Town Players of Pittsfield, Inc. P.O. Box 765, Pittsfield, MA 01202-0765 Bringing the Best of Broadway to the Berkshires Since 1921

THE LAST NIGHT OF BALLYHOO takes place on the eve of World War II in Atlanta Georgia. The Frietags are assimilated German Jews who live in a very well-to-do and very Protestant part of the city, and have a Christmas tree like everyone else on the block. Adolph is the bachelor patriarch of the family, running the family bedding business, but frequently answering to his over-bearing, older sister, Boo. Their sister-in- law, Reba, also lives with them. While their husbands died several years ago and only three months apart, Boo and Reba are as different as night and day. Boo is hard-as-nails, whereas Reba is easygoing and upbeat. Their daughters, Lala and Sunny, are also opposites. Lala is a high strung dreamer, who fancies herself a romance novelist, and whose main focus is trying to get a date for Ballyhoo, an annual ball that young Jews from all over the South attend. Sunny is practical and maintaining an A- average at Wellesley, while Lala dropped out of college in Michigan. Sunny couldn't care less about Ballyhoo. Into their midst comes Joe Farcas, a brash Brooklyn Jew whose family emigrated from Eastern Europe, the wrong side of the Elbe according to the German Jews. Joe has begun working for Adolph, but he can't get a handle on the Freitags, and asks, "Are you people really Jewish?" The clash between Jewish and Gentile sensibilities takes place within the family as well. After being rejected by Joe in favor of Sunny, Lala wails at her for not having a single Jewish feature, while Lala can't escape her heritage. While romance blooms between Joe and Sunny, Lala and her mother worry about whether Sylvan "Peach" Weil, from a good Louisiana family, will ask Lala to take her to Ballyhoo, which he does. The question of Jewish self-hatred comes to a boil when Joe discovers the ball is really only for German Jews and not "his" kind. Enraged, Joe leaves, stranding Sunny at the dance. For once things seem to work about better for Lala, as Peachy asks her to marry him. But two weeks later, Joe goes after Sunny and they confess their deep feelings for one another, and the Freitags begin to embrace their identity. Mr. Uhry was nominated for a Tony Award for his book and lyrics for The Robber Bridegroom. His first play, produced Off-Broadway in 1987, was Driving Miss Daisy which earned him many awards, including the Pulitizer Prize for Drama and an Academy Award for his screenplay. CHARACTERS Adolph Frietag Kevin Wixsom Boo Levy  Amy Judd Reba Frietag Melanie Rivers Lala Levy  Justina Trova Sunny Frietag  Elisebeth Ann Galvagni Joe Farcas  Anthony Trileri Sylvan "Peachy" Weil  James Fredenburg The Conductor  Yrhu Derfla Production Dates Friday May 10th Saturday May 11th Friday May 17th Saturday May 18th

Random Pictures from the Production All pictures and set designs © copyright (c)2004 Townplayers of Pittsfield, Inc.

Set Design, layout and model by Marc Grimshaw © copyright 2002 Townplayers of Pittsfield, Inc.

Pictures from the Production All pictures © copyright (c)2004 Townplayers of Pittsfield, Inc. ACT   I
	Lala : (Singing) Noel, Noel . . . . Reba : I forgot what a sweet singing voice you have.

Boo : You have other things to think about. Lala : What? Boo : Ballyhoo! Its less that two weeks away and nobody asked you. Lala : I don't care.! Boo : I do. Lala : Then get somebody to ask you!

Lala : I'm writing a novel! I know exectally how its going to end and I thought of the first sentence this afternoon. "From where she sat atop the weathered buckboard wagon, Ropa Ragsdale could see the charred and twisted remains of her beloved plantation."

Boo : Why wont you use your connections and your birthright to make something of yourself instead of mooning over nonsense like tree trimming and movie premieres! Lala : Only you could manage to ruin Christmas and "Gone With The Wind" in one fell swoop!

