THE LAST NIGHT OF BALLYHOO at Ross Valley Players
AMBITIOUS “THE LAST NIGHT OF BALLYHOO” A WINNER
Thoughtful, tough and funny, The Last Night at Ballyhoo is one of the best productions performed by the always ambitious Ross Valley Players. Set in pre-World War II Atlanta, it is an astounding examination of a flawed social system yet an intimate journey of the German Freitag family that will enmesh you in their personal lives. It is Christmas 1939, Gone with the Wind is about to premiere in
Boo Levy (Mary Ann Rogers) is a steel-willed, widowed mother whose primary purpose is to provide Lala (Lauren E. Becker), her under achieving, socially reclusive daughter, with an escort to the annual Ballyhoo Ball, a prized Jewish social function that rivals a Protestant Cotillion. Part protective mother hen and dominating household mistress, Boo is not really evil, but she projects a harsh demeanor with a chip on her shoulder for being excluded from the family business. They live in the home of her bachelor brother Adolph Freitag (Alex Ross), his gentle sister-in-law Reba (Molly McGrath) and her daughter Sunny Freitag (Alicia Bruckman) who is away at the exclusive
The battle between Boo and Lala becomes further complicated when Adolph hires and brings home handsome, aggressive Joe Farkas (Mike Cernokus), a New York Sephardic (Eastern European Jew) to work in the mattress factory. He has no concept of Ballyhoo and asks “What’s Ballyhoo?” giving author Uhry a reason to amplify its significance to the Western European Jews (Ashkenazi) living in the South. He rejects Lala’s overtures to entice him into being her date. Boo admonishes Adolph that Joe is the “other kind” who belongs with the Progressive Club and not their Standard Club that excludes Sephardic Jews, and shockingly blurts “The Kike you hired has no manners!”
Joe, in collusion with Adolph, meets Sunny and there is immediate attraction that evolves into a love story that, since true love never runs smoothly, develops into dramatic confrontations. Joe is perplexed: “Are you people really Jewish? Christmas means you’re not Jewish.” Sunny explains “We wanted to be like everyone else.” She justifies their desires relating the story of when she was 9 years old she was told, “Jews are not allowed to be in the swimming pool.” Lala eventually finds a mate in Peachy Weil (Kurt Gundersen), from a fourth generation, Southern Jewish family and Joe and Sunny patch up their differences with a suggestion that all will turn out well. After all, the play is a comedy with heavy handed underpinnings.
Alfred Uhry, the author of highly acclaimed and prize winning Driving Miss Daisy, was commissioned to write a series of vignettes to coincide with the Olympic Arts Festival for the 1996 Summer Olympics and was staged at
Expertly directed by Phoebe Moyer who personally assembled a superb production staff with which she has worked before, the pacing never misses a beat and she has honed the actors into an ensemble mode. There are many directorial touches, including the choice of music (sound design by Billie Cox), that add immensely to individual characterizations yet are subtle and meaningful, adding non-verbal layers of personality. Mary Ann Rodgers is superb as the shrill disappointed mother who grows to be understanding of Lala’s plight in a beautiful scene where she uses reverse psychology to bring Lala out of a tantrum. Newcomer Lauren E. Becker excels as Lala making the audience feel pain and at the same time pushing us away with her volatile changes of mood.
Alex Ross, a mainstay at RVP, often steals a scene with laconic delivery and facial expressions to die for. His role carries most of the humor until Kurt Gundersen, as Peachy Weil, who is almost a deus ex machina to Lala’s plight, enters late in the second act, making the most of his small role, giving a memorable fireball performance. Alicia Bruckman’s under stated role as Sunny is a joy to behold and her scenes with Mike Cernokus as Joe, exude palpable confusion and longing. This is her first show with RVP and we shall surely see her in future productions. Molly McGrath’s quiet unassuming role is the perfect contrast to the explosive diatribes of Rodgers and Becker, and makes a great acting team with Alex Ross.
Once again, Bruce Lackovic designed a brilliant multi-area set that captures the era of 1939 with moveable additions that allow the many scene changes to flow without interruption.
Highly recommended. Running time about 2 hours and 15 minutes with intermission.
Kedar K. Adour (American Theatre Critics Association, SF Bay Area
TheatreWorld Internet Magazine
www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com
Where: Ross Valley Players (R.V.P.), Barn Theatre, Marin Art & Garden Center, 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. at Lagunitas, Ross, CA. 415-456-9555 or www.rossvalleyplayers.com.
When: March 20 to