On Golden Pond
by Ernest Thompson

Broadway
On Golden Pond Book Cover
On Golden Pond Cover

Highlights

120 mins1970sRole(s) for Teen(s)Strong Role for Leading Man (Star Vehicle)Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle)Role(s) for Senior Actor(s)Interior SetContemporary Costumes/Street ClothesAmerican

Awards & Recognition

Drama Desk AwardTony Award

Nominee: Two 2005 Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Play Nominee: One 1979 Tony Award Nominee: Five 1979 Drama Desk Awards, including Best New Play

What readers are saying

Readers generally find 'On Golden Pond' to be a touching and nostalgic play that beautifully captures the complexities of aging and family relationships. Many appreciate the warm characterization of Norman and Ethel Thayer, expressing how the play evokes emotion and charm. However, some critiques mention a lack of depth in certain characters compared to the beloved movie adaptation.

Touching and nostalgic storyCharming character dynamicsGreat exploration of agingSome characters lack depthNot as strong as the film adaptation

Synopsis

THE STORY: This is the love story of Ethel and Norman Thayer, who are returning to their summer home on Golden Pond for the forty-eighth year.

He is a retired professor, nearing eighty, with heart palpitations and a failing memory--but still as tart

Press Reviews

"On Golden Pond is a work of rare simplicity and beauty, and in Thompson our theatre has found a fresh new voice."

— New York Daily News

"What courage it must have taken for Mr. Thompson in the 1970s to write a play with so much affection in it!"

— The New Yorker

Characters

Character
Ethel Thayer
Charlie Martin
Chelsea Thayer Wayne
Billy Ray
Bill Ray
Norman Thayer, Jr.

Videos

On Golden Pond – Bristol Riverside Theatre Trailer

Publication

Year1979
BindingPaperback
Pages72
PlaceNew York
LanguageEnglish
ISBN-139780822208488
ISBN-100822208482
LCCN2007540881
LCCMLCS 2007/47188 (P)

On Golden Pond is a American play written by Ernest Thompson and published by Dramatists Play Service in New York (1979).

Community Reviews

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Rating

4.1

656 ratings·70 reviews

Review

Buy Play

Paperback

Dramatists Play Service · 1979 · 72 pp

From $23.08 total

Performance Rights

Available for Licensing
Amateur & Professional
Fee:Minimum Fee: $130 per performance

Restrictions: Major Markets Plus (US) / Standard Plus Add'l Postcodes (UK)

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