It’s no accident that Albert Lea Community Theatre is producing a romantic comedy around Valentine’s Day.

&uot;This is a great date show,&uot; Director Patrick Rasmussen said of the two-person show, &uot;Talley’s Folly,&uot; which opens Thursday at the Civic Theatre. &uot;It’s a great place to take your significant other &045; whether you just started going out or you’ve been married 40 or 50 years,&uot; he said.

In the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Lanford Wilson, Matt Friedman (played by Mike Compton), a Jewish accountant from St. Louis, comes down to the Ozarks to woo Sally Talley (Cindy Langeberg).

&uot;They spent one week together in her town, and it’s been a year since he’s seen her,&uot; Rasmussen said. &uot;He’s sent her letters daily and gone to her place of work. She knows he loves her and she loves him.&uot;

Matt tells Sally he’s coming down to see her, and in the swirls of multi-cultural worlds their differences collide on a warm summer evening in a decaying Victorian boathouse.

Matt tells the audience what to expect. &uot;He says, ‘In the next hour and a half, this is what happens and I’m going to ask Sally to marry me,’&uot; the director reveals. He also tells them that the story is a waltz, but at different times, different people lead.

Sally is adamant that a relationship between the two will never work, but Matt’s determination to win her is absolute. The pair confront personal experiences and feelings and expose their frailties and lack of trust.

&uot;There are no surprises here,&uot; Rasmussen said. &uot;It’s the story of the process it takes for them to get together.

&uot;It’s poignant and it’s funny,&uot; the director said.

The actors have a nice connection, he said, adding they make it easy to sense the characters’ genuine fondness for each other.

&uot;This is a quality show,&uot; Rasmussen said. &uot;People don’t have to drive to see it, and there are restaurants downtown. It can be part of a wonderful evening out. Come and sit and enjoy it. Try it.&uot;

The play runs Feb. 6-8 and 12-15 at the Albert Lea Civic Theatre. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. The box office is open from 3:30-6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and until 7:30 p.m. on performance nights, as well as from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Saturdays of performances. The box office number is 377-4371.