Arizona Theatre Company's consistency of excellent productions continues its streak with their latest offering, Lanford Wilson's lovely unexpected valentine Talley's Folly. Whether mounting a show with a sizable cast and daunting production intricacies or creating the perfect atmosphere for two lonely people to tangle and spar, ATC has become a dependable source of quality theatre. Andrew J. Traister has corralled an expert and inspired design team to support his measured direction of two excellent actors, and the result is as heart-achingly magical as the brief, subtle arrival and sudden departure of onstage fireflies in the quickly fading Missouri sunset.

It's July 4th, 1944. In 97 minutes, poor Matt Friedman must overcome the hesitations and fears of the obstinate and lovely Sally Talley and convince her to marry him. These two are so obviously meant for each other, yet each is hidden behind nearly insurmountable walls meticulously constructed to hide themselves from past torments. This intellectual sparring between two masters is the manifestation of two people so deeply in love with each other and so deeply in fear of that fact. The play deservedly won the Pulitzer Prize in 1980, and in my opinion is not produced nearly enough.

The first image of this production is the most striking and undeniably the best way to start. D. Martyn Bookwalter's recreation of the decaying Victorian boathouse of the Talley family is a masterpiece mix of reality and interpretation. From the draping vines of the overhanging canopy to the rusted hulks of boats and common detritus on the shelves, every detail is at once solid and packed with meaning. When the production begins to move forward, and Dennis Parichy's lighting comes into play, the world shimmers and almost unnoticeably moves from sunset to twilight to deep night, with some wonderful moments of isolation lighting when using an onstage oil lantern. Layered onto this is the impeccable sound design of Matthew Spiro that captures everything from the ever present light gurgling of the river through the slow rise of crickets as sun sets to the far-off band concert.

The performers and the man at the helm mirror the perfection of the design element. Mr. Traister captures the rhythms of this script, knowing when the actors need to nervously pace the stage and when they should plant themselves and create a stage picture that supports the dialogue. His pacing is very measured, and the work of dialect coach Dianne J. Winslow presses the Eastern European sensibilities with the rural Missouri lilt.

Allan Wasserman's Matt is convincingly performed. Matt is likeably charming but not quite cuddly, and Mr. Wasserman finds that difficult balance. He very occasionally trips over his accent and the character's backward sentence structure, but he also moves through the space with the energetic pace of those fearing imminent rejection. Angela Reed's Sally is as appealing as she is standoffish. She presents the commanding exterior with ease, and just as easily convincingly cracks to reveal the quivering mass of doubts beneath. On rare occasion, her Missouri accent slips, but more often, her "show me" attitude is form fitting which make her reluctant smiles and laughs little treasures.

I'm beginning to believe that ATC is becoming incapable of offering an unsuccessful production. They seem to have hit a stride with few bumps over the past few seasons, and each offering seems even tighter than the previous. We are lucky to have such a professional and inspired company in our state with ties to some of the greatest regional theatres in the country.