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Regional Reviews: Phoenix Charlotte's Web
Also see Gil's reviews of Equivocation and Kiss Me, Kate
White's story is a heartwarming tale of farmyard animals and the simple yet touching friendship that a spider forms with a pig. But Charlotte and Wilbur are also complex characters and White puts them in life and death situations, so setting these characters and situations to music seems natural. The majority of Cullity's songs are tuneful and varied enough to not all blend together. There aren't any song titles in the program but I did enjoy the spider spinning song that is sung by Charlotte and the baby spiders whenever Charlotte spins a new word into her web, as well as the "Miracle" song that is sung by the large cast as well as reprised toward the end. Templeton, the rat who lives in the barn with Charlotte and Wilbur, has a humorous rap song that adds some fun to the more serious tone of the show. And while the rest of the songs are mainly just serviceable and fairly short, the song in act two for the pig called Uncle, Wilbur's competition at the Fair, who is a very minor character, could easily be cut to speed up the second act which gets bogged down a little. Kristin Alba and Erin Tarkington as Charlotte and Wilbur have a nice delivery of their dialogue, are fine with the musical requirements, and bring a sweet disposition to their characters. Tarkington's portrayal of Wilbur is appropriately naïve and confused as the newborn pig. She makes Wilbur into a pig that anyone would want to protect. Alba is serene and charming as Charlotte but also makes us quickly realize that Charlotte is also very smart. Jeremy Yampolsky gives Templeton a nice sense of humor as the self-centered rat who is more concerned about eating than anything else. Together they make a nice trio of different personalities. With a large cast made up entirely of young children and teenagers, there are many times when the stage is over filled with people, though all of the young cast members do well in their delivery of the dialogue as well as the numerous ensemble songs. Director Lisa Barton manages her large company effectively, and choreographer Megan Sawyer contributes some varied dance steps. Costumes are nicely done with humorous animal suits and country folk outfits for the human characters. I especially liked the colorful animal outfits for the goose, the gander, the sheep and the lamb. Wilbur's costume is charming and sweet too. For Charlotte, a sparkling and shimmering black dress is nicely accented by her glittering hair. And the extra arms on the outfits for Charlotte's babies provide a funny, yet also touching addition. The simple set design for this theatre in the round production includes painted cornfields and blue skies on the four walls and a colorful red barn set on one side and the corner of the audience. The simplicity of the set design is nicely offset by the intricate costumes. Running almost two hours and spread over two acts, the musical runs a bit long with several ensemble numbers that, while nice to see the hard work of the young cast, slow the second act down. But, even though the show could be trimmed a bit, seeing the dedication and enthusiasm of the young performers is refreshing. And while the score only has a few memorable tunes, most of the songs do their job of either moving the plot forward or giving us additional insight into the characters. Charlotte's Web is a show that deals with some grown-up topics, including the slaughtering of a pig and the death of one of the main characters, so while it is geared toward families, I'd recommend keeping smaller children at home and also expecting to have older children ask some questions about the themes that are brought up. Charlotte's Web at Desert Stages is a sweet telling of the classic children's novel, with a large cast, nice leads and colorful and creative costumes. The Desert Stages production of Charlotte's Web runs through March 30, 2014, with performances at 4720 N. Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale. Tickets are available at www.DesertStages.org or by phone at (480) 483-1664 Director: Lisa Barton Cast: The show is double cast and the cast below is who performed at the performance I attended
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