Simpler Times with Complicated Relationships are Presented by Drayton Entertainment's On Golden Pond

Being a kid in the 80s means I was very familiar with the movie On Golden Pond.  It was a box office hit and won Academy Awards for acting, but it wasn't until recently that I learned that the film was adapted from a play.  Last night I had the opportunity to attend the opening of On Golden Pond at Drayton Entertainment's Hamilton Family Theatre in Cambridge Ontario and watch it portrayed on stage.

It was great to return to the Hamilton Family Theatre and to learn more about the Canadian Service Medal won by Drayton Entertainment's Artistic Director Alex Mustakas and his continuing work in the performing arts.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Drayton Entertainment (@draytonentertainment)

Settling in On Golden Pond

The set was full of rustic charm with collections of books, generational furniture, and a spot just for fishing gear. This transported you to a time before cell phones and the internet was invented.  There was even a rotary telephone used by the main characters of the play.  This summer home for retired couple Norman and Ethel Thaler was a simple backdrop for some complicated relationships.

It is a play about generations and their perspectives. It finds its way from the beginning of summer full of frustration to what could become the end of an era if things don't change. By summer's end, feelings change from harsh to healing, and new friendships are formed but the route taken is unexpected by all.

Ethel and Norman Thayer are returning to their summer home on Golden Pond for the 48th year for some much-needed rest and relaxation. Their delightful summer routine is thrown for a loop when their daughter Chelsea visits for her father's 80^th birthday, bringing her boyfriend Bill and his teenage son in tow. After an unexpected relationship blooms, fraught family dynamics come to the forefront as they are forced to navigate the generation gap through zippy, tart-tongued observations on fishing, literature, slang, marriage ... and their own mortality.

Summer Theatre Season On Golden Pond

This summer you too can spend some time ON GOLDEN POND with a visit to the Hamilton Family Theatre.

On Golden Pond is on stage from July 20 to August 6 at the Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge. Regular performance tickets are $53 for adults, $32 for youth under 20 years of age and $43 for groups of 20 or more and select Discount Dates. HST is applicable to all ticket prices. Tickets may be purchased in person at any Drayton Entertainment Box Office, by calling the Box Office at 519-621-8000 or toll free at 1-855-drayton (372-9866), or online at www.draytonentertainment.com

Learn more about upcoming Drayton Entertainment Performances in the video below.