Setting: 1944

Talley’s Folly takes place entirely on July 4, 1944 in a boathouse near rural Lebanon, Missouri. The boathouse, a gazebo-like structure built by Sally’s eccentric uncle Everett in 1870, is surrounded by weeds and old fishing equipment and has a floor so rotten that Matt falls through it. Even though the boathouse has fallen into disuse, Sally still escapes to it sometimes to get away from her family. In addition to being an escape for Sally, it also provides a connection to her uncle, who Sally considers to be the healthiest member of her family for his courage. The boathouse is the first glimpse into the two-fold meaning behind the title of the play.

A folly generally can refer to a “lack of good sense,” like how Sally’s family perceives her potential relationship with Matt. Similarly, folly in this play could refer to Matt’s continued pursuit of Sally despite extremely limited response to a year’s worth of letters. As it applies to the setting, however, the architectural use of “folly” is more appropriate. A folly can also refer to “a costly ornamental building with no practical purpose, especially a tower or mock-Gothic ruin built in a large garden or park.” In the play, Everett is known for building follies all over town, including the town’s bandstand.

Set of Talley’s Folly by Syracuse Stage.

Scenic inspiration photographs provided by designer, Czerton Lim.

Now, whether or not a structure can be truly considered a “folly” really lies in the eyes of the beholder. A building considered a folly, or a “folly” of the architect, is typically one that serves no purpose outside of being decorative, despite having the appearance of a building that should be functional. Follies grew in popularity in England during the 18th and 19th centuries as estates constructed buildings to resemble medieval towers, castles overgrown with vines, or even crumbling temples complete with fallen columns. These follies, built for their decorative additions to the landscape, were often built on a smaller scale than the buildings off of which they were modeled.

The folly in the case of the play is Talley’s boathouse, a fanciful structure dripping with Victorian dressings. But taking the metatheatricality a step further, Wilson uses Matt to break the fourth wall, showing the audience that this structure is just a set, an ornamental, fake structure that is being used to tell this story, not a real boathouse. Purpose-built to be decorative rather than functional, the set itself becomes a folly around which the story of Matt and Sally is told.

Wilson’s choice of July 4, 1944 was also significant, both in terms of Independence Day reflecting Sally’s pursuit of independence, as well as the weight of the United States’ involvement in World War II, including D-Day which would have happened less than a month earlier on June 6. Through his characters, Wilson uses this play, which opened mere years after the Vietnam War, to explore differing ideologies around war. Matt, for instance, did not enlist and while he may not know it yet, his love story takes place simultaneously as millions of Jews are dying on the other side of the world. Meanwhile, Sally’s family, despite her disapproval, is profiting from the war. This backdrop allows Wilson to explore themes of capitalism, anti-Semitism, and patriotism throughout his play.

Scenic inspiration photographs provided by designer, Czerton Lim.

Photographs by Brenna Merritt.