Indiana Repertory Theatre will give Alfred Uhry's Last Night of Ballyhoo several nights in January, as the play is running the 5th-30th in Indianapolis, officially opening Jan. 8.

Former IRT resident director and current sitcom director ("Friends", "Home Improvement", "Working") Andrew Tsao returns to direct Ballyhoo. The cast includes Melissa Chalsma (Sunny), Kelly McShain (Lala), Priscilla Lindsay (Reba), Joe Costa (Adolph), Glynis Bell (Boo), Mark Heimann (Joe) and Alan Mozes (Peachy).

Originally commissioned for the Olympics Arts Festival in Atlanta, where the play debuted in summer 1996, Ballyhoo is set in that state, where prejudice against (and among) Southern Jews arises during plans for the German-Jewish community's annual Ballyhoo ball. It's also the time of the release of the film classic, Gone With The Wind, which takes place in Atlanta and deals with the Civil War and Reconstruction era. Ballyhoo centers on first cousins Lala Levy and Sunny Freitag, thrilled as they prepare for the social event of the season for the cream of Southern Jewish society.

Other pieces by Uhry include the Tony, Pulitzer and Oscar Award winning Driving Miss Daisy and the book for Lincoln Center's Parade.

Ann Sheffield designed the set; Ann G. Wrightson, the lighting; and Joel Grynheim is the stage manager. Tickets for Last Night Of Ballyhoo are $33.50-$17.50 and available by calling the IRT Ticket Office at (317) 635-5252. The Indiana Repertory Theatre is located at 140 West Washington Street.