thursday 11|29 The Play's The Thing THE LAST NIGHT OF BALLYHOO Prior to writing The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Alfred Uhry had already carved for himself a place in American theater literature with his much-acclaimed Driving Miss Daisy. With Ballyhoo, Uhry cemented that place. The play was originally commissioned and presented by Atlanta''s Alliance Theatre Company as part of the 1996 Olympic Arts Festival, and it went on to Broadway the following year, where it won a Tony for Best Play. Set in Atlanta on Christmas day, 1939, with war having broken out in Europe and Atlanta set for the opening of Gone With the Wind, the city''s Jewish population is preparing for Ballyhoo, the social event of the season. What transpires are the comic trials of two young women who must find different paths to romance while navigating the shoals of social-climbing attitudes and racial stereotypes. Tonight is a special preview performance.

7pm Thurs, 8pm, Fri-Sat, 2pm Sun. Monterey Peninsula College, 980 Fremont St., Monterey. Call for prices. 646-4213.

Old School Night

LOS DRYHEAVERS All right, you wannabe punk rockers, remember how to read? I know you do, because you probably read the lyrics while singing along to your favorite modern melodic punk band, right? Getcher selves to Ocean Thunder this evening and get schooled. Los Dryheavers have a piece of the stage tonight and they''re gonna tear a hole in it. Los Dryheavers do punk rock like it''s done best: fast, primitive and pissed. The words are yelled in a bilingual voice that is plain threatening. The guitar is loud and simple, with macho soloing every other tune or so. The rhythm section is faster than hell and pulls perfectly frequent whiplash stops. Each song is a blast of energy that begins and ends abruptly as a fall off a skateboard. If you can take it, join the party Los Dryheavers are putting on and try not to let the music alone kick you in your big baggy pants. Double Fisted, Turn and Me vs. Everybody share the stage.

9pm. Ocean Thunder, 219 Lighthouse, Monterey. Free. 643-9169.

friday 11|30

Dwight Makes Right

SHANE DWIGHT Shane Dwight, winner of the Monterey Bay Blues Festival''s first Battle of the Bands earlier this month, returns to his Peninsula home base, Ocean Thunder. This marks the first time Dwight has performed locally since winning the "battle," and our guess is that he''ll be plenty pumped for the occasion. In addition to his strong guitar work, Dwight is a charismatic and energetic performer who never fails to get the crowd at Ocean Thunder up on its feet.

9pm. Ocean Thunder, 214 Lighthouse, Monterey. 643-9169.

saturday 12|1

Peeping with the Fishes

AQUARIUM OPEN HOUSE You live here and you haven''t been to the Aquarium yet? You loser! What are you thinking? It''s the Monterey Bay, for crying out loud! This may be a big country, but the land stops right here and turns into ocean. Well, now you have no excuse. For the first week of December, from the 1st to the 9th, locals--Monterey County residents--are allowed in to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for free. It''s the annual community open house, and if you can prove that you''re a local, you''re in. The whole aquarium is on the ticket, nothing is off limits during the open house. Make sure to check out the "Saving Seahorses" exhibit and the jellyfish while you''re there.

10am-6pm daily. Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row. Free from Dec. 1 to Dec. 9. For more information call 648-4888.

The Jazz Singer

MADELINE EASTMAN AND BRUCE FORMAN Madeline Eastman proves that the human voice is the most intelligent instrument. The San Francisco-based vocalist has won critical acclaim for more than 10 years by taking jazz-singing in new directions. It''s clear listening to her that her true purpose in doing so is to honestly express real feelings. She sings with delicacy and power, communicating sadness, anger, humor, intimacy--the range of human emotions as felt by a very smart woman. She''s also smart enough to work with the best in the modern-jazz field, including the tasteful guitarist Bruce Forman, who joins her for this date.

7:30pm. Jazz and Blues Company. In the Crossroads, Highway 1 at Rio Road. $25 (under 18, half-price). 624-6432.

Carnivale Cruz

SAMBADÁ How can so few sound like so many? Just guessing here, but maybe it''s the fact that all six members of this Santa Cruz-based Brazilian fusion band play percussion in addition to their other instruments. As a result of all the drum-beating and maracas-shaking, to stay seated at a SambaDá show is to ask to be rushed to the emergency room, because no one with a pulse can sit still through this kind of sexy, high-energy rhythmic assault. Hips will begin moving of their own accord. In this lineup, reggae, samba and bossa nova join the raw sounds of Forró, or folk music from the countryside, the African-influenced Afoxe and the traditional Pagode, with its shimmerings of the guitar-like cavanquinho. Tonight the band breaks away from a string of San Francisco appearances to warm up Sly''s with its melodious confluence of Brazilian musical stylings.

