Jungle Theater Stages ON GOLDEN POND, Now thru 12/21

The Jungle Theater brings the poignant ON GOLDEN POND to its stage for an inaugural run and reunites audience favorites Bain Boehlke and Wendy Lehr, both Ivey Award Lifetime Achievement/ McKnight Distinguished Artists. This warm and witty American classic, opening tonight, November 7, explores the turbulent relationship between father and daughter, the generation gap between young and old, and the challenges facing a couple in the twilight years of a long and happy marriage. The new production will be on stage at the Jungle, 2951 Lyndale Av. S. in Minneapolis, through December 21.

As the story begins, the Thayers (played by Lehr and Boehlke) - open-hearted Ethel and irascible Norman - return to their cottage on Golden Pond for their 48th summer. Their respite is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of their estranged daughter, her fiancé and his teenage son. Over the course of the summer, an unlikely friendship develops between Norman and the boy, which sparks a renewed zest for life in the Thayer family.

The talented cast includes Jennifer Blagen as daughter Chelsea, Michael Booth as fiancé Bill Ray, Peder Lindell as teenager Billy Ray and E.J. Subkoviak as Charlie. The creative team features Artistic Director Boehlke (director and set designer), Barry Browning (lighting designer), Ann Cady (costume designer), Sean Healey (sound designer), John Novak (properties designer) and John Stillwell (technical director).

On Golden Pond, by Ernest Thompson, opened on Broadway in 1979 and won a Drama Desk Award for New Play that year. Thompson later adapted his script for the screen and it went on to become a multi-nominated Academy Award-winning film (1982) starring Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda and his daughter, Jane, with Thompson receiving the Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.

Performances of On Golden Pond are Tuesdays ($25), Wednesdays ($33) and Thursdays ($38) at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. ($43); Sundays at 2 p.m. ($38); and Sundays at 7:30 p.m. ($33). Senior, student and group discounts are also available, and rush tickets are available every night of the week 30 minutes prior to the performance for $10 off the regular price. Tickets are available at (612) 822-7063 or online at www.jungletheater.com.