Talley's Folly

Talley's Folly
Mermaid Dramabook Series published by Hill and Wang, 1980
Written by	Lanford Wilson
Characters	Sally Talley Matt Friedman
Date premiered	February 20, 1980
Place premiered	Brooks Atkinson Theatre New York City, New York
Original language	English
Series	The Talley Trilogy: Talley and Son Talley's Folly Fifth of July
Subject	Two people who find a wholeness rare in human relationships
Genre	Drama
Setting	An old boathouse in rural Missouri, 1944

Talley's Folly is a 1979 play by American playwright Lanford Wilson, the second in his cycle, The Talley Trilogy between his plays Talley & Son and Fifth of July. Set in an old boathouse near rural Lebanon, Missouri in 1944, it is a romantic comedy following the characters Matt Friedman and Sally Talley as they once and for all settle their feelings for each other. Wilson received the 1980 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the work. The play is unique for Wilson in that it takes place in one act, with no intermission, set in ninety-seven minutes of real time. There is no set change.

Talley's Folly is the story of one night in the lives of two unlikely sweethearts, Matt Friedman and Sally Talley. The one-act play takes place in a dilapidated boathouse on the Talley farm in Missouri. It is the Fourth of July in 1944.

The play opens with Matt directly addressing the audience, telling them that the play will take ninety-seven minutes and he hopes to capture and relate his story properly in that amount of time. Taking the time to point out some staging elements, he tells the audience that the gazebo-like structure next to him is a Victorian boathouse, which has unfortunately fallen into disrepair.

While on vacation in Lebanon, Missouri the previous summer, Matt met Sally and has sent her a letter every day since. Though the single reply from Sally gave him no hope for romantic encouragement, he has bravely returned to ask her to marry him.

Sally arrives at the boathouse and is in disbelief that Matt has shown up uninvited, even though he had written her that he planned to come for the holiday. Matt's arrival has created quite a stir in Sally's conservative Protestant household, where a Jewish man is not welcomed easily, especially when his intentions are to court their daughter, eleven years younger than he.

Matt's interest in Sally had never waned; once, he drove from his home in St. Louis to the hospital where she worked and waited hours for her, even after being informed that she was not available.

The conversation turns to the boathouse structure. Sally tells him it was constructed by her uncle, who built "follies" all over town. Her uncle did only what he wanted to do and Sally considers him the healthiest member of the family for his courage.