Talley’s Folly

Originally staged in 1979, Talley’s Folly is a romantic theatrical waltz for two written by Lanford Wilson. Milwaukee Chamber Theatre closes its season with a production of the play starring Laura Gray and Jonathan West. In 90 minutes without intermission we see an unlikely romance develop between an older man and a younger woman on July 4th, 1944.

Jonathan West plays Matt Friedman, a sharp Jewish gentleman who is smitten with Sally Talley, a strong-willed, highly articulate southern woman. Matt meets Sally at a decaying gazebo-like boathouse in twilight. In no uncertain terms, Sally tries to tell Matt that she doesn’t want to have anything to do with him, but Matt is persistent. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out where the plot will ultimately end up, but it does get there in a refreshing way.

Cast in the glow of Jason Fassl’s lighting design, R.H. Graham’s well-designed set establishes a pleasant mood. Still, the play starts off on the wrong foot; when it begins, there is Jonathan West, bearded, speaking in an accent that is difficult to place. That’s intentional, but West’s voice doesn’t sound natural, even if the emotions behind it seem to be. West tries his best to be charming at the outset, but he falls considerably short for at least the first quarter hour, coming off as that guy you meet at the bus stop whose conversation you tolerate for the sole purpose of being polite. Laura Gray as Sally makes it apparent that she wants to get rid of Matt as quickly as possible, but, though it is easy to identify with her need to get away from this guy, sympathy doesn’t go far enough to make her seem all that pleasant either. But the awkward first third of the play is worth sitting through, particularly for those who pay attention.

Somewhere after the first half hour, the dynamic between Sally, Matt and the audience becomes a lot more comfortable. There’s an emotional gravity between Sally and Matt that keeps them orbiting each other in conversation, careful to keep their distance for fear of crashing into each other too soon. Gray and West portray the intricacies of human emotional traction with admirable subtlety. As the story of Matt and Sally becomes increasingly interesting, the production builds momentum, and somewhere around the last quarter hour of the play, Matt Friedman becomes irresistibly charming, and Sally’s strength becomes unspeakably beautiful. The audience had to sit though 75 minutes worth of less-than-satisfying theatre, but everything ends almost perfectly. Right on time. And without the relative discomfort of much of the rest of the play, those last 15 minutes wouldn’t have been anywhere near as good as they end up being. As it is, this is one of the most satisfying productions of the season, even though so much of it is rather unpleasant. VS

Talley’s Folly runs through May 4 at the Broadway Theatre Center’s Cabot Theatre. Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at 414-291-7800, or visit Milwaukee Chamber Theatre online.