Alfred Uhry's "The Last Night of Ballyhoo" is a witty and agreeable entertainment, but never so light as to lose sight of its lesson about prejudice.

The performance at Germantown Community Theatre, ably staged by first-time director Erin Shelton, brings together a strong cast to tell the story of upper-class Jewish society in Atlanta in December 1939.

The extended family of businessman Adolph Freitag and his sister Boo Levy includes dotty Aunt Reba and single nieces Lala and Sunny. Adolph is as easygoing as Boo is tightly wound, and the nieces, too, are polar opposites.

It is noted in family chit-chat that Hitler is going about some unpleasant business in Europe, but more significant to the household is the premiere of "Gone With the Wind" and the upcoming Ballyhoo festival -- the social event of the year for the Jewish community.

The family, however, embraces only part of their culture. They adore Christmas, and have an impressive tree in the living room (one out-of-towner dryly compliments it as a "nice Hanukkah bush").

The Freitag-Levy clan doesn't want to be Christian so much as to gain social acceptance by Atlanta's high society. In their own creation of class divisions, German Jewish families look down on "the other kind," meaning Eastern European Jews.

Into this thicket of Jews oblivious to their own anti-Semitism comes Joe Farkas, newly arrived from Brooklyn to work for Adolph. Joe is "the other kind," who accepts and relishes his religion and is baffled by the pretentions he sees.

Uhry's wit and observations are pointed but not cruel. The storyline revolves around the attraction between Joe and Sunny, a savvy college girl, as well as the flighty Lala's quest for a date for the big Ballyhoo formal dance.

The cast is a delight.

Laurence Goodwin (as Sunny) and Kinon Keplinger (Joe) are gifted actors who bring depth and nuance to their roles.

Also impressive are Julie Jacobson as the needy flake Lala, and John McFerrin as the wisecracking snob Peachy Weil -- two characters clearly meant for each other.

S.A. Weakley (Adolph), Laurie Cook McIntosh (Boo) and Julie Reinbold (Reba) are veteran actors who anchor the show with their solid performances.

As usual, GCT makes excellent use of the small stage. The Christmas tree in the living room is ever-present but not overwhelming. Michael Walker's set design and Kerry Strahm's set dressing are impeccable.

"The Last Night of Ballyhoo"

Call 754-2680 or go to germantowncommunitytheatre.org .