Theatre Tuscaloosa creates a family affair for 'On Golden Pond'

Because the 1981 hit movie version won three Oscars, famously uniting father-daughter duo Henry and Jane Fonda, teaming with another film legend, Katharine Hepburn, most folks' have specific memories of "On Golden Pond."

For instance: curmudgeonly quips, aerobicized 44-year-old Jane in cutoffs and a bikini urged into a backflip, cranky old man, charming kid, slightly less cranky old man.

Starting this weekend, Theatre Tuscaloosa is producing the source material, Ernest Thompson's 1979 play, and there will be differences: No actual water to dive in, but more laughs than the sentiment-laden movie.

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"How are they going to do the scene where she does the backflip? First of all, she's never in a bikini," said Gary M. Wise, who's playing the irascible patriarch. "We don't have a real pool or anything for her to do that; I'm sorry."

Key elements remain: Aging couple Norman and Ethel Thayer (Wise and Dianna Brown Shaw) summering at the lake of the title, visited by daughter Chelsea (Lisa Waldrop Shattuck), who brings fiance Billy Ray (Brent Jones) and his son Billy Ray Jr. (Baker Jones). Lifelong friend Charlie (Cooper Shattuck) continues to bear the mail, an outside-the-family perspective, and a torch for his childhood sweetheart Chelsea.

Theatre Tuscaloosa's "On Golden Pond" boasts family connections enough to rival the film: Jane Fonda bought the rights specifically to work with her father. Her son Troy Garrity plays a small uncredited part, and she'd originally wanted to cast her brother Peter Fonda, though they couldn't find the right role.

Paul K. Looney, artistic director emeritus, and the person most responsible for crafting and guiding the company from its earliest years, took a pause from retirement to direct.

He's leading a veteran group including Wise, who has played roles spanning the gamut from sadistic dentist in "Little Shop of Horrors" to narrator of "The Drowsy Chaperone" -- in productions for both Theatre Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama — to cynical reporter in "Inherit the Wind," to hero of screwball comedy "The 39 Steps."

"There's a synchronicity here," Looney said. "In the show, they make a big deal about Norman turning 80," which is, coincidentally, the director's age.

"Here (Wise) gets someone to be a good role model. I'm a cranky old man! Right? There you go."

Wise is decades from that milestone, though he has played a grandfather before, in the company's 2014 production of "You Can't Take it With You."

"Having no children or grandchildren myself, it's a little bit difficult," Wise said. "But having said that, it's really fun to work with a 13-year-old. ... He's got the chops."

That's Baker Jones, authentically aged for the Billy Ray Jr. part, and real-life son of Brent and Lindsey Jones, both long-time Theatre Tuscaloosa performers. This will be the younger Jones' first time with the company, though he has acted in Tuscaloosa Children's Theatre, and for some of his dad's productions at Hillcrest High School. This will mark the first time father and son have acted together on stage.

"I'm glad to have done Theatre Tuscaloosa for the first time, now," said Baker, who came in off-book not only on his own part, but pretty much all the others. Grandpa Wise went up momentarily in a rehearsal recently, and the kid stepped in with the line.

The other big familial connection is a husband-and-wife duo of the Shattucks. Lisa is a stalwart pro with decades of leading roles, while Cooper is on stage for the first time in literally 40 years, since a small part in his high school play.

After writing an original work for Theatre Tuscaloosa, "Love and Cheese Toast," in which his wife co-starred, Cooper became fascinated by the process, the journey of collaboration required to make even small shows happen. He'd signed on to help with stage management for "On Golden Pond," but when a medical issue led to the actor cast as Charlie needing to step back, Cooper stepped up.

"He's the connection, sort of, to Golden Pond," Cooper said. "He's the one that always stayed. (The Thayers) come and go, she comes and goes. Charlie is the one constant. And the highlight of his wife was when he was a kid, with (Chelsea), and then it's sort of like he's the high school quarterback, still lingering on glory days."

Charlie is the character who lightens moods, rallies the family when tensions ratchet between Chelsea and Norman, and Ethel and Norman, and Ethel and Chelsea.... It's family dynamics that energize the play, Lisa Shattuck said.

"There's some little physical bits that are funny," she said, "but then there's also just the development of characters; they have that that way of jabbing each other, and pushing each other's buttons, that you know families do. There just seems to be more of those moments in the play."

Though many of the cast have seen the movie — there was also a 2001 live TV adaptation, reuniting "The Sound of Music" stars Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer in the leads — most haven't watched it lately. Wise may be the exception.

"I'll be the first to admit it: I steal wherever I can," he said. "So there's some places in there that I'm like, 'Oh, I love what he's doing there. I don't like what I'm doing there, so I'm not gonna do that.' That sort of thing. Not doing it exactly like him, obviously. But just taking the attitude and going with it from there, and seeing where it leads."

Shaw is filling some major shoes herself, as Hepburn, like the elder Fonda, won Oscars and critical raves.

"She has a wonderful energy in that performance," Shaw said. "And now I understand: Ethel has to maintain a lot of energy because she's carrying a lot for the family. She is the glue between the father and the daughter, and then when new people come in, she's got to try to bring them in and be the glue there.

"And so just her level of energy in portraying that character is something that I've drawn on. But then there are moments where you see a little more of her vulnerability in the play, the way it's written. You really get to see all the dimensions of her in the play."

Aside from Baker, who he has known literally since the boy's birth, and Cooper, Looney had worked with all of this cast before, which was key to his directing comeback.

"I sort of knew who I wanted," Looney said. "As I told Tina (Turley, executive producer), I said 'I want to do it, but I don't want to teach acting.' "

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Theatre Tuscaloosa will perform "On Golden Pond" at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and March 3-4; with 2 p.m. matinees Sunday, Wednesday and March 5-6, all in the Bean-Brown Theatre at Shelton State Community College.

Tickets are $19 general; $17 for seniors, members of the military, and Shelton State employees; and $14 for students and children. Special rates are available for groups of 10 or more, and for Shelton State students, if purchased in advance. Tickets and more information are available at www.theatretusc.com, or 205-391-2277. Masks are not required, but are strongly recommended.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Theatre Tuscaloosa creates a family affair in 'On Golden Pond'