9pm. Sly McFly''s, 700 Cannery Row, Monterey. Call for price. 649-8050.

Chill Pill

WINTERLUDE CONCERT The 70 members of the Monterey Peninsula Choral Society are doing a very kind thing tonight: they''re filling the Carmel Mission with the sounds of Christmas from all over the musical map and giving everyone an excuse to take a break from the holiday madness--a "winterlude," if you will. Under the direction of Linda Taylor Keill, the chorus sings the contemporary "Magnificat" by John Rutter, with its range of movements spanning the simple to the awe-inspiring. It also addresses Rachmaninoff''s ornate "Rejoice O Virgin" and the carols everyone knows and loves. The Women''s Chorale, a select group of vocalists, performs a few jewels as well, including the mesmerizing "As Lately We Watched." The show repeats Sunday.

8pm Saturday and Sunday. Carmel Mission Basilica, Rio Rd, Carmel. $20/$15/$10. 625-3237.

sunday 12|2

Hallelujah!

MESSIAH SING-ALONG Ever wonder where old high school choir members go? Well, they toil in uncomplaining anonymity all year long at desk jobs, then emerge on Messiah Sing-Along night to reestablish world domination through note-reading. But anyone can join the fun at this community event. Here''s what you do: meet with some friends who can or cannot carry a tune, carpool to the appointed Messiah sing-along site, sit next to the first person that you see holding an old dog-eared score that doesn''t look like the ones being handed out at the door (chances are this person is a former chorister), pop a breath mint, and follow your neighbor''s lead. Handel''s paean to Christ''s life is a lot more than just the "Hallelujah Chorus," so be prepared for lots of baroque loveliness and a few moments of utter confusion when the 32nd-notes kick in. Rob Klevan, music director for Robert Louis Stevenson School, leads the whole group. Copies of the score are $8.

3pm. Mayflower Presbyterian Church, 14th and Central, Pacific Grove. Free, but score is $8. 373-4441.

tuesday 12|4

Inn Vogue

CHRISTMAS AT THE INNS Maybe it''s something left over from childhood: the desire to actually walk inside a gingerbread house. Tonight PG''s 10 sweetest bed-and-breakfast inns (you know the ones--the brightest, most impeccably maintained Victorian mansions in town, the ones with names like Jabberwock and Green Gables), open the candy-house doors to the public for this wildly popular local tradition. Docents in costume pass out cookies and discuss each inn''s history, and at select establishments, live entertainment spices up the cider. Architecture buffs get a thrill--Julia Morgan designed Asilomar''s Stuck-Up Inn, and the Inn at 213 Seventeen Mile Drive is the only Craftsman-style show in town. In celebration of this fact, the Inn at 213 Seventeen Mile Drive is hosting a 1920s Holiday Jazz Party to complement the Inn''s 1925 birthdate. Specials at downtown shops and free transportation by Monterey Bay Scenic Tours make this night a festive occasion.

6-9pm. at Centrella Hotel, Gatehouse Inn, Gosby House Inn, Grand View Inn, Green Gables Inn, The Inn at 213 Seventeen Mile Drive, Jabberwock Inn, Martine Inn, Old St Angela Inn and Stuck-Up Inn. $15. 373-3304/656-6650.

wednesday 12|5

Nativity Nexus

STREETS OF BETHLEHEM The First Baptist Church of Salinas turns back the hands of time again this year with its wondrously lifelike re-creation of the "Streets of Bethlehem." Roman soldiers and live animals stroll the ancient village. Townspeople, crafters and shepherds play to the crowd along the hay-strewn path leading to a manger where Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus await. Musicians lull the crowd nightly with their melodic serenade. Free shuttle to and from the parking area behind Valley Center is provided.

6-8:30pm, Wed-Sun. First Baptist Church, 1130 San Vincente Ave, Salinas. Free. 422-9872.

This week''s Hot Picks were hooted and hollered by Michelle Caldwell, Anthony Cardott, Alex Gilrane, Traci Hukill, Andrew Scutro and Chuck Thurman.