By Alec Clayton
Published in the Weekly Volcano, May 3, 2018
 |
| from left, Jeremy Holien and Silva Goetz, photo by Jim Patrick |
Talley’s Folly
is a sweet romance with an unlikely couple, the daughter of a wealthy garment
factory owner in Missouri and a Jewish immigrant from the East Coast. This
two-person, Pulitzer Prize-winning play takes place during World War II in one
act (97-minutes long with no intermission) and in a single setting, a boathouse
on a river not far from St. Louis.
Matt (Jeremy
Holien) and Sally (Silva Goetz) had an affair a year ago that did not end well
— he calls it an affair; she denies it was any such thing — and now he has
returned to try and win her back. Like so many love stories, it starts off as
an apparent comedy in which the lovers are at each other’s throats, gradually
evolves into a serious drama, and of course, ends with a kiss.
They meet in
secret at the boathouse down the hill from her family home.
Before going
any further, I need to say something about the boathouse. Constructed by
Chester Derry, Evan Froyland, Mike Gurling and Paul Malmberg (no set designer
credited), it is a boathouse built to look like a gazebo. It is a beautiful
set, far too beautiful to ring true. If nothing else, it should be more rustic
with wood flooring instead of the white sheet board that didn’t exist in 1944.
The use of a green tarp for water was ingenious and looks very much like a
river thanks to lighting by Jacob Viramontes.
The play opens
with Holien in character as Matt breaking the hell out of the fourth wall by
walking into the space from the lobby onto the water where he stays to tell the
audience what is about to happen, including how long the play is going to be
and that it will be presented as a waltz in three-four time. And then in a
truly funny comic bit, albeit stolen from The Complete Works of Shakespeare
(Abridged), he repeats everything in fast
motion for the benefit of people who came in late.
Giving credit
where credit is due, a play that is nothing but dialogue between two
characters, with no action and no set changes (think My Dinner With Andre), is a huge challenge for the actors and the director (Jim Patrick),
and all three rise to the challenge. Goetz plays Sally as feisty, sweet and
loveable despite being angry throughout much of the play. She excels at the
small gestures that create character. One gets the impression there’s much more
to her than just the angry young woman frustrated with this man who has come
back into her life. And when she finally lets her frustrations and anger
explode, it is deeply affecting. Holien plays Matt as an intellectual who uses
humor as a weapon. He displays talent for mimicry as he imitates the voices of
other people in Sally’s life. His mannerisms are, well, a bit overly mannered.
The
end of the play, after about 90 minutes of verbal war, is taut, heart-wrenching
and ultimately sweet. And then Matt breaks the fourth wall for just a moment to
tell the audience goodbye. These moments at the beginning and end when Matt
talks to the audience are totally unnecessary. Pulitzer Prize or not, Lanford
Wilson’s script would be better if he had cut those bits.
Talley’s
Folly, 7:25 p.m.
Thursday-Saturday and 1:55 p.m. Sunday, through May 13, Olympia Little Theatre,
1925 Miller Ave., NE, Olympia, $11-$15, available
at Yenney Music, 2703 Capital Mall Dr., 360.786.9484, http://olympialittletheater.org/
No comments:
Post a Comment