PinnWorth Productions Presents ON GOLDEN POND, Opening 6/14

PinnWorth Productions presents the humorous and touching play "On Golden Pond" at Mercer County Community College's Kelsey Theatre. Performances are Fridays, June 14 and 21 at 8 p.m.; Saturdays, June 15 and 22 at 8 p.m.; and Sundays, June 16 and 23 at 2 p.m. Kelsey Theatre is located on the college's West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road. A reception with the cast and crew follows the opening night performance on June 14.

Norman Thayer, a cranky 80-year-old retired professor, makes his annual summer pilgrimage with his wife, Ethel, to their New England summer cottage on a lake called Golden Pond. Their solitude is interrupted when the couple's daughter, Chelsea, arrives with her fiancé and teenage son in tow. Written by Ernest Thompson, "On Golden Pond" explores the turbulent relationship the young woman shared with her father growing up, and the difficulties faced by a spirited couple in the twilight years of a long marriage.

This endearing story of a family and its complexities had its initial Broadway run in 1979, and received five Drama Desk Award nominations. It was then made into the hit 1982 film starring Katherine Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Jane Fonda. In 2001 a television adaptation of the play starred Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews, and in 2005 it was revived on Broadway with an African American cast, starring James Earl Jones and Leslie Uggams.

"This play represents a return to my first love: intimate shows," said Director Lou J. Stalsworth of Allentown. It has given me the opportunity to work with a small, dedicated cast who in turn must focus on the playwright's vision: subtleties and subtext."

The show stars John Shanken-Kaye of Doylestown, PA, as Norman; Laurie Hardy of Hamilton as Ethel; and Elizabeth Rzasa of Lawrenceville as their daughter, Chelsea. The cast also features Calvin Tobias of Ivyland, PA, as 13-year-old Billy Ray; Rob Gougher of Newtown, PA, as Chelsea's fiance, Bill Ray; and Wayne Rossignol of Hamilton as Chelsea's childhood sweetheart, Charlie.

The show is directed by Lou J. Stalsworth of Allentown, with stage management by Rachel Piscopo of Morrisville, PA, lighting and sound design by Robert Terrano of East Windsor, and costumes by Kate Pinner of Allentown.

Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for seniors, and $12 for students and children. For tickets, call the Kelsey Theatre box office at (609) 570-3333, or order online at www.kelseytheatre.net. Kelsey Theatre is wheelchair accessible, with free parking available next to the theater.

Kelsey Theatre has announced its summer schedule of shows: "As You Like It," June 28-July 7; "Godspell," July 12-21; Reock and Roll presents Beatles' "White Album," July 27-28; "Mary Poppins" Movie Sing-a-long, Aug. 2-4; and the Third Annual Kelsey Theatre Awards Ceremony on Aug. 10. Discount packages are available, up to 35 percent off. For more information, call (609) 570-3333, or visit www.kelseytheatre.net/summer13.

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