[NEohioPAL] Review of "On Golden Pond" at Rabbit Run Theater

[Bob Abelman]

Rabbit Run wades rather than plunges into 'Golden Pond'

 

Bob Abelman

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times Courier

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review appeared in the News-Herald 6/11/10

 

Romantic comedies rarely go beyond the "boy gets girl" scenario or venture into the years that encompass "happily ever after."  Ernest Thompson's On Golden Pond, currently on stage at Rabbit Run Theater, does just that.  

 

On Golden Pond pays a friendly visit to Norman and Ethel Thayer during their fifth decade of marriage, as they begin their 48th summer at the family's lakeside cabin in Maine.  The Thayers have settled into the gentle rhythms of a long life and a life-long relationship, where each half of the couple complements the other to form a contented whole.

 

Norman is an intelligent and quick-witted grumpy old man-a glass-half-empty octogenarian whose cynicism and preoccupation with his own mortality have been exacerbated by a failing heart and an increasingly faulty memory.  "Your fascination with dying is beginning to frazzle my good humor," says his wife early in Act 1. "Don't you have anything else to think about?"  "Nothing quite as interesting," he replies. 

 

Ethel's glass is half-full and contains eternal optimism and delight in the simple joys of life.  She reminisces about fond childhood moments, picks berries, takes pleasure in the loons on Golden Pond and easily absorbs Norman's rants, all of which keep these characters and this play from taking themselves too seriously.  

 

On Golden Pond is charming but, quite frankly, Thompson's writing offers a steady diet of dialogue best suited for the elderly, where genuine sugar is replaced with artificial sweetener and the meaty part of the story is bite-sized, easy to chew and not too salty or spicy.

 

For a play like this to be successful, superb actors are required to work their way through the self-conscious pulling of heartstrings and calculated sentimentality, and blend its unique mixture of humor and melancholy.  

 

The play's 1979 Broadway production was a success due, in large part, to actress Frances Sternhagen's performance, which won a Tony Award.  On Golden Pond became a memorable motion picture in 1981, starring Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn, who both won Oscars for their performances.  A 2005 Broadway revival was carried on the broad shoulders of James Earl Jones.  

 

Unfortunately, the summer season opener at Rabbit Run does not quite deliver the caliber of performance necessary for this play to win over an audience.  

 

Under the otherwise effective direction of Stephen Rhodes, the talented Patty Page lacks conviction in her portrayal of Ethel, saying lines as if reading them, and a delightful Joe Petrolia lacks variation in his depiction of Norman, leaving Thompson's pabulum-prose to fend for itself.

 

The consequence of this is that the two performers do not evoke the requisite loving partnership that drives this romantic comedy.  This is best exemplified in a pivotal scene where Norman returns home terribly disoriented and disheartened after becoming lost on his own property.  Page as Ethel uncharacteristically fails to rush to his side to offer comforting or demonstrate the emotional weight of this moment.  Petrolia as Norman fails to convincingly expose his vulnerability or adequately demonstrate his devastation.  

 

With little true emotion to feed off of, Kitty O'Shea's Chelsea, the Thayer's adult daughter who visits the cabin, also lacks conviction.  Neither her bitterness over Norman's lack of fatherly affection nor the tenderness that surrounds their efforts to mend their relationship comes through.  Similarly, Tom Milligan, as Chelsea's love interest Bill Ray, and Zachary Janouskovec as Bill Ray's teenage son, are unconvincing in their roles.

 

Only Larry Gasch, as Charlie the mailman, taps into what makes his character tick and comes across as genuine flesh and blood, even though his task is to establish local flavor and provide comic relief.  

 

Ray Beach's set design for the rustic Thayer cabin and Clayton Sandham's sound and lighting are also superb.

 

Rabbit Run's On Golden Pond proved to be shallow and lukewarm on opening night, with its performers wading knee deep rather than plunging head-first or daring to skinny dip.  Here's hoping the production matures as its run continues.  

 

 On Golden Pond continues through June 13 at Rabbit Run Theater, 5648 W. Chapel Rd., Madison Township.  For tickets, which are $15 to $17, call 440-428-7092 or visit www.rabbitrunonline.org.

 

Reader feedback is welcome.  Visit www.news-herald.com and type "Abelman" in the search window.

 
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