'On Golden Pond' may tickle your funny bone
If you're old enough to remember Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda's tear-jerking performances in the 1981 drama, "On Golden Pond," you may be surprised by the theatrical remake now playing in Des Plaines.
"I think the first thing to say about the show is that it is not the movie," said Scott Sumerak, director of Big Noise Theatre and Ouroboros Theatre Company's joint production of the play by Ernest Thompson.
It's the first such collaboration between the two theater companies.
Sumerak, whose day job is teaching creative dramatics to elementary schoolchildren, moonlights as artistic director at the roughly 5-year-old Ouroboros Theatre Company in Chicago.
"Being a small theater company in the city, Ouroboros doesn't get a chance to perform in front of big suburban theater audiences," said Sumerak, who was invited to direct Big Noise's 2008 production, "Over the Tavern."
Sumerak said people may stay away from the show, which runs through Feb. 8 at The Prairie Lakes Theater, because they think it is going to be depressing, dark and melancholy.
"I think what will surprise people is how funny the show actually is," Sumerak said. "There are a couple of heavy moments in the show but not at all like the movie."
The story centers around Norman and Ethel Thayer, who return to their lake house on Golden Pond, as they have for decades. When their divorced daughter, Chelsea, brings home her new fiancé and his son, the family is forced to address long ignored grievances and find a way to reconnect with each other.
The cast of six actors, ranging from 70 years old to 13 years old, perform on a large, unit set built to resemble the interior of a three-level lake cabin.
"It's a pretty intimate show with only six characters," Sumerak said. "There's not a lot of flashy action. All three levels are right there in front of you. Everything takes place inside of this cabin."
While there's no background music during the play, audiences will be greeted by the sound of traditional New England guitar music, which sets the mood for the play. The music also will play during the intermission and scene changes.
"The music sort of felt like an old flannel shirt," Sumerak said. "It really evoked the feeling of sitting in front of a fireplace in an old rustic location."
<p class="factboxheadblack">"On Golden Pond"</p> <p class="News"><b>Performances:</b> 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays through Feb. 8 at The Prairie Lakes Theater, 515 E. Thacker St., Des Plaines.</p> <p class="News"><b>Cast:</b> Jenny Holcomb of Hoffman Estates as the estranged daughter Chelsea and David Whitlock of Northbrook as Charlie, the Thayer's neighbor and dear friend for over 40 years. Newcomers are Dennis Stewart of Streamwood and Barb Singelmann of Elk Grove Village, as Norman and Ethel Thayer, Brad Davidson of Mount Prospect as Bill, Chelsea's fiancé, and his son Billy played by Danny Mulae of Northbrook.</p> <p class="News"><b>Tickets: </b>$20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $12 for children 12 years old and under. They can be purchased online at <a href="http://www.bignoisetheatre.org" target="new">bignoisetheatre.org</a> and <a href="http://www.ouroborostheatre.com" target="new">ouroborostheatre.com</a>, or by calling (847) 604-0275.</p>