MR. MARMALADE – Just When You Thought It Was Safe…

Scott Walker  as Mr. Marmalade and Jayne Furlong as Lucy

By Tina Arth

An almost empty stage, with white drapery along the walls and covering a few pieces of furniture, creates a dreamlike setting for Twilight Theater Company’s current offering, Mr. Marmalade.  The next two hours deliver an amazing combination of satire, horror, comedy, surrealism, fantasy, violence - even love. Playwright Noah Haidle’s 2004 work about the harsh realities and vivid fantasies of a disturbed four-year-old girl delivers a thought-provoking take on the world as it might look if unfiltered by the loving support of responsible adults. Director Jo Strom Lane has attracted a solid cast and given them the guidance they need to fully realize the potential of an odd, but compelling, script.

The show revolves around two very screwed up kids. There’s young Lucy, who is being raised by Sookie, her emotionally, and frequently physically, unavailable mom. Additional minimal supervision is provided by a hormone-riddled babysitter Emily, who spends more time in the bedroom with her boyfriend George than she does with Lucy. Lucy’s world revolves around her real babysitter (the television) and a couple of quite corporeal imaginary friends, Mr. Marmalade and his long-suffering assistant, Bradley. Conflict arises in Lucy’s world when she makes an actual friend, five-year-old Larry, who proudly proclaims that he is the youngest child in New Jersey to attempt suicide. Mr. Marmalade, who seems like a fifties’ sitcom dad at first, is unwilling to share Lucy’s attentions with a real friend. As the show progresses it is clear that Mr. Marmalade is not filling the role of an absentee father, but rather a warped love interest. Lucy’s reality has been shaped by Law and Order style dramas and sitcoms about dysfunctional families (the theme songs and emblematic recliner from Married With Children and All In the Family ensure that the audience will catch this point). Mr. Marmalade makes the transition from a Ward Cleaver to an Al Bundy, and after an unfortunate incident with Larry’s (much more benign) imaginary friends, Lucy sends her young friend away, choosing to inhabit Mr. Marmalade’s bizarre imaginary world filled with violence, cocaine, and pornography.  Trust me – it’s a lot more fun than it sounds, and some truly cringe-worthy moments are leavened by really funny physical comedy and the pleasure of watching a group of extraordinary actors ply their craft.

Jayne Furlong is hilarious, touching, and sometimes maddening as the tutu-clad Lucy. It’s not easy for an adult to play a four-year-old, especially a precocious one like Lucy who shifts without notice in and out of her fantasy world. Furlong pulls off the voice, diction, clumsiness, and pathos so consistently that we easily forget that she is not a tot.  Jay Dressler (“Larry”) is her perfect counterpart – serious, lonely, intense, but somehow still only five. The biggest casting coup may be Scott Walker (“Mr. Marmalade”) – he is old enough to be paternal, attractive enough to justify Lucy’s love fantasies, and makes a smooth transition from buttoned down busy executive to a coke-snorting low-life whose “wife-beater” undershirt accurately reflects the abusive side that fully emerges as the play develops.

Special notice is due to costume designer Amanda Ryan, particularly for the thoroughly childish apparel that helps us define Furlong’s character and provides light notes to brighten a frequently dark script.

Director Jo Strom Lane is continuing Twilight’s recent trend toward challenging, thought-provoking theater that entertains in the moment but lurks in the mind long after the stage goes dark. Mr. Marmalade is not standard fare for local theaters, so theater lovers who miss this production may be permanently out of luck. Because of mature themes and language, the show is not appropriate for younger audiences.

Twilight Theater Company’s Mr. Marmalade is playing at the Performing Arts Theater, 7515 N. Brandon Avenue, Portland through Saturday, August 6th with performances at 8 P.M. Friday and Saturday. There will also be an 8:00 performance on Thursday, August 4^th, and a matinee at 3 P.M. on Sunday, July 31^st.

