The Brigham Young University-Idaho Department of Theatre will perform a contemporary comedy, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, from May 22 to 24 and May 29 to June 2 in the black box theatre in the Eliza R. Snow Center for the Performing Arts.

Set in Atlanta, Georgia in 1939, this comedy focuses around the Freitag family: bachelor Adolph, his widowed sister "Boo" and their widowed sister-in-law, Reba. At a time when Gone with the Wind is having its world premiere and Adolph Hitler is invading Poland, it seems Atlanta's elitist German Jews are most concerned about who is going to Ballyhoo, the social event of the season.

The family gets pulled apart and mended together with romance, revelations and comedy along the way. As several unexpected turns occur, the characters face where they come from and are forced to deal with who they really are.

"This is not only a story of love, it is also a story of struggle, faith and commitment," said John Bidwell, an instructor in the BYU-Idaho Theatre Department. "As Latter-day Saints, we can relate to this story. How do we fit in with our different surroundings while also maintaining our values and beliefs?"

The play's writer, Tony Award winner Alfred Uhrey, wanted to portray the beauty of ordinary characters, in very ordinary situations, coming to life in extraordinary ways, a similar situation to his prize winning play and eventual movie Driving Miss Daisy.

Show time is 7:30 pm. Tickets are $6 for the general public and $3 for BYU-Idaho students. They are available at the Kimball Building Ticket Office, by calling 496-2230 or by purchasing online at www.byui.edu/tickets.