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Show 'Charlotte's Web' comes to SLC A second grader convinced director Xan S. Johnson to produce "Charlotte's Web" on stage. It was the summer of 1980, and Johnson was sitting in a nearly empty library in the tiny town of Lodi, Wis., rereading E.B. White's childhood classic and crying. "This boy came up to me concerned about the tears on my face," said Johnson, the artistic director of the Young People's Theatre at Pioneer Memorial Theatre. "I showed him the book I was reading. He put his hand on my arm and with great empathy em-pathy for both me and the book said, 'That's OK, Charlotte dies every time.' "I knew then," he said, "I had to produce this story." "Charlotte's Web," the warm-hearted tale of a big gray spider who bravely attempts at-tempts to save the life of her friend Wilbur the Pig, opened up the Young People's Season :?at PMT Dec. 7 and runs through Dec. 10. The Joseph Robinette adaptation of White's book, it plays on Lees Main Stage Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 4:15 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. There are. evening performances Thursday Thurs-day and Friday at 7 : 30 p.m. Now in his second year as artistic director of the Young People's Theatre and head of the University of Utah's Child Drama program, Johnson toured the show at the University of Northern Colorado but has never produced it as a Main Stage production. He calls "Charlotte's Web" "the most popular childhood classic to come along in the last 200 years." A timeless masterpiece of children's literature, "Charlotte's Web" remains universally popular because its themes of friendship, maturity and death "are ac cessible to the very young child but are not outgrown by the adult," explained Johnson. . "Like all good stories, it moves us from tears of joy to tears of sadness. The production, which features a huge 25- by 25-foot surrealistic web, includes seven child actors and a 14-year-old choreographer, Linda Lister. Fern and Avery Arable are played by Erin Farley and Jeff Whiting. The goslingsyoung spiders are portrayed by three eight-year-olds, Joshua Craigle, Cammy Haroldsen and Marianne Monson. Wendee Wilde is cast as a solo dancer, and choreographer Lister is also the alto narrator. The balance of the cast is made up mostly of University Univer-sity of Utah students. Barbie Burrows plays Charlotte, the spider. Paul Mulder portrays por-trays Wilbur, the pig. Jeff Meadows is cast as the wiley Templeton, the rat. Other cast members include Doug La Brecque, Heather Macauley, Bob Baker, Rett Neale, Robin Youngberg, Jan Smith, Jim Quittner, Caren Beemen, Brad Slaugh, Christie Hale, Stephen Reed and Joe Ochsenreiter. Musical director Cathy M. Amesbury, who holds a bachelor's degree in compositiontheory com-positiontheory from the University of Northern Colorado, has composed original music for the production. She is a guest artist ar-tist who will serve as musical director for all Young People's productions this year. "Charlotte's Web" is recommended for ages six and up. Babes in arms will not be admitted to the theater, and children below fourth grade must be accompanied ac-companied by an adult. Call 581-6961 for ticket reservations and information. |