I have a review of Keir and Mia from their most recent production of ON GOLDEN POND from the perspective of a fan attending the performance. I was given permission to post this from Nichole Clay, a member of the Keir Dullea Appreciation Society Facebook Page.

The stage adaptation of Ernest Thompson’s “On Golden Pond” was a real treat at the legendary Bucks County Playhouse. The legendary drama takes place at a summer house near the pond in Maine where a older couple regularly vacations for four months.

Here, we are introduced Norman Thayer, portrayed by Keir Dullea, a retired English professor whose experiencing slightly memory loss and being fearless of approaching an untimely death. His wife, Ethel, played by Dullea’s real life wife and collaborator Mia Dillon is a cheerful, positive, and long-suffering wife who is honestly devoted to her pessimistic husband.

At beginning of the play when Keir enters the stage as Norman Thayer, the audience applauded. His Norman Thayer’s character come alive: his outspokenness, crankiness and especially his frequent sarcasm was out there. Everything from being lazy to fix the broken screen door to looking at the classifieds in the newspaper. And Dillon’s character Ethel was full of life with calm and sweetness, even with the scenes of her childhood doll named Elmer. The couple, who had been acting together for sixteen years on stage and occasionally in independent films, have a strong stage chemistry that I admire. They brought Norman and Ethel in their own way.

For the first time after closely rolling Keir Dullea’s acting career in film and television, especially legendary known as Commander David Bowman in Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” and playing characters that are troubled, chauvinistic, devilish, earthly and mostly sophisticated, I ever seen him in a sarcastic and humor character, a range that he never given a chance in the film and TV media. Mia, for her role as Ethel was serene, positive and filled with devotion. I admired the reconciliation of Norman and his estranged daughter and enjoyed the new found relationship of Norman and his daughter’s stepson Billy Ray, Jr., one of my favorite scenes in the play. Norman ends up becoming close to his new stepson, even picking up slangs from the teen boy.The ending was very touching between Keir and Mia’s characters when the main character encounters a “false” health scare, even they share a kiss before going outside to look at the pond at their summer home.

From the beginning to the end, “On Golden Pond” was a marvelous play with a excellent direction, a great cast and a fantastic stage that brought to life.

Nichole

Thank you Nichole for such a wonderful review and experience.