ON GOLDEN POND is Coming to MCCC's Kelsey Theatre in November

A poignant tale intertwining familial relationships with a 48-year-old love story comes to life when Break a Leg Productions and Zeff Entertainment presents On Golden Pond, Nov. 4-12, at the Kelsey Theatre on Mercer County Community College's (MCCC) West Windsor Campus.

Ernest Thompson's On Golden Pond tells the love story of Ethel and Norman Thayer, who are returning to their summer home on Golden Pond for the 48th year. Norman is a retired English professor, nearing 80, with heart palpitations and a failing memory - but still as tart-tongued and eager for life as ever. Ethel, 10 years his junior, is the perfect foil for Norman and delights in the small things that have enriched their long life together.

The Thayer's are visited by Chelsea, their divorced, middle-aged daughter and her dentist fiancé, Bill Ray, who go off to Europe leaving his teenage son, Billy Ray, behind for the summer. The boy quickly becomes the "grandchild" the elderly couple have longed for. In the end, as the summer fades, so does Ethel and Norman's brief elation. In the final, deeply moving moments of the play, they realize time is against them, but perhaps another summer on Golden Pond still awaits.

The cast features John Dwyer of New Hope, Pa, as Norman; Peggy Waldron of Hamilton, N.J., as Ethel; Rebecca Callahan of Princeton, N.J., as Chelsea; Tim Irvine of Levittown, Pa., as Bill Ray; Justin Casler of Hamilton as Billy Ray; and J. Ryan Harmer of Robbinsville, N.J., as mailman Charlie Martin. The play is directed by Susan Galli of Ewing, N.J., and produced by Sheldon Bruce Zeff of Newtown, Pa.

Dates and showtimes for On Golden Pond are Friday, Nov. 3 at 8 p.m.; Saturdays, Nov. 4 and Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sundays, Nov. 5 and Nov. 12, at 2 p.m. In addition, there will be a special performance for senior citizens and groups on Wednesday, Nov. 8, at 2 p.m.

Performances will be at the Kelsey Theatre on the MCCC West Windsor Campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road. Tickets are $22 for adults and $20 for children and students, and may be purchased online at www.kelseytheatre.org or by calling the Kelsey Box Office Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. - noon, at (609) 570-3333. Kelsey Theatre is wheelchair accessible, with free parking next to the theater. For a complete listing of adult and children's events, visit the Kelsey website or call the box office for a brochure.

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