Talley’s Folly 

Reviewed by Lara J. Altunian 
Bright Eyes Production at Hudson Mainstage Theatre 
Through March 18 

RECOMMENDED 

The mission of Bright Eyes Productions is to shine a light on classic plays. Its latest effort is Talley’s Folly — Lanford Wilson’s 1980 romantic dramedy about two lovers coming to terms with who they are and figuring out whether or not they belong together. The two-person, one-act play balances heavy raw moments with light-hearted banter that emphasizes the characters’ quirks without weighing down the storyline.

The setting is Lebanon, Missouri, 1944. Awkward lanky Matthew Friedman has come down from St. Louis to speak with his summer lover, the reluctant Sally Talley. They meet on her family’s Victorian boat, a.k.a. Folly, where they argue about their feelings for one another. She misinterprets his arguments, demonstrating a second personal folly of her own. Heartfelt conversations lead to revelations of troubled pasts as Matt and Sally discover what it might really take to be together.

Brian Chase is excellent as the semi-neurotic Matt, whose persistent pursuit of Sally is at once charming and excessive: his odd metaphorical stories and devotion earn a degree of sympathy from the audience as Sally shifts back and forth from rejecting him to appreciation of his eccentricities. Theresa Moriarty is equally powerful as the unsure and conflicted Sally. Moriarty expresses her characters’ altering doubt and strength artfully, with some of her best and most complex moments shining through in her wordless facial expressions. The interactions between these two are tender, and their reactions to one another’s confessions realistic. 

Richard Kilroy’s direction and design of the single-scene production balances the dialogue — the fundamental focus of the play — with enough movement and sound design (by Garth Grinde) to keep the show from feeling stagnant.

Talley’s Folly is an intimate look at a lover’s quarrel between two people who come from different worlds. The play dives deeply into the more complicated aspects of forming and staying in a relationship, including recognizing and seizing your moment for love, and understanding each other’s shortcomings.  

Hudson Mainstage Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; through Mar. 18. (323) 960-4412 or https://www.plays411.com/talleysfolly. Running time: 97 minutes with no intermission.