HART’s “Page to Stage” Comes of Age with Continuing Education

Christie Quinn ("Layla Bainer"), Kaitlynn Baugh ("Megan Horne"), and Kathleen Silloway ("Rose Hawthorne")

By Tina Arth

Hillsboro Artists Regional Theatre (HART) not only gives local actors a chance to perform, it also offers the unique opportunity for local playwrights to see full productions of their original works. From the entries in last October’s “Page to Stage” competition, HART selected Continuing Education for this summer’s play, and there was no doubt in the minds of the opening weekend audiences that they made the right choice. Author Sharon Gavin’s work is brought to life by novice director Carl Dahlquist and informed by the mad skills of a cast that (collectively) brings perhaps 100 years of acting experience. It is smartly written and loaded with unexpected laughs; although absurd, the internal logic is sound – overall, it is a sheer delight.

Imagine sixty-something Rose Hawthorne delaying her college graduation for four decades, because her grandfather willed the family’s Victorian mansion to the college with the condition that she could live in the home until she graduates. Even taking only one class per semester, she is running out of courses to take – and the college trustees are scheming to drive her out by turning her home into a dorm for non-traditional female students. Two roommates arrive – five-time divorcee Layla Bayner and Megan Horne, a young woman using her GI Bill benefits after a ten-year career in the Marine Corps.  Add Rose’s lover (and college president) Skip Graham, Layla’s first husband David (now teaching Layla’s Freshman English class), and Megan’s lab partner Paul, a senior who cannot bring himself to dissect a cat for a required anatomy class. Finally, there is the dreaded Professor Appleberry teaching “Shakespeare in the Modern World” and holding the key to Rose’s future - she must fail his class or she’ll be forced to graduate.

Kathleen Silloway is marvelous as Rose – tall, elegant and thoroughly believable as a woman with a caustic shell that covers her fundamental insecurity. Christie Quinn (as serially monogamous Layla) is her perfect counterpart – a relaxed, outgoing and confident woman of the world compared to sheltered introvert Rose. Kaitlynn Baugh’s portrayal of “Megan” is, perhaps, overly charming – she delivers her uptight character’s lines a little too gently, just missing the clipped cadence and rigid posture of a career Marine.  Continuing Education is primarily a woman’s show, and the men (while uniformly skillful) serve primarily as adjuncts and straight men to the ladies’ laugh lines. Chuck Weed (“Professor Appleberry”) is the exception, even though he has the smallest role in the show. In response to Rose’s innovative Richard III thesis (which must be seen to be believed), Weed spews a hysterical narrative that is a marvel of comic timing and precise delivery.

HART has pulled out all of the stops for the set, and the lush furniture and gleaming “hardwood” floor effectively create the ambience of Victorian luxury that binds Rose to her home (and holds her in the past). The lighting design by Ray Hale, Carl Dahlquist and Brian Ollom is simple but effective, and the more elaborate effects during the Richard III bit really enhance the unusual nature of the play-within-a-play.

Opening weekend attendance was good, but Continuing Education is a comedy that deserves full houses. Page to Stage truly has come of age, and audiences should treat this as an opportunity to watch the premier of a really funny show!

Continuing Education is playing at the HART Theatre, 185 SE Washington, Hillsboro through July 24th, with performances at 7:30 on Fridays and Saturdays and 2:00 on Sundays. 

All The World’s a Stage for B&B’s Coriolanus

Cassie Greer at Coriolanus. Photo by Casey Campbell.

By Tina Arth

Up until recently, my only exposure to Coriolanus was its place at the end of a funny line in “Brush Up Your Shakespeare.” Despite some unanticipated rain that transformed “theater on the plaza” into “theater on the concrete floor of a nearly empty bank building,” the dauntless Bag & Baggage troupe brought enlightenment to Hillsboro area theater lovers with the opening weekend of their annual summer Shakespeare offering. In any previous year, precipitation would have spelled disaster, but the company’s serendipitous migration into their own space meant the show could go on – and B&B made the most of the challenge.

Coriolanus’ contemporary obscurity is understandable – it was one of Shakespeare’s later plays, and there is no record of it being performed in his lifetime. It is an explicitly political work, and was adapted several times through the ensuing centuries, with each adaptor imposing his particular political perspective. Thus, it has appeared as an apology for oppressive tyrants (and critique of the unwashed masses) as well as an attack on the hubris of the wealthy and powerful (and defense of the common man). Given the issues in current headlines, the play is remarkably relevant, and director Scott Palmer and his cast definitely trend toward the more peaceful and populist interpretations.  Choosing (as he did a few years ago with Julius Caesar) to use an all-female cast amplifies the divide; there is something about strong women playing male warriors that intensifies the absurdity of a world where might is presumed to make right.

