TALLEY'S FOLLY

by Wilson, Lanford

Set in the deserted Victorian boathouse at the Talley’s home in Lebanon, Missouri, this touching and lyrical play deals with the courtship of the young Sally Talley and her Jewish suitor, Matt Friedman in 1944. Matt, an accountant from St Louis, has arrived to plead his love to Sally, the susceptible but cautious daughter of the family. Matt refuses to accept her rebuffs, and through his charm and persistence, gradually overcomes her resistance, telling her his innermost secrets while at the same time learning hers as well. He gradually awakens Sally to the possibilities of a life together until, in the final moments, it is clear that they are two kindred spirits who have truly found each other, with a wholeness rare in human relationships. ‘A funny, sweet, touching and marvellously written and contrived love poem for an apple and an orange.’ Clive Barnes.