A Traditional Southern, Jewish Christmas

The Levy's of Atlanta are doing their best to fit into the city's high society -- they even have a Christmas tree despite their Jewishness. High society, however, doesn't reciprocate. So the Levys and the other Jewish families have their own posh ball, Ballyhoo, which currently dominates all conversation in the Levy household. Hitler's just making his big move in Poland and Eastern Europe's Jews are fleeing for America, but that's small potatoes compared to who's taking whom to Ballyhoo. And then Joe Farkas arrives for family dinner -- he's the son of some of those newer immigrants, and he's far closer to kosher than anything the Levys have ever encountered. In Alfred Uhry's The Last Night of Ballyhoo, social climbing and cultural assimilation butt heads with the desire to honor one's heritage and to keep the faith. The New Jewish Theatre presents The Last Night of Ballyhoo at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday (December 1 through 18) in the Wool Studio Theatre at the Jewish Community Center (2 Millstone Campus Drive, Creve Coeur; 314-442-3283 or www.newjewishtheatre.com). Tickets are $35.50 to $39.50.
Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays. Starts: Dec. 1. Continues through Dec. 18, 2011