It is impossible to ignore the Trump/Sanders analogy as wealthy, contemptuous General Caius Marcus starves the Roman populace to feed his armies, while Tribunes/social justice warriors Brutus and Sicinius lead the populace in protests against the brilliant but arrogant general. Marcus defeats the dreaded Volscian army, and is awarded the title Coriolanus in honor of his victory. Attempts to elevate Coriolanus to the position of Roman Consul are thwarted by (depending on your perspective) an ungrateful rabble or the noble common man. Banished from the city, Coriolanus responds by betraying his homeland and joining forces with Aufidius, leader of the Volscian forces. Coriolanus’ mother, wife, and another Roman lady plead with him to spare the city, and his response leads to the play’s final tragedy.

Cassie Greer is utterly fierce as the seemingly indomitable Coriolanus, radiating the character’s strength, confidence, and complete ignorance of political realities. Bethany Mason (as Volscian leader Aufidius) rivals Greer’s ferocity, but brings a subtle and deceptive craftiness that makes her a joy to watch. Of the three women playing female roles, I was particularly taken with Lindsay Partain (Coriolanus’ wife Virgilia); the gentle grief in her expressive face draws attention time and again to the human cost of men playing at war.

Coriolanus’ relevance to today’s world is facilitated by the absence of sets that would tie it to a particular time and place, as well as by costuming decisions that include a curiously effective mix of contemporary and ancient garb. The choice to dress Coriolanus’ mother Volumnia (MaryAnne Glazebrook) in clothes appropriate to a 1960s Junior Leaguer is especially evocative, summoning up the vision of a generation of American women thoughtlessly sending their sons off to Vietnam. The addition of sporadic and ominous drumming ensures that the audience pays close heed to key moments in the show. Both the drums and the dialogue are pitched at a level appropriate to outdoor theater, sometimes a bit overwhelming for the opening weekend crowds, but balance should be restored when the show moves to Civic Center Plaza for the rest of the run.

Bag & Baggage’s production of Coriolanus runs through July 23, with shows at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. Barring further rain, all performances will be held at the Tom Hughes Civic Center Plaza, 150 E. Main Street, Hillsboro.

West Side Story – Something’s Coming, Something Good

By Tina Arth

When Broadway Rose produces one of my all-time favorite musicals, of course I expect to enjoy it, so it was no surprise to me that I loved the opening night performance of West Side Story. However, I was caught off-guard by the sheer beauty of this production, which left me (and many other people) in tears at the final curtain as I joined the audience’s enthusiastic standing ovation.  Of course, the show has a flawless pedigree: concept and choreography by Jerome Robbins, book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim – all with a bloodline that traces directly to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

It makes no sense to me to call West Side Story “dated.” The slang, clothing, attitudes and ambience are very much tied to the immigrant gang culture of New York City in the early 1950s, and the story is told through the xenophobic lens of the era (not so different from our own?). Like their Shakespearean predecessors, Tony and Maria are star-crossed lovers, determined to wed despite the ferocious social pressures of their families and peers; like Romeo and Juliet, they consummate their love but come to a tragic end. West Side Story is not the first Broadway musical to use love’s blindness to illustrate the deeply rooted racism within American culture (notably, think 1949’s South Pacific) but, unlike its theatrical predecessors, it builds the entire story around this theme, and puts its focus on the irony of our newest immigrants being demonized by those who arrived only one generation earlier.

The challenge of doing justice to a show with such a powerful story and distinguished lineage is intensified by the need for young performers, as all but a few characters are in their late teens.  However, Director Peggy Taphorn, Music Director Alan D. Lytle, and Choreographer Jacob Toth) and their cast are more than up to the task. The choreography has a few surprises, especially the male ensemble. In place of “America’s Got Talent” style dance crew synchronicity, these Jets and Sharks are distinguished by an athleticism and raw energy that eloquently tells the story of their adolescent frustration. Houston import Austin Arizpe (“Bernardo”) provides the focal point for the show’s anger and angst; a world of hurt that he cannot express in words explodes from his leaping, high-kicking performance. Another dance surprise is the exquisite ballet sequence by Mia Pinero (“Maria”) – instead of relying on an outside ballerina, she does her own exquisite dancing and leaves the “Somewhere” vocal to an amazing off-stage vocalist (Amber Kiara Mitchell).

