Cast and crew of On Golden Pond
Laurie Farquhar
The award-winning play, On Golden Pond, comes to the Renaissance Theatre in March and it is a show that should resonate with many PebbleCreekers.
On Golden Pond, which was a huge success both on Broadway and in the movie theaters, follows the lives of long-married couple Norman and Ethel Thayer. It is a touching and funny account that begins when they return to their cabin on Golden Pond for their forty-eighth year. Over the summer they are visited by their daughter and her fiancé who then go off to Europe, leaving his teenage daughter, Billy. The tomboy quickly becomes the grandchild that Norman and Ethel have always wanted. The child also provides Norman an opportunity to explore his turbulent relationship with his daughter.
PC Players Director Jon Lindstrom says he was attracted to On Golden Pond because “it resonates with some things in my own life” and he believes PebbleCreek audiences will feel a similar empathy. Newell Tarrant who portrays Norman, describes his character as “a complex man weathering the increasing challenges of an aging body and mind, often contesting life’s maladies with caustic humor.” He says Norman “vies incessantly against his own mortality.” Shirley Robinson, who takes on the role of Ethel, says Ethel “is a wonderful character and I find similarity in my own life with her.” Shirley says her late husband was the sweetest man in the world but could be hard headed and opinionated at times, just like Norman.” As a child, she also spent summers on a lake in Minnesota fishing, driving speed boats and fighting off the mosquitoes.
Both Newell and Shirley have extensive acting experience and both say that despite some of the famous people who have played the roles of Norman and Ethel, they plan to bring their own interpretations to their characters. The other cast members include Kate Tracy as daughter Chelsea; Joel Walters as her fiancé Bill Ray; Ann Silverstein as Billy; Jim Greer as Charlie Martin and Sheila Jacobson as the telephone operator.
On Golden Pond runs just four nights from Wednesday, March 9 to Saturday, March 12. Tickets, which are only $15, will go on sale on Saturday, February 6 in the Renaissance Theatre from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. Described by critics as “heartwarming” and “a work of rare simplicity and beauty,” On Golden Pond is a play that promises “a memorable theatrical experience.”