TRIED & TRUE 'FOLLY' ADDS TO PLAYHOUSE SUCCESSES.

Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic

THAT'S ONE impressive partnership streak being ridden by the Pasadena Playhouse - the Southland's own undisputed king of the co-production.

Since August of last year, when the Playhouse served up its last original production - the dreadful ``As Bees in Honey Drown'' - Playhouse audiences saw ``Noises Off'' (a co-production with San Jose Repertory Theatre) and ``Plaid Tidings'' (the annual revival of the Playhouse's holiday show) to close out 2003.

Following the current ``Talley's Folly,'' a production which originated at the Arizona Theatre Company, we'll get Claudia Shear's ``Dirty Blonde.'' Which, given that ``Blonde'' is a three-character play directed by original off-Broadway helmer James Lapine and will feature original star Shear, doesn't figure to be substantially different from what off-Broadway and tour audiences have seen.

I bring this up as an observation, not so much to ding the Playhouse's programming practices. Times are tough, and artistic director Sheldon Epps has struck some canny - and probably economically sensible - alliances. ``Noises Off'' was masterfully funny, and ``Talley's Folly,'' directed by Andrew Traister is a polished and heartfelt rendition of a minor American classic. Neither play could be classified as especially edgy or daring, but that's OK, too.

``Talley's Folly,'' part of Lanford Wilson's Lebanon, Mo., trilogy, is a romantic snapshot. A 42-year-old Jewish accountant from St. Louis arrives in Lebanon to woo the 31-year-old non-Jewish daughter of the blue-blood Talley family. It's the Fourth of July, 1944, and Matt Friedman (played by Michael Santo) has reason to be hopeful - both for his own prospects and for those of his country. He courted Sally Talley (Angela Reed) the previous summer and, a few speed bumps notwithstanding, he thinks she likes him, too.

Now, if you're at all familiar with Wilson's Talley saga (particularly ``Fifth of July,'' a superior play), you will know that Matt will eventually get Sally to unrhyme her first and last name. ``This is a waltz,'' explains Matt in the play's bothersome, ``Our Town''-like prologue. And indeed it is. The meat of this dramatic dance lies not in its conclusion but in the steps it takes for Matt and Sally to get there.

Also in the scenery. ``Talley's Folly'' (it's a punning title) takes place in a rustic, rundown boathouse with trees, plants, dilapidated watercraft and tools in abundance (sublimely designed by D. Martyn Bookwalter). Dennis Parichy expertly charters the late summer day from sunset to moonlight. He should be an expert: Parichy lit the original production of ``Talley's Folly'' in 1979.

Santo makes Matt a human mosquito: a smart-alecky, consciously neurotic man who also happens to be love struck. His appeal to Sally - a nurse's aide who needs desperately to leave her family's house - is obvious. But she has to get around the fact that Matt has basically ignored her for the past year. Plus she has a secret that, she figures, could be scandalous. This pas de deux is played out in the boathouse - also known as a folly - because Sally's disapproving kin have chased Matt out of the house with a shotgun.

The composed and plainspoken Reed is a nice counterpoint to Santo's jittery Matt. Reed makes Sally a woman out of practice at being wooed and nearly resigned - nearly - to spinsterhood. And from the hospital, while tending to wounded soldiers, she's inclined to look at the world with a little less optimism than Matt.

While Santo resembles original star Judd Hirsch, Reed has the pale WASP-y loveliness of a young Meryl Streep. Her performance is interesting to watch, particularly when she's turning over a thought or a problem. Both actors deliver nuanced and finely hued performances, bolstered - no doubt - by the success of the production's Arizona run last fall. Director Traister knows this play is a valentine, but one with a certain social poignancy. His touch is light, and his actors are sure-footed.

Last add on the Playhouse schedule: After ``Dirty Blonde,'' original programming returns in a big way with the West Coast premiere of ``Enchanted April,'' followed by a revival of the musical ``110 in the Shade.''

Evan Henerson, [phone]

evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com

TALLEY'S FOLLY - Three and one half stars

Where: Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena.

When: 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 5 and 9 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday; through Feb. 15.

Tickets: $29.50 to $49.50. [phone] or www.pasadenaplayhouse.org.

In a nutshell: Another stellar import for the Pasadena Playhouse. Beautifully acted and a magnificent set.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Matt Friedman (Michael Santo) and Sally Talley (Angela Reed) try to cross a religious and chronological divide for love in ``Talley's Folly.''