Miracle Theatre presents On Golden Pond as its sixth fundraising production March 23 to April 17 at the Prince George Playhouse.
The professional theatre production stars actors familiar to Prince George audiences - Billy Vickers and Linda Goranson as Norman and Ethel Thayer.
The Thayers spend their summers on Golden Pond and when estranged daughter Chelsea comes to visit with her new love and his son, things take a turn.
There’s a familiar local face that will grace the stage as Gil Botelho will play Bill Ray, Chelsea Thayer’s boyfriend, who is quite nervous about meeting the often-cantankerous Norman.
Botelho is best known for his on-stage appearances in past productions like Grease, Oliver Twist, The Producers, Guys and Dolls, and as an extra in Reindeer Games, a major motion picture filmed in Prince George.
During the pandemic as everything came to a standstill, Botelho did some stage readings, was in some of the locally filmed movies and most recently did a speaking part in the currently filming thriller Cold Meat.
Botelho getting this role came by way of a phone call from Miracle Theatre's Ted Price.
“I’ve known Ted for many, many years and about two years ago he called and asked if I would do some off-stage voice character work for him,” Botelho said.
He worked on The Fabulous Lipitones and The Birds and The Bees, the last two Miracle Theatre philanthropic productions presented by Ted Price and Anne Laughlin.
“Late last fall Ted called and said he had a production in mind and there was a part in it and he wanted to see what my interest level was to actually get on stage,” Botelho recalled. “I was quite honoured but a little bit taken aback only because I know the rest of the actors – this is what they do – they are pros. And I’m thinking ‘can I really get on stage with the pros? What am I doing here?’ I was flattered that he would think of me and I told him yes, I was most definitely interested.”
Then it was just a matter of trying to fit the part into Botelho’s busy work and family schedule.
Botelho plays Bill Ray, the self-assured, wry-humoured, California dentist who is dating Chelsea.
“She comes home to see her folks, bringing her boyfriend with her and Bill is a bit apprehensive because he has been warned by Chelsea about how mean, ornery and off-putting Norman can be and so Bill is a little on edge because he’s not sure what he’s going to be faced with and he definitely wants to make a good impression,” Botelho explained.
Botelho has been working with the script and memorizing his lines for the last couple of months and just recently had his first rehearsal.
“It was fantastic to finally start doing it for real and hear the lines back from the other actors and get some interaction going,” Botelho said. “It was just awesome to be in that creative atmosphere once again and of course, feeding off the energy and know-how of the professionals was incredible. The talent level and professionalism is amazing.”
Botelho might have been a little star-struck when it first came to meeting and working with Vickers and Goranson, who he has seen so often on the stage.
“And now to perform with them was fantastic,” Botelho said.
Audience members may be familiar with the story of On Golden Pond made famous by the big-screen father daughter duo Henry and Jane Fonda, and Katharine Hepburn starring in the 1981 film that sees Norman and Ethel return to their vacation home on Golden Pond and have their daughter visit with her new boyfriend and his son on their way to Europe. Son Billy is left with the older couple and Chelsea and Bill leave only to have Chelsea return to try to mend the strained relationship between father and daughter before it’s too late.
“This is a fantastic story to begin with and what the audience will get is a Ted and Anne absolutely perfectly professional production just like what they’ve been offering in Prince George for decades,” Botelho said. “The audience can expect high calibre acting and producing and a great story told on stage.”
Miracle Theatre’s production of On Golden Pond will see funds raised for the Prince George Hospice Palliative Care Society through a sustainable endowment fund managed by the Prince George Community Foundation.
The goal is to raise at least the same amount Miracle Theatre's last production’s efforts raised, which was more than $106,000 that went to the Children of Prince George Fund.
Tickets are on sale now at Books & Co., 1685 Third Avenue, for $35 each in person or by phone at 250-563-6637.
Shows are presented nightly except Mondays and there is a matinee every Sunday, along with the evening show.