While the dance is engaging and evocative, it’s the overwhelming solo and ensemble vocals that move this West Side to the highest level. Mia Pinero and Andrew Wade (“Tony”) move seamlessly through some of the most beautiful love songs ever written, and their duets are spine tingling. Pinero perfectly captures Maria’s otherworldly innocence, and Wade is utterly believable as her partner in a world inhabited only by the two lovers. Kayla Dixon (“Anita”) is a stunning spitfire, a fine dancer, and a spectacular singer – her work with Beknar Bermudez (“Rosalia”) and the rest of the Sharks’ girls in “America” is sharply humorous – a treat for the eyes and the ears, and as good a rendition of this number as I have seen.  

The uniform strength of the cast means that it’s difficult to select other individual performances, with one exception. The adults in West Side Story are mostly one-dimensional and tend to be played that way, but Mark Pierce (“Doc”) brings some real depth to his character, especially in Act II. His “Doc” is sensitive, fair, and loving, and his anguish at being unable to change the world around him shines through.

In case I’ve been too subtle – this show is remarkable, powerful, beautiful, moving, and definitely worth a few hours out of the life of anyone with even a hint of appreciation for musical theater. Don’t delay buying tickets – many performances are already almost sold out, and those who wait will miss out on something spectacular.

Broadway Rose’s West Side Story runs through July 24th at Tigard High School’s Deb Fennell Auditorium.

HMS Pinafore Sets Sail in Multnomah Village!

Dennis Britten (Sir Joseph), Lindsey Lefler (Josephine), and Ron Swingen (Captain Corcoran)

By Tina Arth

Judging from the size and responsiveness of the opening night audience, it appears that the gentle folk of Southwest Portland are eager to welcome light opera into their community. 138 years after the show’s London debut, the Light Opera of Portland (LOoP) is having way too much fun with Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore at the Multnomah Arts Center. Working with a very diverse group of performers, artistic director Dennis Britten and musical director Linda Smith have crafted a terribly funny show with a genuinely impressive vocal ensemble and a few fine solo vocalists.

For those unfamiliar with the genre, a quick and dirty definition of “light opera” might be “a short, amusing opera with a happy ending and in which some of the text is spoken” (thanks, thefreedictionary.com). For those unfamiliar with Pinafore, it is (like most of the works of Gilbert and Sullivan) not only a fine example of the art form, but offers thoroughly engaging relevance as a work of social criticism parodying the least attractive elements of traditional British society. So soon after Orlando, who would not warm to a show revolving around the theme that we love who we love, and social conventions and class distinctions are irrelevant in matters of the heart?

In addition to his contributions as artistic director, Dennis Britten fills a key role, playing The Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Porter, K.C.B., (First Lord of the Admiralty) – the title alone tells us all we need to know about the character’s pretentiousness and utter self-absorption. Britten swaggers and condescends with the supercilious, over-the-top bluster expected of a 19th century upper-class Englishman, and his affect sets the tone for the entire production. Phyllis Fort (“Little Buttercup”) is his complete opposite – an aging trollop from the wrong side of the pier with a heart of gold encased in a slightly tarnished, but still lusty, shell. These two theatrical veterans anchor the show with their comic timing and commanding presence, and their voices are well suited to the droll demands of their roles.

The shining star of this production is Lindsay Lefler, playing the Captain’s daughter Josephine. Her beautiful, fully trained voice is ideal for the part, and seems to flutter out of her with no visible effort at all. She has the wide eyes and cutely mobile face necessary for a comic ingénue, and understands that in Gilbert and Sullivan, even the loftiest aria must be delivered with a light touch - nothing softens the impact of a ringing soprano like a touch of self-parody.

Among the rest of the cast, two men particularly shine. Jacob Mott (“Dick Deadeye”) is satisfyingly ominous, and imbues his performance with over-the-top melodrama that keeps the audience laughing. Tom Hamann (“Bill Bobstay”) projects the manly virtue so lovingly parodied in “A British Tar” – and his vocal turn in this number is equally memorable.

Vocal Director Alice Smith has really polished the men’s and women’s choruses, turning a lot of serviceable voices and a few really excellent ones into a powerful ensemble with frequent flashes of surprising beauty. With the occasional help of flutist Aurea Taylor, Smith also provides the entire “orchestra” with her gifted work at the piano.

