from
The Schenectady Daily Gazette...
Curtain Call hits home run in Wilson's 'Talley's
Folly' By
Bob Couture Curtain
Call Theatre continues its 2005 season with
a smashing production of Lanford Wilson's
clever, often earthy masterpiece, "Talley's
Folly," which fits well in the confines
of this fairly small theater.
The setting is an old boat house on the Talley
place, a farm near Lebanon, MO. It is July
4 1944, early evening. A man works his way
through the audience, sits on the stage and
looks at the assemblage, settles in and speaks
directly, taking the group into his confidence
and mixing his remarks with comical quips
to put people at ease and in a sympathetic
mood.
The scene is redolent of the opening sequence
of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town,"
with its careful, purposeful setting of time
and place. The result of this tale will be
far different from Wilder's story line.
Intersecting
Live
"Talley's Folly" is a tale well
calculated to help us understand the behavioral
patterns of two people whose lives intersect
and come to a meaningful conclusion. The show,
which runs about 90 minutes without an intermission,
cracks the emotional feelings of the particpants,
Matt Friedman and Sally Talley.
The story seems quite straight forward, and
yet it twists and turns. Matt Friedman has
come to the Talley boathouse to meet Sally
Talley, possibly with serious intentions and
a history of alienation and closeness for
the both of them. The actual confrontation
is quite serious, sarcastic, full of separation
and a coming together, plus a denouement that
could be described as cathartic.
Friedman, played brilliantly by Howie Schaffer,
is a Jewish immigrant to this country who
thrives on his wit, but he is searching for
stability and a romance with Sally Talley,
rendered wonderfully by the talented Kathleen
Carey. She on the other hand, is 31 and unmarried,
has a kind of rebellious streak that caused
her to be fired as a Sunday school teacher.
The resulting confrontation has its share
of fireworks and decision-making.
Full
Understanding
At Curtain Call, resident director Steve Fletcher
brings his usual complete understanding to
the proceedings and develops a pace that never
falters. He is aided by Malachi Martin's superb
set, representing the boathouse, and if railings
are a little high, they really do not distort
that is going on.
This production is a major achievement for
Curtain Call, which makes watchable what could
be a desultory experience. This show always
sustains interest.
