On Golden Pond

Playwright Ernest Thompson's "On Golden Pond" is a story about coming to terms with aging and healing relationships, which have fractured over time. It was a modest hit on Broadway in 1979 but became a mammoth one when adapted to the screen two years later as a vehicle for Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda, both of whom won Oscars for their portrayal of the aging couple at the center of the story.

In Granite Theatre's production, husband and wife David and Beth Jepson star as that couple - curmudgeon Norman Thayer and his faithful but long-suffering wife Ethel.

The Thayers return to their vacation home on "Golden Pond" where they have spent the previous 47 summers. The furniture is covered with sheets and family photographs sit on the mantle over the fireplace. The screen door falls off, letting the bugs into the house.

Jepson displays sharp comic timing as Norman, a recluse who is set in his ways. He expresses some borderline racist attitudes about minorities when he says he feels more comfortable living with the white people in Maine. His attitudes about gays are not exactly enlightened either. Norman makes an offensive comment about lesbians. I suspect Norman would feel right at home at a Trump rally.

Free-spirited Ethel enjoys the great outdoors. She collects kindling for the fireplace and gazes in awe at the ducks on the lake. She's a strong-willed woman with a tendency to overlook Norman's cruelty.

Their lives change following a visit by their middle-aged daughter Chelsea (Michelle Mania, who appeared in "Proof") who has brought along her new fianc� Bill (Jude Pescatello) and his precocious teenage son Billy Ray, nicely played by young Patrick Conaway.

Norman and Billy Ray bond while fishing and the youth teaches his older mentor some hip slang.

Michael Chiaradio appears as the Thayers' longtime mailman Charlie, a bit of an eccentric who once had a fling with Chelsea.

The climax features Chelsea and Norman dealing with their long-strained relationship. Chelsea has been harboring deep-seated feelings of resentment as a result of Norman teasing her about her weight as a teenager.

Mania and Jepson, who also directed and served as set designers, have some powerfully effective moments which are notable for the words which go unspoken.

Another terrific scene features Bill talking with a befuddled Norman about his sleeping with Chelsea. Pescatello's Bill is likable and easy-going but makes it clear to Norman he will not allow himself to be disrespected. In the process, he earns Norman's trust. It's a fantastic performance.

"On Golden Pond" is about ends and beginnings. Norman and Ethel discover their lives are changing and learn to embrace the unknown. They adjust to their new reality while holding on to what they loved about the past.

David Jepson has served as Granite's Artistic Director and Beth Jepson has served as Assistant Artistic Director. This is the Jepson's' final performance together on the Granite stage before their impending retirement and it serves as a truly touching farewell.

The two lead actors know these characters inside and out. When Norman takes a fall, Ethel remembers friends and family long departed. Beth Jepson puts her heart and soul into the words and it's tremendously compelling.

"On Golden Pond" runs through August 25. Granite Theatre. 1 Granite St., Westerly, RI. For tickets, visit granitetheatre.com or call 401-596-2341.