'Talley's Folly' actors have mutual admiration

By Lorraine Lucciola, Standard-Times correspondent

Lanford Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning script, "Talley's Folly," is no frivolous matter for Little Theatre of Fall River director, Leo Strickman, and his cast.

"The play is perfect for the Firebarn," says Mr. Strickman, a veteran director and performer with the local theater group that has been in existence for more than 60 years. The intimacy of the Firebarn offers an 88-seat capacity that is conducive to smaller productions, preferred by many Little Theatre devotees.

Mr. Strickman describes "Talley's Folly" as a "sweet romance." He says it has "the beauty, the charm and the challenge of a two-character play."

Shael Colantonio plays Sally Talley, a sassy, structured and insulated young woman. William "Bing" McGrath portrays Matt Friedman, a stubbornly sweet and unlikely suitor.

The action of the play takes place in the Talley family's deserted boathouse in Lebanon, Mo. Matt, an accountant from St. Louis, arrives there to plead his love to Sally despite her rebuffs and doubts that a relationship between them could ever survive.

There is a beautifully balanced give-and-take quality about the script that is self-fueling. In candid and sensitive dialogue, through poignant confessions and carefully placed humor, the characters reveal and share their triumphs, tragedies, cultural differences and thoughts about a future together. Matt embraces it. Sally dashes it to pieces.

"Sally is close to me in some ways," confides Mrs. Colantonio. "She is teasing, in a friendly way; sarcastic ... fun to play. She has a bad love affair, she has baggage and lost the will to live. Matt draws her out."

"I think Bing is great!" she continues. "He's very natural and very generous on stage. It's no easy task, just me and another person on stage alone for one hour and 40 minutes! I admire his acting ability."

Mrs. Colantonio calls herself "a real girl. ... I love romance!"

Mr. McGrath echoes Mrs. Colantonio's thoughts about possessing personal traits similar to those of the fictional characters they play.

Matt "reminds me of someone I know -- ME!" says Mr. McGrath, with a winning, cockeyed half-grin.

"Shael's a doll and Leo doesn't push or pressure. I like to be natural on stage," he adds.

"I feel for Matt," says Mr. McGrath. "One of the keys to playing him is to have an affinity for Judaism ... how Jews came to this country, and to understand first- and second-generation Jews," he notes. "When I was growing up, I lived in a six-family tenement. Three of the families were Jewish."

Mr. McGrath agrees that the professional pressure is on in a production which features just two players. He is, however, no stranger to the stage, having appeared in approximately 150 shows in area theaters.

"I try to forget everything else and become the character. I love theater. I love the whole process. I watch everything associated with a production. It's a passion," he says.

Mr. Strickman's "passion" for "Talley's Folly" takes momentum from a Fall River connection to the original New York production, starring Judd Hirsch.

"Dr. Harry Cooperstein's (a Fall River resident) daughter, Nancy, was one of the first backers of the original show in New York. She is married to actor Jordan Charney, you know," says Mr. Strickman. The director is also sensitive to and passionately interested in the references in the script to the Holocaust.

Mr. Strickman and cast are assisted by Barbara Gerraughty, stage manager.

Little Theatre of Fall River's production of "Talley's Folly" opens at 8 tomorrow evening at the Firebarn, 320 Prospect St., Fall River. It continues at 8 Saturday and 7 Sunday, and resumes with performances at 8 p.m. Aug. 24 through 26, with a concluding performance at 7 p.m. Aug. 27.

Tickets are $10, with discounts available for students, seniors and groups. For reservations and information, call (508) 675-1852.

Top / Subscribe / Letters to Editor / Contact Webmaster / Staff Directory
Please mail any comments to Newsroom@S-T.com