Emily Mann and Lanford Wilson on the set of Talley’s Folly, photo by T. Charles Erickson.

On the heels of BD Wong’s recent Downstage Center interview, Talley’s Folly playwright Lanford Wilson just recorded his own American Theatre Wing “Downstage Center” interview for a podcast and for XM Satellite Radio.

In the interview, Lanford discusses the creation of his famed “Talley trilogy,” including Fifth of July, which stemmed in part from his equating an Eskimo folk tale with the war in Vietnam, and Talley’s Folly, and how it grew out of an acting suggestion made to one of the original cast members of Fifth of July. He also talks about his original aspirations of being an artist, with writing being simply something to fall back on; his move from Chicago to New York and his introduction to Off-Broadway’s famed Caffe Cino in the mid-60s; the genesis of his landmark plays Balm in Gilead and The Hot L Baltimore; how he came to write Burn This to break away from his growing reputation as a “suburban” playwright and as the antithesis of Talley’s Folly; and whether we’ll be seeing new plays from him any time soon. Links to the audio feed of the interview and a downloadable podcast version are below. Enjoy!

From Talley’s Folly. Original air date - October 17, 2008 Running Time - 60:07.

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Posted by Adam Immerwahr, Producing Associate at McCarter Theatre.

McCarter Directing/Producing Intern Sarah Wansley has been at it again, this time with a behind-the-scenes video of McCarter’s costume shop, narrated by Cynthia Thom, who runs the costume department.  If you’ve ever wondered how a costume goes from design to reality, this is the video for you to watch (and it is full of examples from Talley’s Folly—if you look closely, you can see the making of Sally’s dress).  Post your comments below by clicking on the “comments” button, or double click on the video itself and comment directly on our YouTube page.

Posted by Adam Immerwahr, Producing Associate at McCarter Theatre.

Richard Schiff in Talley’s Folly. Photo by T. Charles Erickson

Opening night for Talley’s Folly was very exciting, not only because it was opening night but because theater is a live event and sometimes living from moment to moment, things are “just sprung on us.” So it’s 8 o’clock. The play begins. Matt enters the theater as usual but unbeknownst to him, additional obstacles to Matt and Sally’s love will appear on the road to happily ever after. The first of these challenges came in the likeness of a shoelace. Yes, a shoelace.

As Matt struggles to untie the shoelaces to his skates, I began to think, “Something’s funny here isn’t it? Something’s strange.” It seems that somehow Matt’s shoelaces are taking some extra time to untie. He fumbles with them for awhile and then Sally comes over to help him. The moment was totally unplanned and I’m sure it had every one of us who had seen the show through rehearsal on the edge on our seats. (After the show, one of the crew members told me that she was standing guard with a pair of scissors to come save the day—hoping no one noticed her in her all black clothes.) The actors moved forward through the faux pas with the help of Matt’s brute strength (he broke the shoelaces). The two actors seem to not miss a beat though; they were in sync enough to solve the problem and keep it going. I must admit, I chuckled a bit at the moment with a fond appreciation of live theater.

So, once again the show galloped along until something else funny happened this time with a set piece. As Matt moved the buggy seat into position to offer Sally a seat, one of the legs came off. It was very interesting seeing the plank of the leg come off. I was sitting in my seat thinking, how are they gonna fix this? Matt simply placed the short plank underneath the seat and the show continued. Somehow I really like that moment too. After all, why wouldn’t there be a broken buggy seat in a dilapidated boathouse?

I think that opening night really served as a reminder that the future doesn’t always go as planned. Matt comes to Lebanon expecting things will go a lot smoother than they do and Sally expects to put Matt off and they both end up mistaken. Opening night also served as reminder of the nature of theatre. Regardless of how much rehearsal a show undergoes, the moment is the moment and the challenge to the actors is to live in that moment.

Posted by Anthony Sanford, Jr., Directing/Producing Intern at McCarter Theatre.

Richard Schiff and Margot White in Talley’s Folly.  Photo by T. Charles Erickson

Have you seen Lanford Wilson’s Talley’s Folly? What did you think? Did you think it was the bee’s knees?  Do you agree with the newspaper reviews, or disagree? Favorite parts of the show? Things that weren’t to your taste? Post a “citizen response” or read what other people are saying by clicking on the “comments” link below. We can’t wait to hear what you think!

