Love, aging and family dynamics are tenderly portrayed in On Golden Pond, now playing at Denver's Vintage Theatre. The small, intimate theatre lends itself to the tender topics explored by an elderly couple, a retired English professor Norman Thayer and his wife Ethel as they spend their 48th year at their summer house in the northeast.

Approaching his 80th birthday, the crotchety Norman displays early signs of senility, while sassy Ethel dismisses his forgetfulness and constant references to dying with loving understanding, affectionately calling him an old "Poop."

A new twist enters their life when grown daughter Chelsea visits with her boyfriend and his teenage son. The father-daughter dynamic unfolds with a strained relationship, but a new  friendship begins with the wisecracking kid and "grandpa."

The Vintage Theatre cast does a fine job of portraying the family, though Mike Pearl's Norman is more the age of a newly retired gentleman than an 80-year-old losing his mental capacities. The set is a quintessential living room of a lake cabin, complete with fireplace and fishing net hung on the wall.

The play written by Ernest Thompson debuted on Broadway in 1979. Only 28 years old at the time, Thompson shows an amazing understanding of familial love and elderly behavior. He also wrote the screenplay for the movie in 1981 that starred Henry Fonda, Katherine Hepburn and Jane Fonda.

On Golden Pond plays through Sept. 19 at 7:30 pm Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 pm Sundays. The cost is $23 at the door, $18 in advance. Vintage Theatre is at 2119 E. 17th Ave. For Reservations, call 303-839-11361 or visit vintagetheatre.com.