Review: 'Talley's Folly' provocative, just don't let your mind wander

Rating: *** 
(**** Excellent; *** Good; ** Fair; * Poor)

MURPHYS -- "Talley's Folly" by Lanford Wilson is billed as a love story, but it's more than that.

The two-character drama, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1980, centers on the romance between a 42-year-old Jewish accountant and a 31-year-old WASP who are both hiding secrets. But the left-leaning players also talk extensively about factory workers' rights, strikes, Jewish persecution in Europe in World War I, and the post-war economy.

All this means you definitely have to concentrate. The dialogue, while often funny, is lengthy and dense. This isn't a sit-back-and-relax play. You can easily get lost if you let your mind wander.

The Murphys Creek Theatre production, the final offering in the Theatre Under the Stars summer series, opened Friday in Stevenot Winery's wooded amphitheater. 

This production is worth paying attention to, despite some flaws. The show, ably directed Maryann Curmi, is provocative, sometimes ouching and sweet. 

Graham Scott Green and Jacqueline Hillsman are skilled actors despite lacking the charisma and chemistry that would bring this production to the next level. They admittedly have a tough job, because they must remain on stage for the entire 95-minute play without an intermission. 

The play is the second in a trilogy about the Talley family of Lebanon, Mo. The others are "The Fifth of July" and "Talley and Son." 

Set in 1944, "Talley's Folly" takes place on one night in a broken-down boathouse, which provides the play's name. Matt Friedman has driven from St. Louis to convince the reluctant Sally Talley to marry him. Sally tells him to drive back home, but Matt concludes that she is giving him mixed signals because she is wearing a pretty new dress. 

Both wonder why the other hasn't married. While it isn't that unusual for a 31-year-old women to be single today, Sally is considered a "radical old maid" in her conservative community. Matt is an apparent Socialist with unpopular ideas and a mysterious past. 

Eventually, both reveal what has kept them from starting families. Matt's secret, though confusing, was understandable, but I had a hard time relating to Sally's. It's supposed to be tragic -- she collapses into tears when she tells it to Matt -- but it seemed to me that there was a simple solution to her problem involving a word that begins with "a" (you'll know what I mean when you see the play). But, then again, maybe that wasn't an option in the 1940s. 

Green is a generally lovable nerd as Matt. He has the biggest burden of the show because he is constantly trying to entertain Sally and make her laugh.

A particularly charming scene is when he straps on ice skates and pretends to skate with Sally inside the boathouse. But Matt's constant ramblings and jokes get annoying after a while. Green also didn't seem entirely comfortable with Matt's German-Jewish accent. Hillsman is appropriately guarded as Sally and shows pain in her eyes and expressions when Matt presses her to reveal her history. But she seems young for the role. 

The boathouse set is nothing special, but the country location is gorgeous. When the lights go off at the end, the stars shine far brighter than they do in the city. The feeling is magical. 

Bee arts writer Lisa Millegan can be reached at 578-2313 or 
lmillegan@modbee.com

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