If you want to include your picture with your review, email it to me and I’ll make sure it gets attached.

Posted by Adam Immerwahr, Producing Associate at McCarter Theatre.

The set design model for Talley’s Folly, designed by John Lee Beatty.

The set for Talley’s Folly, in the Matthews Theatre

The set for Talley’s Folly, with lights. Photo by T. Charles Erickson.

For this production of Talley’s Folly, McCarter has assembled most of the original design team who created Marshall W. Mason’s Tony Award-winning 1980 Broadway production of this gorgeous Lanford Wilson play. Those designers include Jennifer von Mayrhauser (her 20th play at McCarter under Emily Mann’s tenure), Chuck London, and John Lee Beatty, who won the Tony Award and the Drama Desk award for his outstanding set design.

John has re-created his original design on the Matthews stage at McCarter, and I must say that it’s absolutely gorgeous. In order to get a sense of how beautiful it is, I’ve attached some photos to this post, which show the design in model form, immediately after installation (with master electrician Paul Kilsdonk on the stage, and in its full glory (with Richard Schiff and Margot White). If you don’t have tickets to Talley’s Folly yet, you simply must get them immediately, if only to see one of the most sumptious sets that we’ve had at McCarter in over 20 years.

Posted by Adam Immerwahr, Producing Associate at McCarter Theatre.

Last week, Talley’s Folly director Marshall W. Mason sat down with McCarter Artistic Director Emily Mann for a wide-ranging discussion at the Princeton Public Library.  They discussed Lanford Wilson, Richard Schiff, Margot White and the history of the Circle Repertory Company.  Erin Breznitsky filmed the conversation and edited it into some YouTube clips, which you can see in the player below.  If you put your mouse over the video player, you can switch between the various clips. Enjoy!

Posted by Adam Immerwahr, Producing Associate at McCarter Theatre.

The set design model for Talley’s Folly, designed by John Lee Beatty.

Talley’s Folly rehearsal is definitely underway. Today the rehearsal room went on a field trip to see the set under construction. For me, this beginning was quite lovely. Having already seen the model for the set, seeing it coming together in person was a reminder that it won’t be long until the play will be rehearsing on stage. The set, designed by John Lee Beatty, is the same design as the Tony award-winning Broadway production. It consists of raked platforms to make a boathouse and gazebo. (The boat actually floats in water!) The platforms create a very specific ground plan from which the actors and director negotiate movement patterns. Take a look at the model. I’m sure you’ll want to climb the actual set. I know I do!

One of the challenges of Talley’s Folly is creating an accurate “playground” for the actors. The day before rehearsals began I helped the stage management team tape the floor. It took about 8 hours, but we successful taped the outline of the set to the rehearsal room floor. We also taped reminders to the floor to indicate the height adjustment from one platform to another. Presented with the obstacle of representing the various posts that sprinkle the set, Alison, the stage manager, came up with the great idea of making hexagons to represent each post. The actors, however, also needed some real posts to maneuver around, so we use six eight-foot poles to represent the taller posts on the set. For the downstage posts, we use a little stool so that the actors can practice sitting until they can use the actual posts that will be in place on the set. Another challenge with imitating the set was creating the railings around the gazebo and upstage platforms. They play an important part in the actors’ mobility on the set and offer more options for staging. To solve this problem, we aligned the backs of chairs to create a faux railing where the actual railings of the set will be.

After physically creating the space for the actors, the ambiance was created. In the rehearsal for Talley’s Folly, we actually have some control over the lights and sounds, so the stage management team actually gets a little pre-tech practice in creating this nighttime rendezvous. I have never been privy to rehearsal conditions that allow for so much technical control. From dimming the lights to cueing the dogs, the stage management team stays busy. Their work is pretty effective, too. Some nights, I come home from rehearsal with crickets still chirping in my ears or feeling like it’s later than into the evening than it really is. As Matt says, “we have everything here to help us” and it makes a big difference.

