upper class German-Jewish society of Atlanta, Georgia in December 1939. Hitler is invading Poland, Gone with the Wind is about to premiere, and Adolph Freitag (owner of the Dixie Bedding Company) and his sister Boo and nieces Lala and Sunny - a Jewish family so highly assimilated they have a Christmas tree in the front parlor - is looking forward to Ballyhoo, a lavish cotillion sponsored by their restrictive country club. Adolph's employee Joe Farkas is an attractive eligible bachelor and an Eastern European Jew, familiar with prejudice but unable to fathom its existence within his own religious community. His presence prompts college student Sunny to examine intra-ethnic bias, her Jewish identity (or lack thereof), and the beliefs with which she's been raised.
Originally a series of vignettes, each featuring a different member family of the city's exclusive Standard Club, Ballyhoo was inspired by the playwright's childhood memories. It was commissioned by the Olympic Arts Festival for the 1996 Summer Olympics and was staged at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre that year. In revising the play for a New York City opening, the playwright opted to focus solely on the Freitags and expanded their storyline into two acts.
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