By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
Jim Tharp warns against looking for Henry Fonda
in his portrayal of cranky old Norman Thayer in
"On Golden Pond."
A golden opportunity
Jim Tharp steps out of
By John Berger
the shadows to take a
starring role
Special to the Star-BulletinATTORNEY Jim Tharp is a familiar face in local theater, but not often considered the leading-man type. Maybe it's his dignified presence, maybe it's his well-groomed gray beard, but the five-time Po'okela winner is generally casts in stately "character" roles.
That changes tomorrow night. Tharp will stretch out in a different type of character when he appears opposite Jo Pruden in the Barefoot Players' production of "On Golden Pond." Tharp is looking forward to it.
"There aren't a lot of romantic roles for people my age, and I probably look older that I am," he notes with a chuckle.
"We're not supposed to be romantic in a leading man sense unless it's (a story) of this genre. I'm playing a man with a twinkle in his eye. Very much in love with his wife, and yet he's an ornery son of a bitch. It's the cliche: The guy that's gruff on the outside but a pussy cat on the inside. This is very much a love story."
Tharp and Pruden are starring in roles that have been defined to the point of parody by Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn. Tharp suggests that anyone looking for Fonda and Hepburn "physically or presentation-wise" should rent the video. He and Pruden and director Ben Gutierrez are bringing their own interpretations to the characters and the script.
"We're pretty much doing our own characterizations, and you certainly won't see Henry Fonda. My characterization is gruffer and a little more comedic -- we've been finding in the script an awful lot of comedy. It's just wonderful. I don't know how old the playwright was, but he writes very perceptibly about older people and their mannerisms and what they say."
The play is the third annual production of the Barefoot Players, a once-a-year troupe that has a found a home at the Honolulu Academy of Arts Theatre. Like many housing arrangements these days, that means sharing the performance space.
Tharp and Pruden, and cast members Karla LuQuin and Chris Korsak, schedule rehearsals around other academy events -- film screenings, concerts, lectures and recitals. Tharp says the production people face quite a challenge under the circumstances.
"The challenges are on the production side. As actors telling a story we can perform anywhere, in a field or on a bare stage if necessary."
On Golden Pond
Dates: Tomorrow through April 5, with shows at 8 p.m. Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. weekends