Posted by Anthony Sanford Jr., Directing Producing Intern at McCarter Theatre

Margot White

Hmmmm… a blog. Let me start with the qualifier that I do actually consider myself as… “understanding”, at least, as to the workings of the 21st Century. I’ve heard of Facebook, appreciate texts and email correspondence, and even got myself a snazzy new iPhone. Knowing how to navigate these ever-changing gadgets, however, well, how can one truly ever keep up? Spiffy new things are now outdated within a year or less, and frankly, I’m not much of a fad follower—particularly on stuff with plugs. All that said, this whole new fangled blog thing has remained somewhat of a mystery to me. I kind of had it in my head that it’s somewhat of an online diary—you know, that little thing where you share your thoughts to a private little book, secured with a lock and key. The one that usually starts on Jan 1 and disappears around mid-March to the realm of “something else to keep on top of.” It’s the kind of thing you keep buried behind your stuffed animals, or find solace in when you just need some escape and “me time”. Only now, instead of Dear Diary, it’s turned into Dear World… Yep, somehow I missed that leap.

Now that we’ve started rehearsals for Talley’s Folly (referred to on day one as “possibly the sweetest and most beautiful play ever written”, and to which I just might have to agree), I suppose some of those same mentalities linger. One of my favorite things in this world is a first day of rehearsal. I also happen to be one of those freaks who loves auditioning, as well as working on my birthday, but for me, rehearsals are truly a special, revered place of solace. As actors, we spend so much of our time and efforts looking for the next gig, the next success, hell—the next paycheck (hmmm…can one say hell in a private-to-the-world diary???), that once we’ve made it across that threshold and GOT THE JOB!, there’s an indescribable joy and inner peace that comes from what my husband refers to as “earning it and owning it.” Sitting in that room the first day, with the entire team of collaborators coming together to essentially make life happen truthfully under imaginary circumstances, well—let’s just say it’s a place where I breathe quite comfortably. We no longer have the pressure to perform, but rather the luxury to be, create, discover, cry, laugh, fly, question, play, fail, try, achieve, listen, be still, jump, wiggle—all the while knowing we’re in the trusted hands of other accomplished artists, all of whom have an active responsibility towards the creative process and final production. Ultimately, all this participation culminates to bring to life the magic of the theater.

It’s a cherished place, that rehearsal room—it’s magic. But you know how it works; as an audience member, if you know the secret, it’s not as much fun anymore—the wonder’s gone. I believe that part of my job is to keep the wonder alive—to believe, and allow you to believe, in magic. I’m overwhelmingly thrilled to be here at McCarter, and am very much looking forward to bringing Sally Talley to life every day from now through November 2. I’m also grateful for all you might want to read, and thankful for your understanding of what I might wish to share (or not) in committing to this cool newfangled blog opportunity.

So with that, I’m going to take my little lock, and close up my diary for tonight—Good night, Dear Diary, we’ll talk again soon

Posted by Margot White, who plays Sally Talley in McCarter Theatre’s Production of Talley’s Folly.

I just finished another season preview video, this time with Emily Mann talking about Talley’s Folly.  I hope you enjoy!

Posted by Adam Immerwahr, Producing Associate at McCarter Theatre.

Before I begin: McCarter’s Single Tickets go on sale today, and may be purchased via the Buy Tickets icon in the upper right corner.

Now, on to something that has me equally excited: The second show of McCarter’s 2008-2009 Theater Series is Lanford WIlson’s Talley’s Folly, directed by Marshall W. Mason. This groundbreaking romantic comedy tells the story of two people from entirely different worlds who find common ground—and unlikely love—on one steamy night in 1944 Missouri.

The production runs from October 12-November 2 in the Matthews Theatre; we’ll have a lot more information on McCarter’s presentation of this Pulitzer Prize winner in just a few short weeks. Meanwhile, here’s some fast facts and light summer reading to whet your appetite for the show.

1.The 1979 production won the 1980 Pulitzer Prize for best play (as mentioned above); it also was nominated for five Tony awards and five Drama Desk awards.

2. Talley’s Folly isn’t the end for Matt Friedman and Sally Talley—Lanford Wilson continues the story of the Talley family in Fifth of July and Talley and Son, forming an inter-generational epic trilogy. The collected edition of all three plays also includes a fascinating timeline and family tree.

3. The collaboration between Wilson and Mason is a rarity in American theater—Marshall W. Mason has directed over sixty productions of Lanford Wilson’s plays, including the inaugural Broadway production, 28 years ago.

Stay tuned for more information on the 2008-2009 Season, and remember: Single Tickets go on sale today!

Posted by Jonathan Elliott, Marketing Manager at McCarter Theatre Center.