I attended ‘’Talley’s Folly, by Lanford Wilson’’ at the Jewish Repertory Theatre
The scene is set in the ornate, deserted Victorian boathouse on the Talley place in Lebanon, Missouri; the time 1944. Matt Friedman, a Jewish immigrant from St. Louis who has spent his life keeping others at a distance, returns to the small town where he first met Sally Talley. Nothing like her conservative Protestant family and neighbors, Sally is a nurse’s aide with deep misgivings about the country’s future.
The boathouse that was built by Sally’s Uncle Ziggy is the perfect backdrop as to what is to come. The audience hears willows swaying in the wind, the ripples of water in the nearby lake, and the town band playing music in the far distance. To them, it’s a sanctuary from the disapproval of her parents, and the prejudice of the outside world.
Before Sally arrives the honest and delightfully funny, Matt tells the audience “If everything goes well for me tonight this should be a waltz, one-two-three, one-two-three, a no-holds-barred romantic story.”
In his charming and stubborn way, Matt refuses to accept Sally’s rebuffs and her fears that her family would never approve of their marriage.
The story telling in the play really delves into what it means to be human, like when Matt compares people to eggshells; how fragile we all are, who just wish to be loved.
As the title suggests the ‘folly’ is in the happy, funny, and often painful parts of their delicate relationship. Matt gradually overcomes her defenses, telling his innermost secrets to his loved one and, in return, learning hers as well. To do so they had to truly listen to each other, as is so true in our own personal relationships.
Surrounded by the picturesque boathouse, as the curtain draws closed it is clear to them that they are two kindred spirits who have truly found each other.
I spoke to some members of the audience after the show to get their thoughts on the performance. What they said truly echoed how I felt afterward: that it transported us to our own Talley’s place and to the innocence of love, and for all the folly that entails.
Thank you to the casting actors, Chris Handley (Matt), Anne Roaldi Boucer(Sally), director Steve Vaughan, along with production staff who were available for a Q&A afterwards
I encourage everyone to see this wonderful performance and check out the next one ‘’Looking Through the Glass’’ For more information please visit www.Jewishrepertorytheatre.com
‘Tis is grand to have been and never lose that feeling to be in love,
Nathan (Nachum) Sull and June Sull
Publishers of One Stop Jewish Buffalo