Dialogue keeps 'Talley's Folly' moving nicely

"Talley's Folly," through May 8, Brinton Black Box Theater, Covey Center for the Arts (801-852-7007): running time: one hour, 35 minutes (no intermission).

PROVO — The Covey Center's latest play, "Talley's Folly," presents a love story like you've never seen it before.

The subtle romance in this Pulitzer Prize-winning play takes place over the course of an evening as a couple works through their differences and reminds us that love can form even in the most improbable of circumstances.

Set in the early 1940s, "Talley's Folly" tells the story of two unlikely lovers. Matt Friedman is a Jewish accountant living in St. Louis. Sally Talley is a Southern nurse, the daughter of the richest man in town, and yet a disgrace to the family.

The two meet in the Talley's Folly, an old boathouse on a river in Missouri. In true lovers' fashion, they dance around the point and eventually work up the courage to get to the heart of the issue.

The play features only two actors, which creates quite a challenge in keeping the action flowing and the audience hooked. Matt's quick wit and spontaneous nature carry the show and keep the story flowing.

Actor/director Randy King steals the show with his charming performance as Matt. With a variety of accents and cryptic puzzles, he quickly endears himself to the audience. The seasoned actor displays a range of emotions, proving that "mystery is the spice of life."

Carrie Morgan portrays the conservative Protestant, concerned about the differences as well as the effects of war. She puts up an angry front, keeping it all bottled inside until the end, when her character is truly exposed.

The dialogue moves quickly, keeping the audience engaged.

It is intriguing to see how the pair uses the small set. The Brinton Black Box Theater provides an environment conducive to the intimate setting, as the audience is privy to a lovers' spat.

The set itself is quite impressive. The weathered boathouse takes up most of the stage. In a creative fashion, the rest of the theater is painted to look like a river, leaving the audience in the water.

At times, the play doesn't seem like a romance at all, which makes it all the more realistic as people's feelings tend to change in a manner as unpredictable as the weather.

The play addresses the fears that everyone has in discussing things below the surface. As Matt points out, "We are all eggs, afraid to be cracked … and yet we still hope."

"Talley's Folly" stands as a touching reminder that there is much more to a relationship than meets the eye. Complexities may hinder, but in the end, love will find a way.

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