Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Talley's Folly (Theatre)

 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
type
TVTItem
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
label
Talley's Folly (Theatre)
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
page
TalleysFolly
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
comment
Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })Talley's Folly is a 1980 play by Lanford Wilson.The setting is a boat house in Lebanon, Missouri, July 1944. The play, which runs 97 real-time minutes without a break, starts with a Jewish man, Matt Friedman, waiting in the boat house. Matt has come to the home of the wealthy Talley family because he wants to marry Sally, the daughter. It seems that Matt, an accountant, spent a week in Lebanon on vacation the previous summer, and fell in love with pretty Sally. They spent a romantic week together, but afterwards, Sally rejected Matt, not answering the letters he sends her and not coming out when he came to the hospital where she works as a nurse. Matt presses Sally to admit her feelings, and over the course of the play, the two of them admit secrets that have made each of them hesitant to accept love.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_2'); })Judd Hirsch appeared in the original production as Matt. This play is the second in a trilogy of Wilson plays centering on the Talley family, being a prequel to his 1977 play Fifth of July and followed by 1981 play Talley & Son.note Talley & Son was an Immediate Sequel to this play, being set in the Talley house up on the hill, after Sally leaves the boathouse, and featuring her packing to leave on her elopement with Matt.
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
fetched
2021-10-13T20:54:50Z
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
parsed
2021-10-13T20:54:50Z
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
processingComment
Dropped link to Prequel: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_10a9cdee
type
Once Upon a Time
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_10a9cdee
comment
Once Upon a Time: Matt with his Medium Awareness explains the setting to the audience, saying "There was a time," then corrects himself and says "Once upon a time."
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_10a9cdee
featureApplicability
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_10a9cdee
featureConfidence
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
hasFeature
Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_10a9cdee
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_18d15922
type
Title Drop
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_18d15922
comment
Title Drop: Sally says that her uncle built the boathouse, which she calls a "folly" (a building that is more decorative than practical).
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_18d15922
featureApplicability
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_18d15922
featureConfidence
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
hasFeature
Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_18d15922
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_1ba17583
type
The Ghost
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_1ba17583
comment
The Ghost: Sally's family, including her brother Buddy who greeted Matt with a shotgun, Buddy's wife Olive who as Matt says gaped like a fish when Matt came to the door, Sally's father who called Matt a Communist, and Sally's Aunt Charlotte, who apparently is playing The Matchmaker and has been in regular correspondence with Matt for a while. All of them are discussed repeatedly but none appear.
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_1ba17583
featureApplicability
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_1ba17583
featureConfidence
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
hasFeature
Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_1ba17583
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_1e7487cd
type
Breaking the Fourth Wall
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_1e7487cd
comment
Breaking the Fourth Wall: Matt enters the stage from the audience and tells them about the story he's about to tell, including the actual running time of the show — ninety-seven minutes, on the nose. He specifically describes the set and what he hopes to accomplish, even apologizing to the audience for being in the river. He attempts to repeat his explanation 'for the late-comers', but gets distracted by, among other things, the lack of dogs barking in the distance and demands a barking dog from the stage manager.
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_1e7487cd
featureApplicability
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_1e7487cd
featureConfidence
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
hasFeature
Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_1e7487cd
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_4dc13d51
type
Grand Romantic Gesture
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_4dc13d51
comment
He specifically describes the set and what he hopes to accomplish, even apologizing to the audience for being in the river. He attempts to repeat his explanation 'for the late-comers', but gets distracted by, among other things, the lack of dogs barking in the distance and demands a barking dog from the stage manager.
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_4dc13d51
featureApplicability
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_4dc13d51
featureConfidence
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
hasFeature
Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_4dc13d51
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_5313c266
type
Bookends
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_5313c266
comment
Bookends: The play begins with Matt Breaking the Fourth Wall, telling the audience that the play will run 97 minutes without a break. At the end, after embracing Sally, he turns to the audience and says "All's well that ends—", then checks his watch, then says "—right on the button. Good night."
