'On Golden Pond' to close on Sun 26 Jun 2005

On Golden Pond will play its final performance on Sunday 26 Jun 2005. The show has had to close early due to the ongoing illness of its star James Earl Jones. The show had been booking to the 4 Sep at the Cort Theatre. When the show closes it will have played a total of 19 previews and 93 regular performances.

On Golden Pond, written by Ernest Thompson and directed by Leonard Foglia, opened at the Cort Theatre on the 7 Apr 2005, following previews from the 22 Mar.

The future of the show came into jeopardy when James Earl Jones had to withdraw from the show last Wed, the 15 Jun. Diagnosed with pneumonia, he's been recuperating at home on doctors' orders. It was originally hoped that he would recover in time to return next week. However, on Thu 23 Jul, his doctors determined that the seriousness of recuperating from pneumonia would prevent his return until sometime in August. (Mr. Jones is expected to make a full recovery in that amount of time.)

"The entire On Golden Pond family is heartbroken to close this production prematurely," said producer Jeffrey Finn, "and it's especially disappointing that James Earl Jones won't be with us for our final performances. Unfortunately, when we take a hard look at the financial reality of running several more weeks without him, closing is our most responsible decision. We all wish James Earl as swift a recovery as possible."

Mr. Finn also confirmed his intention that this Company of On Golden Pond will perform together again in the show in the near future. Additionally, a national tour of the production will launch in September 2006.

The cast stars James Earl Jones as Norman and Leslie Uggams as Ethel and also includes Linda Powell as Chelsea, Peter Francis James as Bill, Craig Bockhorn as Charlie and Alexander Mitchell as Billy.

In On Golden Pond, retired New England professor Norman Thayer and his spirited wife Ethel decide to spend one final summer at their family's lakeside cottage in Maine. En route to a European honeymoon, the couple's estranged daughter Chelsea arrives to leave behind her fiancé's troubled young son . Colliding generations soon forge common ground, but when Chelsea returns to discover Norman playing the father she never had, years of bitter memories and resentment rise to the surface.

The production features set design by Ray Klausen, costume design Jane Greenwood, lighting design by Brian Nason and sound design and original music by Dan Moses Schreier.

The play opened to mainly good to luke warm notices, Clive Barnes of the New York Post wrote "On Golden Pond is not by any means a great play, but it's a damn good vehicle. This cast, led by the testily exultant Jones, use it as if they were triumphantly water-skiing over admittedly shallow waters."

newyorktheatreguide.com's reviewer, Polly Wittenberg, said the production "seems as fresh as a breeze on the lake." You can read the rest of Polly's review and what the critics said about the play here