Southern laughs

Warehouse prepares for ‘The Last Night of Ballyhoo’ premiere

By Deanna Brown

Daily Sun



“The Last Night of Ballyhoo” opens July 30 at the Warehouse Living Arts Theatre, and promises to be both enlightening and fun for the entire family.

In this third show of the WLAC season, the 1999 Tony award-winner of Best Play (written by Albert Uhry, the author of “Driving Miss Daisy”) is directed by James Maston Pritchett in his directorial debut.

“The setting is 1939 Atlanta, and the world is on the verge of World War II,” Pritchett said. “Also, the premiere of ‘Gone With the Wind’ is about to take place in Atlanta. But at the Freitag-Levy house, everyone is worried about Ballyhoo.”

Pritchett explained that Ballyhoo is a sort of Southern/Jewish debutante ball, and the big question in the show is whether or not Sunny (Brett Butler) and her cousin, Lala (Alisan Heath) will get dates.

“The show really explores prejudices between the outside world and Jews, and even within the Jewish community,” he said. “It is serious subject matter, but with some light, comedic moments.”

Pritchett is a former Odis B. Kindle apprentice, and is no stranger to the WLAC stage, especially behind the scenes. He assisted with the Corsicana Children’s Company Theatre Camp for several years. Studying theatre at Panola College, Navarro College, and the University of the Ozarks, Pritchett has won superior ratings for production assistant, scenic design, and acting at the TCCSTA Play Festival. He has competed at the national American Readers’ Theatre tournament in Los Angeles. A summer was spent working at the Berkshire Theatre Festival in Stockbridge, Mass., where Pritchett met the Tony award-winning playwright, Terrance McNally.

Sandra McClure Mahood took over the role of “Boo” when the cast member scheduled to play her experienced a back injury. Mahood is the executive director of the Warehouse Living Arts Theatre, and has many years of experience both acting and directing.

Heath, who plays Lala Levy, is a Mildred High School graduate who is now attending Texas Christian University, pursuing a major in musical theatre. She has had much success in UIL One-Act-Play competition, and has been in numerous WLAC productions, including her most recent, in which she played the title role in “Sylvia.”

Butler is a graduate of Frost High School, and will be a senior at Texas A&M; University this fall. She just returned from a trip to Costa Rica, which is featured in the August issue of exp. She is studying agriculture communications and journalism, but also loves acting, directing and watching plays. Butler, who plays Sunny Freitag, is a movie critic for Maroon Weekly, a newspaper at A&M;, and has also done movie reviews for exp.

Rogers is appearing in her third WLAC performance, in the role of Reba Freitag. She is a corporate trainer for Kohl’s, is married to Ray, and mother to Addie, age 9. She is also a graduate of Hurst Clown Around College, and entertains along with Brenda Ross and Addie as Lo-Beam, High-Beam, and YoYo, respectively.

Cody Berry plays Joe Farkas, and is a Corsicana native. He studied acting at KD Studios, where he earned his associates degree of applied arts. He has worked on projects with Oliver Stone, Ewan McGregor, and Jim Carrey. Berry is new to the Warehouse stage, and will “split” his role with Joseph Anthony Ramon.

Ramon made his stage debut in Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” in 2001. He has participated in 20 productions over the last eight years, including “Bus Stop,” “Damn Yankees,” and “Hope in Hemphill.”

“Each show has guided me toward the actor I have become,” Ramon said. “But I feel most appreciative for the seven roles I helped originate at Navarro College.”

Ramon plans to attend Texas Tech University to further his education in the performing arts.

Graham Dudley appears in the role of Sylvan “Peachy” Veil, and is a newcomer to the WLAC stage. He will be attending Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts this upcoming school year.

Wyatt Turner, a scene-stealer in each production he’s in, plays Adolf Freitag. His credits include “Guys and Dolls,” “Cinderella Wore Combat Boots,” and “Dearly Beloved.”

“I am grateful to the patrons of the arts and all of our audience members who give us a creative outlet and make all of this possible,” Turner said. “I hope you all enjoy the show.”

Tickets are still available at the Warehouse box office located at 119 W. 6th Avenue, across from the Post Office. Adult seats are $14, students and seniors 65 and older get in for $12, and children age 12 and under cost $8. For more information or to reserve tickets, call the box office at (903) 872-5421. This show replaces “A Bad Year for Tomatoes” as the third show of the WLAC season.

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Deanna Brown may be contacted via e-mail at deanna@corsicanadailysun.com. Want to “Sound Off” on this story? E-mail soundoff@corsicanadailysun.com.

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