“Charlotte's Web" at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre -- July 19 through 28.
Friday, July 19, through Sunday, July 28
Playcrafters Barn Theatre, 4950 35th Avenue, Moline IL
With its source material named "the best American children's book of the past two hundred years" by the Children's Literature Association, the stage version of E.B. White's beloved Charlotte's Web enjoys a July 19 through 28 run at Moline's Playcrafters Barn Theatre, this adaptation by playwright Joseph Robinette praised by the Chicago Tribune as a theatre piece that "manages to hit the emotional and humorous high points of the original."
In Robinette's take on Charlotte's Web, all of White's enchanting characters are accounted for: Wilbur, the irresistible young pig who desperately wants to avoid the butcher; Fern, a girl who understands what animals say to each other; Templeton, the gluttonous rat who can occasionally be talked into a good deed; the Zuckerman family; the Arables; and, of course, the extraordinary spider Charlotte, who proves to be “a true friend and a good writer.” Determined to save Wilbur, Charlotte begins her campaign with the miracle of her web in which she writes, "Some pig." It's the beginning of a victorious campaign that ensures Wilbur's place on the Arable farm forever, and in this beautiful, knowing play about friendship, the spider's acts of kindness lead to Wilbur doing what is most important to Charlotte.
Directing Charlotte's Web for Playcrafters in venue veteran Erika Seabloom, whose previous credits for the Barn Theatre include directing last summer's Stop/Kiss and appearing in 2022's Agatha Christie mystery A Murder Is Announced. Mel Maylum acts as the show's stage manager and producer, with additional members of Seabloom's creative team including: set designer Kathy Graham; costume designer Hunter Greene; props designer McKenna Coskie; lighting designer Sam Gerstel; sound designer Jacqueline Cohoon; and technical director Gio Macias.
The show's title character is portrayed by Emma Hanson, with Wilbur played by Trevor Ives and Fern Arable by Jai Schnaufer. Completing the Charlotte's Web ensemble are: Dennis Jones (John Arable); Tabitha Oles (Martha Arable); Noah Long (Avery Arable); Carl Thompson (Homer Zuckerman); Martha Thomas (Edith Zuckerman); Charli Conner (Lurvy); Gabriel Thompson (Templeton); Chloe Hansen (Goose, Announcer); Gavin Steadman (Gander); Ava Perrigo (Sheep); Ella Richmond (Lamb); Karen Riffey (Chorus Member 1, Reporter); Dawn Lang (Chorus Member 2, Photographer); Lucy Emerle (Chorus Member 3, Second Spectator); Bailey Duffy (Chorus Member 4, First Fairgoer); Daniel Avise (Uncle, Third Fairgoer); and Lily Greer (First Spectator, Second Fairgoer).
Charlotte's Web runs at Moline's Playcrafters Barn Theatre from July 19 through 28, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Admission is $13-15, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)762-0330 and visiting Playcrafters.com.
