ALLENTOWN, Pa. (June 15, 2015) “ For the third summer in a row, Allentown Public Theatre (APT) brings its production for children and families to St. Luke's Evangelical Lutheran Church (417 N. 7th St., Allentown).
Charlotte's Web opens July 24 for two weekends, with performances on Fridays at 6pm, and on Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm.
The play runs about one hour.
Based on the E.B. White novel, the play was adapted by Joseph Robinette with White's help. It captures all the enchanting characters: Wilbur, the innocent young pig who wishes only to make friends (not bacon!); Fern, a girl who knows what she wants and fights for it; Templeton, the gluttonous rat who can occasionally be talked into a good deed; and the Zuckermans and the Arables, who learn a thing or two about the value of life. And most of all, the extraordinary Charlotte, who is determined to save Wilbur with the magic of her web, in which she writes "Some pig."
Teague Fernandez, who last year played Mowgli in APT's The Jungle Book, directs. His all-adult cast (some play multiple roles) includes Allentown Public Theatre "regulars" Cheryl Moritz as Fern, and Justin Ariola (Baloo the Bear, Jungle Book) as Templeton. Bill Joachim, recently in APT's True West, returns as Uncle Homer and Sheep. Other cast members are newcomers to APT but active in Lehigh Valley theatre: Marian Barshinger (Charlotte), Emily Peiffer (Wilbur), and Thomas Rush (Fair Official, Uncle, and Gander).
Director Teague Fernandez notes that Charlotte's Web is about "using our imagination," so he wants to get the audience to use theirs. One way he's doing that is by letting the action spill off the stage and around and into the audience. "At one point, Lurvy (a farmhand) chases Wilbur into the woods, and the audience is asked to imagine they are the trees," he says.
"The fair scene will really be interactive," he adds, "as the play's setting will surround the audience. For the county fair set, we plan to rent some fair games for people to play during the scene change, and we'll have a working popcorn machine and hot dogs . . . So people will really feel the fun and excitement of the fair."
The show is free for children age 12 and under, and pay-what-you-will for adults and teens. Off-street and on-street parking is available at the church.
These performances are sponsored by the Center City Initiative (funded by Air Products, Butz Corp., City Center Investment Corp., National Penn, PPL, Susquehanna Bank, and Wells Fargo), the County of Lehigh, Just Born, Inc., St. Luke's Lutheran Church, Target, and the Trexler Trust.
Charlotte's Web, with performances at 6pm, Friday, July 24 and 31; and 2pm, Saturday and Sunday, July 25 and 26, and August 1 and 2. St. Luke's Lutheran Church, Fellowship Hall, 417 N. 7th St., Allentown, Pa. For more info: www.AllentownPublicTheatre.com.
About Allentown Public Theatre: Founded in 2008, Allentown Public Theatre works to enrich the community by presenting memorable performances and providing employment and training for theatre artists. APT believes everyone deserves to experience theatre that inspires, challenges, and entertains, and that great theatre in the Lehigh Valley is possible only when theatre professionals can earn a living here.