REVIEW: Comfortable slice of life with “On Golden Pond”
Probably the most familiar of the Old Lyric Repertory Company offerings this summer, “On Golden Pond” opened to a polite audience Thursday night and quietly presented a pedestrian slice of life.
No surprises here, just a seemingly effortless presentation of a well-written examination of a family trying to take its own pulse. The OLRC production features founding director Vosco Call as the keystone character Norman Thayer, and playwright Ernest Thompson gives Norman all the good lines. The pressure is on Call to take the audience inside this family — and particularly its aging patriarch — and he does so admirably. Call, and Jan Hines, as wife Ethyl, are very likable and the audience takes kindly to their performance right away. Hines is occasionally a bit soft of voice and needs to keep voicing toward the audience. These two characterizations don’t call for great stretches of effort from Call and Hines; Norman only needs to be ornery and sarcastic, while Ethel needs to be exasperated and insightful. They are.
This slice of life really has few dramatic moments – the climax of the play just being Norman saying those three little words … you know the ones. Will he or won’t he? That’s about it for the conflict, too. Not heart-stopping drama, but nonetheless important and moving, for the most part. On opening night, the pair of lead actors did not quite present the intensity needed in the first act, the moment when Norman sincerely questions his own memory and suggests he is worried about – and not just making fun of – death and the loss of one’s mind. The audience understood what Norman was feeling, but did not feel it deeply enough with him.
The older couple has a daughter, Chelsea, played by Keri Hostetler, who has never felt comfortable being Norman’s daughter. She seems to be carrying bad memories of her childhood summers on Golden Pond, as well as an accompanying chip on her shoulder. She rarely visits and getting Norman and Chelsea to face together these old ghosts presents what little drama this soap opera is destined to have.
But, again, this is meant to be only a slice of life, not a dramatic presentation with a beginning and a climax and an ending. “On Golden Pond” doesn’t end with a bang, really, it just fades to black. Sort of like most people’s lives. Maybe even like Norman Thayer’s life.
Chelsea is pondering marriage and brings to her summer home the son of her most recent flame. Young Billy Ray, played by John Ferguson, ends up staying the summer with the Thayers, with positive results, prompting Ethel to say, “I should have rented a 13-year-old boy for Norman years ago.” Ferguson, on opening night, was delivering lines on top of audience laughter and half of what he said was lost. His delivery was wooden and way too quiet. Realists – anyone with a family – would suggest his integration into the Thayer family was far too simple. It is expected that newcomer Ferguson will get more animated and loosen up as the season progresses.
Rounding out the cast are Tyson Smith as Charlie, the mailman and a teenager admirer of Chelsea, and William Warren as Bill Ray, young Billy’s father. Both present well-done character-driven performances and leave no question as to their abilities.
The set and lighting — as is generally the case with OLRC productions — is absolutely top drawer. The set design by Chrislynn Call and lighting by Bruce Duerden put the sparse audience right into the woods of Maine and allow the choice writing of Thompson to find its way into the hearts and minds of the OLRC patrons.
“On Golden Pond” will continue in repertory with four other productions most of the summer at the Caine Lyric Theatre, 28 W. Center Street in Logan. Ticket information and dates can be found at the USU Ticket Office.
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