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_5313c266
featureApplicability
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_5313c266
featureConfidence
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
hasFeature
Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_5313c266
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_6b2b3b59
type
The Reveal
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_6b2b3b59
comment
The Reveal: Matt wonders why Sally, who's pretty and the only daughter of a rich family, is unmarried at 31. Finally at the end of the play she tells him why: she suffered a pelvic infection that rendered her infertile, and in small-town Missouri that makes her a poor marriage prospect.
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_6b2b3b59
featureApplicability
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_6b2b3b59
featureConfidence
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
hasFeature
Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_6b2b3b59
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_7ab2fe59
type
HandGag
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_7ab2fe59
comment
Hand Gag: When Matt offends Sally she starts yelling out for her menfolk. He claps a hand over her mouth until she calms down...and when he removes his hand she yells again. A second application of the hand gag succeeds in calming her down.
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_7ab2fe59
featureApplicability
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_7ab2fe59
featureConfidence
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
hasFeature
Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_7ab2fe59
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_884e513b
type
Medium Awareness
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_884e513b
comment
Medium Awareness: The play opens with Matt greeting the audience, telling them that the play will run 97 minutes without a break, then explaining the setting (a boathouse). He even calls out to the sound booth for the sound of a dog barking. Once Sally shows up this is forgotten about until Matt bids the audience goodbye at the end.
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_884e513b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_884e513b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
hasFeature
Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_884e513b
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_8e3b5b4d
type
Minimalist Cast
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_8e3b5b4d
comment
Minimalist Cast: There are only two characters, Matt and Sally.
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_8e3b5b4d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_8e3b5b4d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
hasFeature
Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_8e3b5b4d
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_a8593e70
type
Real Time
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_a8593e70
comment
Real Time: A single 97-minute conversation between two people in a boathouse.
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_a8593e70
featureApplicability
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_a8593e70
featureConfidence
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
hasFeature
Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_a8593e70
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_b6dc59fd
type
Word, Schmord!
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_b6dc59fd
comment
Word Schmord: Matt doesn't indulge in a lot of Yiddish as a Second Language, but he does say "refugees, smefugees" when Sally asks if he came to America with a group of refugees.
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_b6dc59fd
featureApplicability
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_b6dc59fd
featureConfidence
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
hasFeature
Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_b6dc59fd
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_be6f7ae7
type
Brief Accent Imitation
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_be6f7ae7
comment
Brief Accent Imitation: When Matt wonders why Sally won't accept him, he first starts speaking in a Yiddish accent (maybe it's because he's Jewish), then drops into a German accent (maybe it's because he's one of the enemy).
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_be6f7ae7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_be6f7ae7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
hasFeature
Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_be6f7ae7
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_dd2444d3
type
Shiksa Goddess
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_dd2444d3
comment
Shiksa Goddess: Matt the Jew from Eastern Europe falls in love with Sally the Missouri cheerleader. He says that his family warned him to stay away from the shiksa.
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_dd2444d3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_dd2444d3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
hasFeature
Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_dd2444d3
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_de19df2b
type
The Matchmaker
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_de19df2b
comment
The Matchmaker: Aunt Charlotte, one of The Ghosts, who has been in regular correspondence with Matt and encourages the relationship, telling Sally that she should reveal her secret to Matt.
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_de19df2b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_de19df2b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
hasFeature
Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_de19df2b
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_e9e35e8f
type
Exact Words
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_e9e35e8f
comment
Exact Words: When Sally asks why Matt didn't leave after he was rudely dismissed by the Talley family, he says his car "needs gas to run." Later when she says he can get a gallon of gas from the neighbors, he says he has plenty of gas. He never said his car was out of gas, he just said it needs gas to run, which is true.
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_e9e35e8f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_e9e35e8f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
hasFeature
Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_e9e35e8f
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_name
type
ItemName
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_name
comment
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
hasFeature
Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_name
 Talley's Folly (Theatre) / int_name
itemName
Talley's Folly (Theatre)

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
hasFeature
Real Time / int_11e87bc7
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
hasFeature
Theatre of the 1980s / int_11e87bc7
 Talley's Folly (Theatre)
hasFeature
Word, Schmord! / int_11e87bc7