Village of Pinecrest Aventura Mkt Council

Kristin Hayden, of Pinecrest, recently appeared in the student production of the Tony Award-winning show, The Last Night of Ballyhoo.

Top left to right: Jacob Furst, drama director Richard Rosen, Kristin Hayden. Bottom L. to R.: Heather Sapurstein, Jason Hingerton, Verena Seipp, Dax Tejera ­ director and some of the cast for the play The Last Night of Ballyhoo

The play, written by Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy) drew laughter and some tears from the full house.

Hayden played Boo, the self-important Southern mother of Lala who was played by Heather Sapurstein. Lala needed a date to the Ballyhoo dance, a debutante type of ball for Jewish society held at the Holiday time.

The story, staged realistically by the Palmer Trinity School Thespians, displayed prejudices and the striving for acceptance in society as a whole. The theme was based around a Jewish family but could have been any family "trying to keep up with the Joneses or Schwartzes."

The drama related Jewish families wanting to be accepted and assimilated, and "in the loop" in 1939, and not separated from polite American society. However, segregation existed and Jews themselves divided their traditionalists from those who assimilated.

Hayden, who has enjoyed living in Pinecrest since the fourth grade, said the theme "was a good message. It was light-hearted and serious."

"I like acting," Hayden said. "It is great to be a whole new person for a few hours."

She also enjoys community service with the Catholic Home for Children where she runs a dance program for the children.

"It was deep and meaningful," Sapurstein said. "It hit home to a lot of people. I love acting, also. I have had so much fun with it."

The audience was treated to a lesson in tolerance which stemmed from actual occurrences in the playwright's life and family.