Sue Woodbury’s costumes are elaborate and often authentic – lovely period gowns and hats for the sisters, cousins, and aunts, an elaborate uniform for the Lord Admiral, and simple stripes togging the lowly seamen. Joe Rosenthal’s detailed set establishes the shipboard locale and provides ample levels for all of the show’s activity.

I hope that LOoP will continue to shine the light of light opera on the stages of Southwest Portland with productions of this quality. It’s fun, lively, thoroughly entertaining, and done much too rarely.  Go, see it, and tell your friends!

Light Opera of Portland’s HMS Pinafore plays at the Multnomah Arts Center, 7688 SW Capitol Highway, Portland through Sunday, June 26th, with performances Friday and Saturday at 7:00 pm and Sunday at 3 pm.

PSYCHO BEACH PARTY NO ORDINARY TRIP TO THE SHORE

Rachel Jaques  as "Chicklet"

By Tina Arth

When a simple Washington County girl ventures out to the North Portland theater scene, I guess she’s got to expect that things will get a little weird. However, previous productions at Twilight Theater Company definitely had not prepared me for the very funny, oddly charming, extremely bizarre Psycho Beach Party. Playwright Charles Busch (also widely acclaimed for such classics as Vampire Lesbians of Sodom and Die, Mommie, Die!) has created the ultimate sixties comedy/horror/surf movie parody – first shown on stage in 1987, and translated to the big screen in 2000. Ravyn Jazper-Hawke, through a series of imaginative choices in casting and direction, has given the show a distinctly Portland flavor (including classic Pacific Northwest style snow-white limbs on some of her surf bunnies). The absence of any attempt to imbue the tale with even the slightest redeeming social value allows the cast and audience to just relax for a couple of hours of adult-themed playfulness.

Whether you remember Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello fondly or with a tinge of embarrassment (or have no memory of them at all, courtesy of your youth or an overly enthusiastic embrace of sixties drug culture), the show should strike several chords of recognition – think Mommie Dearest meets Psycho meets Rear Window meets Gidget/Beach Blanket Bingo., and stir in just a soupçon of Three Faces of Eve. The final product is the story of flat-chested tomboy Chicklet, a wannabe surfer, and her beach-loving companions. Master surfer Kanaka reluctantly agrees to give Chicklet surf lessons, but soon learns that the word “red” causes her to shift to one of her alternate personalities. We soon learn that Mrs. Forrest (Chicklet’s mom) is a bit unhinged – could she be the perpetrator of the weird attacks that are plaguing Malibu? What about runaway Hollywood legend Bettina? Or buddies Provoloney and Yo Yo, clumsily trying to find their way out of the closet and into the sun? Will the audience and cast have a sighting of the dreaded Land Shark? These questions and many more can only be answered by going to see the play!

Several performances are particularly noteworthy. Rachel Jaques (as “Chicklet”) plays her scrawny ingénue with a lot of heart, and does a fine job of switching to the dominatrix Ann and Southern store clerk Tylene at the drop of a word (aided by ominous lighting shifts). Alastair Morley (“The Great Kanaka”) is masterfully pretentious as a cigarette-puffing surf god who turns into a puddle of terrified masochism whenever Ann’s persona emerges.  Amanda Anderson (as the nerd “Berdine”) and Eva Andrews (as man-hungry “Marvel Ann”) are satisfyingly stereotypical. By all means watch for the odd (OK, very odd) chemistry between Marty Winborne (“Provoloney”) and Ted Hartsook (“Yo Yo”), manly Malibu men aspiring to Hollywood fame and fortune but lacking any of the usual prerequisites.

For me, the real tour de force is Bee Philip (okay, we all know it’s Benjamin Philip in drag) as “Mrs. Forrest.”  He is the Hollywood dragon-lady personified, as coldly manipulative and evil as any aspiring Joan Crawford. When he cries, “You don’t know how repugnant it is to have a man’s sweaty thing poking at you” and then pulls out a jock strap (“…a peter belt. This is the pouch that holds their swollen genitalia”) we start to understand why poor Chicklet might have a spare personality or two.

