MadKap Productions is pleased to present ON GOLDEN POND for 13 live performances at the Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave in Downtown Skokie. Feb 2 – Feb 25, 2024, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, and Sundays at 2:00 pm, with one Wed. matinee on Feb 21 at 1:30 pm. Tickets are $38 general admission, $34 for seniors and students and can be purchased online at SkokieTheatre.org or by calling 847-677-7761.
ON GOLDEN POND tells the story of Ethel and Norman Thayer, a retired couple whose 48th summer on Golden Pond in Maine is disrupted by their daughter, Chelsea, who leaves her boyfriend’s 13-year-old step-son in their care for the summer. The difficulties of a couple in their twilight years and the challenges of resolving the generation gap, take on a warm and witty edge in a play that effortlessly illustrates the hilarious, heartbreaking, human moments of which life is made.
The play opened in 1979 and swept the Drama Desk Awards, receiving awards for Best New Play, Best Actor (Tom Aldredge as Norman), and Best Actress (Frances Sternhagen, who also won the Tony Award). The Broadway revival in 2005 earned James Earl Jones a Tony Award for Best Actor. Ernest Thompson adapted his play into a movie which won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay, as well as earning Best Actor awards for both Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn.
The MadKap production stars the real-life husband and wife team of Bernie Rice and Judy Rossignuolo-Rice as Norman and Ethel Thayer. The cast includes Karyn Louise Doerfler as their daughter Chelsea, Victor Polites as her boyfriend Bill, and Peter Goldsmith as her childhood friend Charlie. The role of 13-year-old Billy Jr. is played in rotation by both AJ Carchi and Ari Magsino.
On Golden Pond kicks off the 10th Anniversary year for MadKap productions at Skokie Theatre, which assumed management of the building in February 2014. Future productions include the award-winning Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time starting in April, at which time the 10th Anniversary Season will be announced.
For reservations or additional information, visit SkokieTheatre.org, or call the box office at 847-677-7761
About MadKap Productions
MadKap is celebrating its 10th year at Skokie Theatre and is the recipient of the 2019 Artistic Excellence award from the Village of Skokie Fine Arts Commission. Wendy Kaplan and Wayne Mell formed MadKap Productions in 2011 and have premiered ground-breaking new plays like Clutter: The True Story of the Collier Brothers Who Never Threw Anything Out and Mr. Shaw Goes To Hollywood, and Side Effects May Include, the semi-autobiographical account of Seinfeld writer Marc Jaffe’s experiences with Parkinson’s Disease which toured nationally, raising funds for Shaking With Laughter and The Michael J. Fox Foundation. MadKap Productions was formerly a resident production company at the Greenhouse Theater Center in Chicago. In February of 2014, MadKap Productions took over management of the Skokie Theatre with the goal of establishing a full-time performing arts center.
About Skokie Theatre
The Skokie Theatre was originally built in 1912 and served as the local movie theatre for the people who lived in the Skokie area. The building fell into disrepair, until 2006 when the Skokie Valley Music Foundation spent over 1.2 million dollars to refurbish it and create a music hall that is unlike any other in the area. Its 140 comfortable seats, perfect acoustics, and elegant art deco architecture makes it a Skokie landmark. MadKap Productions took over management of the building in February, 2014 with the goal of establishing a full-time performing arts center. When not presenting plays, audiences can experience cabaret and concerts, dance, and comedy acts.
