Have a 'Ball' at the Columbia Theatre June 6
Contact: Tonya Lowentritt
5/30/08
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HAVING A BALL - Southeastern Louisiana University’s Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts will present Ricky Graham’s “And the Ball and All” starring the crescent city’s favorite actress Becky Allen in one performance only June 6 at 7:30 p.m. Pictured from left are Amanda Hebert, Yvette Harges, and Becky Allen.
Directed by New Orleans theater icon Ricky Graham, the nostalgic New Orleans comedy centers around the mythical Krewe of Terpsichore in 1950s New Orleans.
Becky Allen, the Crescent City’s favorite actress, stars as one of three yatty batty women who meet regularly in a mid-city lounge to eat, drink, gossip and plan a theme for their truck float and ball.
When it debuted in 1996, “And the Ball and All” won a Big Easy Entertainment Award for Best Comedy. Since then the production has played in many venues, from Mandina’s restaurant to north shore’s North Star Theater.
Following a hiatus, “And the Ball and All” is back full force and opening at the Columbia Theatre before beginning a new run at Le Chat Noir in New Orleans later in June.
“We are extremely excited to be presenting Ricky Graham’s ‘And the Ball and All,’” said Michelle Biggs, Columbia Theatre’s associate director of marketing. “The show is true New Orleans comedy, and I’m sure that the audience will be able to identify with the crazy antics of the characters.”
Graham told the New Orleans weekly Gambit that the idea for the production came when he was caring for his mother who suffered a heart attack in 1994. He dropped everything to care for her, and the two spent their time together reminiscing about his childhood, the Ninth Ward, and the lower-middle-class way of life.
Graham’s mother recovered, and soon after he produced a first draft of what would become “And the Ball and All.”
An actor himself, Graham has appeared in numerous productions including “The Pirates of Penzance,” “Candide,” “The Mikado,” and “Shut Up, Sweet Charlotte.”
Born and raised in Louisiana, Allen, a veteran actress, received the Lifetime Achievement Big Easy Award in March. Allen’s numerous theater credits include “Annie,” “Gypsy,” “West Side Story,” and “Sweet Charity.”
Tickets for “And the Ball and All” are $32, Orchestra 1 and Loge; $28, Orchestra 2 and Balcony 1; and $20, Orchestra 3 and Balcony 2. They are available online at columbiatheatre.org or at the Columbia box office, 220 E. Thomas St., 985-543-4371. Box office hours are noon-5 p.m., Monday through Friday and one hour before performance times.
For information about upcoming Columbia Theatre events, visit www.columbiatheatre.org or call (985) 543-4366
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