Sunday, 04/24/05

Here's a chance to return to the warmth and simplicity of 'On Golden Pond'

There's love, and then there's love — some spoken, some not, some grasped between moments and some found only On Golden Pond.

Ethel and Norman Thayer return there every summer, celebrating their rich and long life together. But this year, things are different; their teenage grandson has joined them. And other potentially life-changing events await.

The award-winning play, written by Ernest Thompson, is ''a beautiful examination of love on so many levels between human beings,'' says Jamey Green, who directs an upcoming Boiler Room Theatre production of the work. ''The script has a genuine warmth and a disarming simplicity.''

That may be why it's enjoyed such success. Playwright Thompson, who adapted it for film in 1981, earned both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, and stars Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda earned Oscars for participation, as well.

The play debuted on Broadway in 1979, and a current revival features an African-American cast led by James Earl Jones and Leslie Uggams.

Locally, the Boiler Room Theatre brings On Golden Pond to the stage with Douglas Davis, Marianne Clark, Laura Skaug, Alan Lee, Phil Perry-Dixon and Ohan Missian-Dill.

— Fiona Soltes, For The Tennessean

Getting there

Boiler Room Theatre presents On Golden Pond Friday through May 28 at The Factory at Franklin, 230 Franklin Road, Building 6. Shows are at 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with an additional performance on Thursday, May 26, and special discount matinees at 2 p.m. May 8 and 22. Tickets ($19; $17 for seniors ages 60 and up and students with ID; $12 for children 12 and under) are available through 794-7744 or www.boiler roomtheatre.com. Matinee prices are $2 less respectively. Dinner and show packages are available with Saffire Restaurant, next to the theater, for $39 per person, expect Tuesdays, when they're $32. All Tuesday show-only tickets are two-for-one, $19 for two tickets, no other discounts apply.