The Last Night of Ballyhoo
By Alfred Uhry
Directed by Gavin Hawk
Presented in part by the Tampa Jewish Community Center and Federation
Sep. 3 – 28, 2014
Thu. – Sat. 8pm, Sun. 4pm
Tickets: $28
Shimberg Playhouse, Straz Center for the Performing Arts
2014 BroadwayWorld Tampa Regional Award
- Best Featured Actress in a Play – Emily Belvo
Creative Loafing Best of the Bay
- Best Actress – Ami Sallee
WINNER: 1997 Tony Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Play.
Atlanta, GA, December, 1939. Gone with the Wind is about to premiere on the big screen and Hitler is marching on Poland. Adolph Freitag, his sister Boo, and nieces Lala and Sunny – a Jewish family so highly assimilated they have a Christmas tree in the front parlor – are obsessed with preparing for Ballyhoo, a lavish cotillion ball sponsored by their elite country club.
Adolph’s employee, Joe Farkas, is an eligible bachelor and an Eastern European Jew down from Brooklyn, 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. The family gets pulled apart and mended back together with plenty of comedy, romance, and unexpected revelations along the way.
The Last Night of Ballyhoo was commissioned for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and was subsequently produced on Broadway. Its author, Alfred Uhry, previously won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Driving Miss Daisy, as well as an Academy Award for the screenplay – the only playwright ever to win all three awards.
… a delightful comedy freighted with an uncomfortable message.
The JCC & Jobsite
This is the second collaboration between the JCC and Jobsite; the two organizations previously partnered on the spring 2013 performance of Wendy Graf’s Behind the Gates. As part of this partnership, a series of public forums will be held to discuss themes within and inspired by the play, not limited to Tampa’s Jewish community, but inclusive of the greater community at large. Information on those forums as well as the private grand opening night performance hosted by the JCC will be made available soon.Private Performance
Normally reserved for our final preview, the Sep. 4 performance is a private opening night performance for our partners, the JCC.
Talkback
We are hosting a talkback after the Sun., Sep. 21 matinee performance with members of the cast and crew, as well as our community, to discuss the production, its themes and their relevance today. Please join us for a lively post-show discussion!
Media
Vote Jobsite
We’re honored to be nominated for loads of nice things, and you can vote for us!
Best of the Bay!
We are honored to have been once again named Best Theater Company by Creative Loafing!
And the BroadwayWorld winners are…
Congrats to all the Jobsite artists who won the 2014 BroadwayWorld Tampa Regional awards.
Y’all ready for Ballyhoo?
There’s still time to save while making a major impact on the work we do, plus our upcoming shows, the 2014 Gala and more!
Our Fans Are Just the Cats Pajamas
Thanks to all our fans for making our 2013–14 Season an unprecedented success!
Previews
Plays at American Stage, Jobsite Theater explore Jewish identity – Tampa Bay Times
Cast & Crew
- Gavin Hawk – Director
- Matthew Ray – Stage Manager
Cast
- Ned Averill-Snell – Adolph Freitag
- Emily Belvo – Sunny Freitag
- Katie Castonguay – Lala Levy
- Suzy Devore – Reba Freitag
- Jordan Foote – Peachy Weil
- Nathan Jokela – Joe Farkas
- Ami Sallee – Boo Levy
Crew
- Kaylin Gess – Lighting Designer
- Amy E. Gray – Asst. Director
- Brian Smallheer – Scenic Designer
- David Steinweg – Properties and Scenic Dressing
- Beth Tepe-Robertson – Costume Designer
Patron Reviews
- Saw Ballyhoo last night. Thought it was great. Everyone was good but I was really drawn to the “Sunny” character (Emily Belvo). She seemed so natural and well cast in the role. - Deborah Kobritz
- Ballyhoo is a hoot! What a great show. Congratulations! A really fine evening. Please let the cast and crew know!
- Great show, very funny, outstanding performances and wonderful evening if that's the sort of thing you are looking for. – Sanford Betz
- Huge congrats to the cast and crew of Ballyhoo for a remarkable achievement last night! Last minute cast replacement was seamless and a real testament to the talent and commitment of this cast. Get well soon Katie!! The show must go on and it did with real panache. Impressive work everyone! – Elizabeth Fendrick
- Loved it! – Laura Kashkina
- We saw "Last Night of Ballyhoo" last night and thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed every minute! Each actor was perfect in his role, the staging was clever, the set design was spot on, the directing was superb, the costumes were lovely and the comic timing was impeccable! Way to go Jobsite!! - Melodie Oleson
- It was an awesome show! You all are so talented! – @kristinolinski
- Laughs all along the way, and a touching ending ... Well done. – Andrea Graham
- Saw The Last Night of Ballyhoo yesterday - great performances by ALL! – Linda Brandt
- Congrats to the cast and crew of Last Night of Ballyhoo. A lovely, funny piece that had me laughing and "Awww-ing" out loud. A beautiful home, fabulous clothes and a great group! – Katrina Stevenson
- Just saw this beautiful show today, well done to all!! Proud to be a member of this ensemble. Come see Ballyhoo, you just can't miss what it's all about. – Owen Robertson
- Bethany Cable Fisher, John E. Kennedy and I just finished watching "The Last Night of Ballyhoo." It was a wonderful show. If you have a chance, I highly recommend it. Congratulations to Nathan Jokela, Jordan Foote, Ned Averill-Snell, Emily Belvo, Ami Sallee, Katie Castonguay, and Suzy Devore! Great performances! – Steve Fisher
- Bethany Cable Fisher, John E. Kennedy and I just finished watching "The Last Night of Ballyhoo." It was a wonderful show. If you have a chance, I highly recommend it. Congratulations to Nathan Jokela, Jordan Foote, Ned Averill-Snell, Emily Belvo, Ami Sallee, Katie Castonguay, and Suzy Devore! Great performances! – Steve Fisher
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