Adolph : 'tree looks fine. The star's a new addition. Boo : Compliments of Lala. We had words about it and its comming down. Adolph : I like it! Boo : You do not. Adolph : Sorry. I keep forgetting. You know the inner workings of my mind better than I do.

Boo : Is this your first visit to Atlanta, Mr. Farkas? Adolph : He Ain't visiting, Boo. He's working for me. Boo : I see. My brother's real good at separating the family business from the family. Joe : Maybe he's just protecting you. Adolph : Maybe I'm just protecting the Dixie Bedding Coroporating.

Adolph : What? You never read "Gone With The Wind?" Joe: Um, No. Adolph: A man after my own heart. I flipped through a few pages, but I never could make myself get the hang of it.

Joe : You think your uncle is Okay? Lala: He's just havin' what we all call his pre-snooze snooze. He does this all the time.

Joe : You Miss Freitag? Sunny Freitag? Sunny : Yes Joe : Uncle Adolph asked me to look in on you.

Boo : That was a fine something to say to me! That I don't have anything better to do than take care of this house. Adolph : Just speakin' the truth. Boo : And another thing, I don't see why you have to go running off to meet Sunny at the train. Adolph : I don't habe to. I want to. Boo : You never meet Lala. Adolph : I would if she went somewhere.

Boo : Lala did Sylvan Weil ask you to go to Ballyhoo with him? Lala : Peach, Mama! Everyone calls him Peachy. Boo : He did didn't he? He asked you! Lala : HE didn't mention Ballyhoo. He just said he'd be in Atlanta with his parents for the Zacharias' golden wedding anniversary party.

Reba : They were the other kind. Sunny : Other kind? Other kind of what? Reba : You know perfectly well what I mean. Sunny : Explain it to me.

Boo : How did you get that? Lala : I was looking at the pictures they had over in the corner. Scenes from the movie. And it looked like they were in frames. But they wern't. They were just slid in slots that looked like frames. So I slid one out!

Joe : Can I ask you something? Are you people really Jewish? Sunny : 'Fraid so. Joe : 'Fraid so? Sunny : Oh, you know what I mean. Joe : Yeah. You mean you're afraid you're Jewish.

Lala : Not even 24 hours in the house and you're already lording it over me. Sunny : I'm not lording it over you. I'm just tired. Lala : Poor Miss Wellesley. It must be so exhausting to have to deal with us piddling little inferiors. Sunny : I don't think you're inferior. Lala : Yes you do. You always have.

ACT   I I
Boo : Just call him. We've got to make completely sure that he's taking you. Lala : Phone his Aunt Ethel again. Reba : She did. At quarter past six this morning.

Lala : Operator, I would like to place a long distance call to Lake Charles, Louisiana. Person to person. To Peachy Weil. . . . . Not Miss. Mister Peachy Weil.

Sunny : Mama. I am going to Ballyhoo. I'm going with Joe. Raba : What are you going to wear? Sunny : I was thinking of wearing the Blue dress I wore in David and Virginia's wedding. Reba : You know, I wore blue the first time I went dancin' with your Daddy. Sunny : Oh Mama!

Adolph : That's quite an outfit! Lala : I'm glad you like it. Because it cost a weesny bit more than we planned on. Adolph : It's all right. I can always get a night job.

Lala : It tore! He tore my beautiful dress. Boo : You do nothing but cause trouble in this house, Mr. Farkas. You couldn't even let her have her joy for five minutes.

Adolph : I probably shouldn't say this. In fact, I know I shouldn't say this, because you're very young and it's basically none of my business, and also it would send your Aunt Beulah to Piedmont Hospital, but I really think you should hold on to this boy. I don't think they come along any finer. Sunny : I don't think so either. Adolph : I know Simon would approve. Sunny : I do too.

Boo : Hidey, Sylvan. I'm Beulah Levy. Peachy : Good to see 'ya. Boo : My! You certainly do take after the Zacharias side of you family! I'd recognize that hair anywhere. Peachy : It's an attention grabber, all right!

