CHARLOTTE’S WEB – Lieder Theatre Company

Wilbur (Kiesha McMahon) in deep discussion with Charlotte (Serena Weatherall) as banjo-playing Musical Director Greg Angus looks on. Photo: Pete Oliver Imagery.

You’ll be caught in her web

Charlotte’s Web is one of those heart-warming stories that, for generations, was a staple of a well-rounded story-telling diet. I’m not sure if it’s still being read to kids, or BY kids (it should be) but “people of a certain age” will fondly remember reading it back at school, or seeing the animated version.

For those who know and love the story, the current Lieder Theatre production offers a nostalgic reacquaintance with this old friend. For those who haven’t encountered the story before, this show offers a grand introduction. For both groups, this production offers many wonderful and engaging things you won’t find in the book or the animated movie that will touch your heart in a whole new way.

But before we got to the production, the story. Written by E B White (FUN FACT: He also wrote Stuart Little), Charlotte’s Web tells the story of Wilbur, a little pig and the runt of his litter, who is saved from the chopping block by farmer’s daughter Fern, but still feels he doesn’t fit in and isn’t good enough.

That changes when he meets Charlotte, an extraordinary spider and even more extraordinary friend, who dedicates herself to boosting Wilbur’s spirits and, more importantly, to saving him from the ongoing danger of being slaughtered. Using her web in miraculous ways, she saves Wilbur who repays her friendship with his own act of kindness.

It’s a touching tale with many universal themes sewn into the fabric… including alienation, friendship, love, sacrifice, loss, bravery and the power of community. These elements give the actors a lot to work with and it is a cast filled to the brim with talented actors.

The Cast

The two leads, unsurprisingly, are Wilbur (Kiesha McMahon) and Charlotte (Serena Weatherall). Movement and athleticism is an intrinsic part of both roles, but very contrasting movement. Kiesha’s Wilbur is energetic, enthusiastic and engaging, while Serena’s Charlotte (whose delicate and gymnastic movement through her webs is breath-taking) is ethereal, effortless and elegant.

That contrast echoes the differences in the characters… the confident and the unsure, the pragmatic and the fearful… and the performers deliver this with nuance and commitment, acting as foils to each other. And the contrasts go beyond the stage. Serena brings with her an extensive acting career that guides her graceful, sometimes wise and comforting, sometimes weary and resigned portrayal, whereas Kiesha, in her biggest role to date brings her genuine enthusiasm and wide-eyed, busting-at-the seams enjoyment of the moment to the role. The casting and contrasting couldn’t be more appropriate.

One of the great aspects of community theatre is that you get to see a performer experiencing one of the greatest moments of their life and it’s a privilege to witness and share that with them when it happens.

It can be a difficult balancing act to mentor young actors and also to get out of their way when their blossoming talent and acting choices are coming to fruition, but that balance is well-struck in this show.

There is a large young ensemble in this production and all of the younger cast members, including farmer’s daughter Fern (Marli McKellar), the Spinnerettes and so many others, light up the stage with raw cuteness. But above that cuteness, they hit their marks and deliver their lines like pros, with cheeky smiles, batted eyelashes and unimpeded eagerness, and show that the work the Lieder Theatre continues to pour into Youth Theatre has been well spent.

The show is also blessed with many of the Company’s more seasoned performers who bring to the show all of their experience and talent. Many of these have had leads in heavier works and clearly relished the opportunity for a broader, family show.

The puppeteering in particular gave me some of the same joy I got when I saw old after-school puppetry on TV as a kid, or the first time I saw the Rankin Bass stop-motion animated Christmas shows. And just on the puppets (the Rat was my favourite), they are exceptionally intricate and major-production quality, built (with the assistance of Brian Hill and Kirstie Chalker) by internationally renowned puppeteer and puppet constructor William Pitt (who also trained the actors in using them). Another of the many layers of wow.

I won’t run through all of the actors, but I’d like to mention a couple of newer ones that surely have big things ahead of them.

Rising talent Graeme Fennamore stood out as a gifted physical actor, something like a young Buddy Ebsen, as he danced and scooted across the stage as the perpetually perplexed and yet eager to please Lurvy.

Another to catch the eye was Amarilis Amaro, last seen on Goulburn stages riding a broom and cackling with evil glee. In only her second Goulburn show, her acting was not only a match for anyone on stage but her gorgeous singing voice had something of a Lynda Ronstadt quality about it that sat perfectly with the vibe of the show.