The staging is simple – lots of beach balls and a few flexible backdrops to create the Forrest home, Kanaka’s shack, and of course the sands of Malibu. Perhaps the evening’s most sustained laugh came from the scene where Chicklet and the boys are actually out surfing – a bit of clever stagecraft that really works. Costumes are appropriate to both period and place, which makes them even funnier on the unlikely physiques of the actors. Finally, the sound is pure fun – a cheesy theme song supplemented by the real surf music of the era. The combinations of these elements makes for a bizarrely entertaining production – just don’t bring the kids!

Twilight Theater Company’s Psycho Beach Party is playing at the Performing Arts Theater, 7515 N. Brandon Avenue, Portland through Saturday, June 25th with performances at 8 P.M. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3 P.M.

On Golden Pond – Summer at Its Finest!

Joe Silver, Anita Zijdemans Boudreau, Patti Speight, and Jason Weed.

By Tina Arth

Theatre in the Grove closes its 2015-16 season with Ernest Thompson’s On Golden Pond, a beautiful love story thinly disguised as a terribly funny take on dysfunctional families. It’s an inspired choice for a community theater – small cast, incredibly meaty roles, diverse age range, and a story that completely ensnares the audience from the opening of Act I to the end of Act II. For two (blissfully air-conditioned) hours Friday night, the audience was transported to the Thayer family’s summer home on Maine’s Golden Pond. We were given an extended peek into the world of aging fathers, disaffected daughters, alienated teens, buttoned-down boyfriends, and a subtle but intense love affair between two old marrieds nearing the end of their time together. The script is smart, witty, and surprisingly unpredictable in places; at the end, we have learned no Great Truths, but we have seen how many paths can lead to family reconciliation.

The story is much like that of the enormously popular 1981 film. Norman and Ethel Thayer (Joe Silver and Anita Zijdemans Boudreau) arrive at their isolated summer home (perhaps for the last time – Norman is turning 80) in the Maine woods. Norman seems to be suffering from the early stages of dementia, but while his memory may be fading, his tongue is as sharp as ever.  Ethel’s energy and cheer are heavily taxed by Norman’s quirks, but she soldiers on and manages to maintain her sense of humor and her wonder at the beauty of Golden Pond. The arrival of their divorced, childless middle-aged daughter Chelsea (Patti Speight), her boyfriend Bill (Jason Weed), and Billy Jr. (Sam Dennis) is initially disruptive, but when Chelsea and Bill take off for a month in Europe, leaving Billy with the Thayers, Norman’s world quickly changes. Norman and Billy quickly bond, each finding in the other something that they had been missing – the change in Norman is so dramatic that Ethel remarks, “We should have rented a 13-year-old boy years ago!” When Chelsea and Bill return (now married), Norman and his daughter are finally able to reconcile after years of conflict.

While the story arc seems to follow the turbulence between Chelsea and Norman, it is the power of Ethel and Norman’s relationship that really tells the tale. Joe Silver creates an utterly authentic picture of an intellectually powerful man rejecting the inevitable losses of aging. His timing and deadpan delivery of a series of one-liners fuel the comic element of the play, but he also captures his character’s essential vulnerability – the one scene where he truly lets his guard down and shares his limitless love for Ethel is utterly moving.  Anita Zijdemans Boudreau works in perfect tandem with Silver, creating a kind of steel-cored angel to prop up her cranky and disintegrating spouse. Her sense of wonder at the beauty of their environment shows how she replenishes her spirit, and in one key scene with Speight she also displays sparks of genuine anger that round out her persona.

Speight’s “Chelsea” is a careful balance between bitterness, whining, and flashes of determination as she creates a forty-something woman finally ready to reinvent not only her relationship with her father, but her whole approach to life.  Sam Dennis is perfectly cast as “Billy” – he is snotty, snarky, and smart enough to stand up to Norman, but still needy – in other words, a classic 13-year-old boy on teetering on the edge between childhood and manhood.

Director Gavin Knittle has brought together a skilled group of actors with just the right chemistry to bring life to a tale of love, loss, and hope.  The cast’s ability to deliver sharp comedy and serious themes makes it a show not to be missed.

On Golden Pond plays at Theatre in the Grove, 2028 Pacific Avenue, Forest Grove through June 19th with performances at 7:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays and matinees at 2:30 pm on Sundays.