ELMIRA LITTLE THEATRE PRESENTSON GOLDEN POND
Written by Ernest
Thompson
Directed
by Johnny Koons
February
1, 2, 7, 8, and 9, 2008, at 7:30pm
February 3, 2008, at 2pm
Mandeville
Hall
Call 607-734-8191 to reserve seats
The love
story of Ethel and Norman Thayer, who are returning to their summer home on
Golden Pond for the forty-fourth year. Norman is a retired
professor, nearing eighty, with heart palpitations and a failing memory, but
still as tart-tongued, observant and eager for life as ever. Ethel, ten years
younger and the perfect foil for Norman, delights in all the
small things that have enriched and continue to enrich their long life
together.
Mention this play—most commonly
associated with the movie adapted from the original script—by dramatist Ernest Thompson
to the majority of people and their eyes may glaze over much like the amber
waters of a silent pond in Maine. The very title, On Golden
Pond, conjures images of docile nature and serene isolation;
and yet, like most everything else, the spirit of the play lies beneath the
often deceptively composed and tranquil surface. Issues of a social and psychological nature
are at the very heart of this play, with definite undercurrents at work, such
as domestic strife and dysfunction; and the vulnerability of knowledge, of
peace, and of life itself.
The first Broadway production, directed by Craig Anderson,
opened on February
28, 1979 at the
New Apollo Theatre, where it ran for 126 performances.
After a summer break, it reopened with the same cast on September
12 at the Century Theatre, a small playhouse in the basement of the
Paramount Hotel, where it ran for an additional 256 performances. The play was adapted for the screen by Ernest Thompson
in 1981.
Elmira Little Theatre's On Golden Pond will have
performances February 1, 2, 7, 8, and 9 at 7:30pm, and February 3, at 2:00pm. All
shows will be in Mandeville Hall at the Clemens Center. Seating
is limited. Tickets are $13.00 general
admission and $11.00 for seniors and students.
To reserve tickets, call the Clemens Center Box Office at
607-734-8191.
