MUNSTER – Theater at the Center will kick off its 25th season by resurrecting a tried-and-true show that touches on aging and familial relationships like few ever have.
“On Golden Pond” was first performed at the Center in 1998, when the theater was still relatively new, said the theater’s general manager, Richard Friedman. Written by Ernest Thompson, the plot centers around an elderly couple and their annual stay at the family cabin. The play won many theater awards before being adapted into an Academy Award-winning film.
The story takes place at Norman and Ethel Thayer’s summer cabin. The couple arrives in the spring to start their vacation, and shortly afterward, receive a letter from their daughter, Chelsea, saying that she and her boyfriend Billy would be coming out to celebrate Norman’s 80th birthday. They arrive and before too long, drop the news that they’ll be traveling to Europe. Can Billy’s son, Billy Jr., stay with Norman and Ethel? they ask.
Anyone looking for flash-bang and suspense will be hard pressed to find it in this play, director Bill Pullinsi said. But the characters are rich and real, which makes the show engaging.
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“It’s the perfect vehicle for older characters, who’ll appreciate the humor,” Friedman said. “Norman (played by Broadway actor Dennis Kelly, of Evanston) is snarky in his way, and he’s a good tone-setter.”
Pullinsi said “On Golden Pond” was selected for the theater’s 25th season, because the play hasn’t been done professionally in the Chicago area for several years. As well, it gave him a chance to work with Kelly and Ami Silvestre, who plays Ethel.
“It’s a show that everyone turns to and sees people they know in it. I have a couple of friends in Massachusetts who remind me of Norman and Ethel. It’s just very human,” Pullinsi said. “Ernest Thompson did a great job with the relationships and portraying what it’s like to be older.”
TV actor Adria Dawn plays Chelsea, whose relationship with Norman is fraught with tension. Dan Rodden plays Billy Ray; and Luke Michael Klein plays the young Billy Jr., who forges a friendship with the curmudgeonly Norman while Chelsea and his father go off to Europe to get married.
Klein is a child actor whose first show was staged just a couple months ago, when he performed with his pal, Madison Hertel, in “Truman Capote’s A Christmas Memory,” according to Friedman.
“They live in Michigan, so their families rented an apartment here and took turns staying with the kids,” Friedman said.
“On Golden Pond”
When: Feb. 26 through March 29
Where: Theatre at the Center, 1040 Ridge Road, Munster
Tickets: $42-$44; $30 with membership and $20 student tickets. A special dinner-theater package on March 19 will be available for $52.
Information: http://www.theatreatthecenter.com/on_stage.asp