Peachy : I have to tell you something. That's why I came over. Lala : Tell me what? Peachy : I can't take you to Ballyhoo tomorrow night. I have to take somebody else.

Lala : Can't somebody else take her? Peachy : There aren't any other single men in the family. Mother said she was sure you'd understand. Lala : Did she?

Peachy : She's nine years old. I swear. My cousin Sally is nine years old. Lala : Your family is making you take a nine year old to Ballyhoo? Peachy : What do you think? Lala : I   - I   Peachy : Be ready at nine tomorrow night.

Joe : Howza' war news, Mr. A? Adolph : Not good. Peachy : Let's hope they can dodge bullets. Joe : Excuse me? Peachy : Hey! Easy there. None of this mess is my fault. It ain't even my problem.

Reba : She's ready. Peachy : Which one? Joe : Mine.

Peachy : Say! I thought this shindig was formal! Why didn't you get dressed up? Boo : Why Sylvan! You are a devil! Peachy : I picked you a poesy. Lala : Look! Two! Two white orchids!

Peachy : I forgot. Dorthy says hey. Says she was in your dorm at Michigan. Lala : Dorthy Wolf? Dotty Wolf from Shaker Heigths? Peachy : That's the one. (Lala fakes a faint) Peachy : What did I say.

Lala : Mama! I won't go to Ballyhoo and have people laugh at me! Boo : If they're gonna laugh at you, they'll do it whether you go or not. At least show a little backbone, for God's sake! We're not weak people! Now you get yourself up and go on out to that car!

Lala : You are just hatefull. Boo : But I'm right. And pretty soon it'll be "Lala Levy? I don't believe she's been out of that house - Why it must be twenty years now." Do you see any other possibilities, Daughter? . . . (silence). . . Boo : Well, go on upstairs and work on that radio script. I'm sorry. It's a novel this week.

Boo : I don't know - maybe I should've just let her stay at home. But I don't know how many more chances she's gonna have. She was lucky to get this one.

Sunny : Don't go anywhere. Joe : Not a chance. Lala : And you! behave yourself. Peachy : Why, whatever can you mean?

Peachy : None of your friends ever took you to the Progressive Club? I thought that's where you people went. Joe : Us people? Peachy : The other kind. Joe : Wait a second. So the - Progressive Club - is where me and the rest of The Other Kind belong.

Joe : Ah, the hell with it. Sunny : Joe? Peachy : Don't wory. I ain't comin' with you.

Adolph : I thought you were going to a breakfast after the dance. Where's Joe? Sunny : I don't know. We were dancing and I excused my self and when I came out of the Ladies Room, he was gone.

Adolph : Anybody want a piece of chicken? Sunny : I'm not hungry. Adolph : Seems to me a little snack always enhances a late night discussion. Sunny : We're not having a discussion. Adolph : So I notice, but you should be.

Joe : Why didn't you tell me? That guys like me aren't welcome at the Standard Club. Sunny : Is that what all this fuss is about? For Heaven's sake! I don't run the Standard Club! If you'd said something, we could've discussed it. And I could've explained. Joe : Explained what? Sunny : That old "other kind" business.

Boo : Lala! What happened? Was it that Wolf girl from Michigan? Lala : No. Dotty didn't say a word. Peachy asked me to marry him! Boo : Thank the Lord! Oh,Sugar! Are you sure?

Sunny : What you said - about Jew-hater talk - I thought about it a lot, and it's not true. How could it be? It would be like hating myself? Don't you see? It's only ignorance.

Sunny : Uncle Adolph told me I should hold on to you. Joe : Smart man. Conductor : All Aboard! Joe : Don't worry. This is only the begining. Sunny : Of what? Joe : Who knows, Sunshine? We got the whole future to choose from. So think of something really good and we'll just make it happen. Sunny : Okay.

Sunny : Baruch ata Adonai Eloheinu melech olam, asher kideshanu bemitsvotav, vetsivanue lehadlik neir shel Shabat. Shabat Shalom.

Shabat Shalom	Shabat Shalom	Shabat Shalom

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