Finally the start of play season

The venue puts on such a wide variety of plays and shows that there is always something a little surprising, intriguing or even just plain puzzling within the crisp new pages of the booklet.

That’s the fun thing about it.

Even if a certain production prompts a puzzled frown in some and a gleeful grin in others, you can be pretty sure the reactions will be reversed as they carry on flicking through.

And it’s never boring.

The only trouble is that the announcements for the coming season are made in May, and then you have to wait for September for it to begin.

But the wait is now over, and the theatre is starting the season in style.

The first major production will be On Golden Pond – which was one of the ones that had me intrigued back in May.

I have to admit that I didn’t even know it was a successful Broadway play before it was made into a film in 1981, but I’m very much looking forward to seeing it.

It’s a great film, with a witty script and an insightful storyline that will resonate with anyone who has ever found themselves looking at a member of their family in amazement, wondering ‘am I really related to you?’.

Henry Fonda, in his final film, and Katharine Hepburn, at the age of 74, give masterful performances that demonstrate perfectly why they hold the places they do in Hollywood history.

Playing the role of their daughter is Jane Fonda, who purchased the film rights with her father in mind.

She and Henry had a difficult relationship in real life that seems to add an extra dimension to their sparring on screen.

The film is a fitting memorial to Henry, who died shortly after it was made, and a wonderful reminder of the feisty brilliance of Hepburn. The pair had never met before they made the film but the chemistry between them is remarkable, and both won deserved Oscars for their efforts, which included the indomitable Hepburn wholeheartedly performing her own stunts.

The film has been accused of being schmaltzy and, in places, it is, but it is also sharp, witty and enjoyable.

Not everyone enjoys seeing a stage version of a favourite film, but I think it’ll be fascinating to see the differences between the two versions of this work.

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