Junior Sydney Rey and senior Mary Rochford represent the mother-daughter relationship in Southern society in The Last Night of Ballyhoo. photo by Briana Sanchez

by Hayden Pendergrass

In The Last Night of Ballyhoo by Alfred Uhry, the Franklin Theatre Troupe’s last performance of the year is an exquisite example of addressing the play’s theme of societal oppression through the universal experience of laughter. With effective acting, superb set and convincing costumes, the play’s performance successfully portrayed the Jewish experience in the South on the verge of World War II.

The play, written by the author of Driving Miss Daisy, centers around a family that is similar to the Christmas tree in their Jewish home, that is, set awkwardly in a world of societal oppression. With the upcoming cotillion, the titled Balyhoo, Lala Levy (junior Sydney Ray) and her mother Beulah (senior Mary Rochford) face the societal pressures of social acceptance, while a budding romance between Joe Farkas (junior Sebastion Orozco), hired by the family patriarch Adolph Freitag (junior Seth Beltran/sophomore Michael Quinn Lara), and Sunny Freitag (Casey McCool) is tempered by the social differences between Southern and “Yankee” Jews.

By the conclusion of the play, the familial rivalries existent between Sunny and Lala, and subsequently their mothers Beulah and Reba (senior Shelbie Ponder), are resolved upon the reconciliations between Lala and Sylvan “Peachy” Weil (junior Gilbert Bauman-Flores) and Sunny and Joe. Moreover, the question of the family’s true faith and their willingness to embrace is answered by the plays conclusion.

The overall quality of acting was superb; however, the only weakness of the play came from the inconsistent accents.  While the accents were present, many of the actors were unable to maintain them solidly throughout the play, which is understandable due to the rarity of Southern Jewish accents. Nevertheless, Beltran’s hilarious portrayal of Adolph, McCool’s convincing performance, and Rochford’s continually excellent acting ultimately made the play. Also, Bauman-Flores’s well-casted role as the boisterous Peachy made him a convincing performer as well. Moreover, the crowd’s reaction to the situational and verbal irony is a testament to the effectiveness of the play’s performance.

Furthermore, stage manager Ryan Dunn and director and theater teacher John Poteat also contributed greatly to the effectiveness of the play. The period dresses and furniture add the essential verisimilitude necessary in depicting realism, especially when the play is set nearly 70 years ago. Additionally, the music used during the scene transitions not only added to the 1930s ambiance, but it also afforded the crew extra time for the elaborate costume changes in the play.

Essentially, the Franklin Theater Troupe’s production of The Last Night of Ballyhoo is an entertaining and humorous story addressing the Jewish experience in a world and society full of cruel oppression, be it regional, religious, or social. With the successful acting and stage design, the play’s true message is carried across through its intended means, humor. This is truly a testament to the Theater Troupe’s success in producing four plays during Poteat’s second year as theater teacher and a curtain call for seniors Mary Rochford and Ryan Dunn.