The world of Charlotte’s Web

Two other elements that aren’t actually characters but deserve equal billing are the stage/scenery and the bluegrass band.

While backdrops and projections can provide great theatrical experiences, the stage at the Lieder effectively BECOMES a barn. With painstakingly accurate scenery, it felt like a lot of barns and shearing sheds I’ve been in which only makes it easier to suspend disbelief and feel you are in the moment. The intimacy of the Lieder Theatre drags you in even further and if that wasn’t enough, the audience engagement pieces literally took you into the show.

Andy Picker, Greg Angus, Callum White and Martin Sanders lay down some bluegrass. Photo: Pete Oliver Imagery.

And the addition of the bluegrass band (and such a good band) is genius. That style of music (think Oh Brother Where Art Thou), and particularly this mellow variant and the chosen songs, sit right in the sweet spot and perfectly accompanies the show, sometimes with vocals, sometimes without (I’m still humming the Alison Krauss number… and using way too many parentheses).

The band also operates as something of a greek chorus, (a bit like the banjo-playing pair of Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye in Cat Ballou… seriously, check that film out) providing a touch of narration and exposition that adds warmth, whimsy and charm to the show. I’ve seen the Joseph Robinette script and the band isn’t mentioned anywhere, so this addition is a masterstroke by Director Blake Selmes and Musical Director Greg Angus.

There is no greater gift a show can give you than to sweep you away and fully absorb you into a whole other world, and this production does that.

The Heart of the Show

Charlotte’s Web covers a wide range of performances and moments, from the small and delicate to broad pantomime-style bits. Though mostly cheery and light, it IS an emotionally moving production that includes the loss of a character.

I hope that parents aren’t scared off by that. Great old Disney movies like Bambi and Old Yeller (and even newer ones like Lion King) didn’t seek to quarantine children from sadness or insulate them from death. It may even be that THAT part of the story is an important part of what some children… and adults… are going through, and which will resonate all the more as a result.

I found the music, the song choices, the lighting and the performances combined for a beautiful thought-provoking melancholy that stayed with me for hours after the show.

And there’s another layer of melancholy under the show. This production marks the passing of the torch from former Artistic Director Chrisjohn Hancock to incoming Artistic Director Blake Selmes (who technically starts in that role next year). And even though Blake has directed before, and even though Chrisjohn provided Choreography for this production, I sense that in some ways this show was Blake’s “To Sir with Love” moment to his mentor.

And he has certainly delivered. Chrisjohn was renowned for finding something new in a script or a text and finding a refreshing way to present it, and Blake has done the same here.

The use of a band (which deserves a paragraph of kudos on their own), the scenery, the lighting, the audience engagement, the special effects (I can’t give away any spoilers, but I loved the fireworks)… in this production Blake has taken big chances and has woven together a captivating world to see, to hear and to viscerally experience.

All the feels

One of the sad things about getting older is that you can lose your sense of wonder and the ability to be awed. You chase those old experiences and reactions but they’re never quite the same. THIS show connected me to an earlier time and engaged me fully with joy and wonder and awe.

I don’t know the precise ingredients and measures that bring magic to a performance… in this case, how much of it is the music, or the audience engagement, or the acting across a spectrum of ages, or the stunning visual presentation. But that’s the alchemy of it all and this production, with so much happening and so many different elements and yet with a clear vision, is entrancing and enchanting for the way all of the parts have been brought together.

Sometimes you can admire a creation distantly and intellectually as a Work of Art and that can be satisfying. This production, with its beloved story, eternal themes, musical underscoring, gorgeous scenery, warm engagement and ability to hit you in the feels goes a step further as a Work of Heart.

If you ever liked this story, you need to see this production. If you have kids, THEY need to see this production. This is now my favourite version of the story. I might have to go again.

The Charlotte’s Web season kicks off on Wednesday 23 November with a charity opening night fundraiser in support of The Crescent School, Goulburn, then continues for nine performances from November 26 to December 11.

Tickets are from $15… cheap as chips to make this great show affordable and accessible to all.

Opening night tickets: www.trybooking.com/CEDQY

Tickets for the rest of the season: https://theliedertheatre.com/charlottes-web