The Last Night of Ballyhoo
by City Theatre Company

Nov. 08 - Nov. 24
Thursdays-Sundays

"I guess being Jewish is where I go when I want to get at what I really am. I realized that

you have to dig into your own identity to get there. This is my identity." – Alfred Uhry

The Last Night of Ballyhoo centers on anti-semitism in the South. December 1939. Gone with the Wind is having its world premiere, and Hitler is invading Poland, but Atlanta’s Jewish community are much more concerned with who is going to Ballyhoo, the social event of the season. Prejudice, acceptance, and heartache stand in the way as the family gets pulled apart and then mended together with plenty of comedy, romance, and revelations. Ballyhoo takes several unexpected turns as the characters face where they come from and are forced to deal with who they really are.

Review by Sabrina Wallace, Austin Broadway World, November 18, 2024

 

“Everything falls into place in this…wonderfully crafted script.” – Variety

“Uhry’s achingly beautiful play is luminous and powerful.” – New York Post

 

Interview: Alfred Uhry - The Jewish Chronicle (thejc.com)

 Alfred Uhry, American playwright and screenwriter, was the first writer to win the Tony, the Oscar, and the Pulitzer Prize. He has twice won Broadway’s Tony Award: in 1997 for Best Play The Last Night of Ballyhoo and in 1999 for Best Musical Book Parade. His work was also nominated in 1976 for The Robber Bridegroom, won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Driving Miss Daisy and received the 1997 Pulitzer Prize nomination for The Last Night of Ballyhoo. 

The production is under the direction of guest director Payton Trahan (City Theatre’s Picnic and Dancing at Lughnasa), with assistant director Mikayla Hinds. The production features the cast of Sara Barber, Griffin Gardner, Tracy Hurd, Michael Harlan, Joshua Nunez, Shanaya Dixon, Matthew Hubble, and Alessandra Blaneter.

 

 

 Celebrating its 19th Season, City Theatre is an Austin-based, not-for-profit arts organization and is sponsored in part by the Austin Creative Alliance and the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin. Founded in 2006, the company has been recognized by the Austin Critics Table Awards, the B. Iden Payne Awards, the Central Texas Excellence in Theatre Awards, BroadwayWorld Austin, Central Texas Live Theatre, and has twice been voted “Best Theatre Company” by Austin American-Statesman’s Austin 360. CTC is dedicated to providing a quality, reputable, and diverse public theatre and stage entertainment experience that is accessible to all artists and the entire Austin community. CTC continues to offer its student and group discount ticket program for any show. Put a little theatre in your life!

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The Last Night of Ballyhoo
by Alfred Urey
City Theatre Company

Thursdays - Sundays NOVEMBER 8-24, 2024.

Genesis Creative Collective,1507 Wilshire Blvd., Austin, on the campus of Genesis Presbyterian Church