A nurturing gray spider saves
a scared pig in Charlotte’s Web

Charlotte’s Web, the E. B. White novel loved by generations of children, comes to the Eisenhower Auditorium stage at 2 p.m. Sunday, January 25, in a tender adaptation by New York City’s TheatreworksUSA. The story concerns Charlotte, a wise and nurturing gray spider, and Wilbur, an anxious but lovable pig.

Wilbur is stricken with an all-consuming issue. The chatty pig is deathly afraid of winding up as bacon on some pork lover’s plate.

Charlotte—excellent writer and calming influence—comes to Wilbur’s aid when she devises a plan to fool Farmer Zuckerman. By spinning “Some Pig” in her web above the sty, Charlotte creates a “miracle” that grants Wilbur instant celebrity and assures he will have a safe haven on the farm forever—or at least until natural causes hand him a one-way ticket to hog heaven.

The treasured tale, featuring quirky and endearing farm animal characters, explores the virtues of friendship, courage, and unconditional love.

Joseph Robinette, who adapted Charlotte’s Web for the stage, is the recipient of the Charlotte Chorpenning Cup, awarded annually by the Children’s Theatre Association of America to “an outstanding writer of children’s plays who has received national recognition.” A professor of theatre at Rowan University in New Jersey, Robinette has authored or co-authored more than three dozen published plays and musicals. His dramatizations include Anne of Green Gables, A Rose for Emily, The Paper Chase, and The Littlest Angel. 

Joseph Lunden, who wrote incidental music for the show, composed the score for Wings, winner of the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical. Lunden also composed the music for Another Midsummer Night, which USA Today called “the best musical of 1995.” Lunden has written scores for four TheatreworksUSA musicals and incidental music for five of the troupe’s other productions. He has produced several documentaries, including a centennial tribute to Ira Gershwin, for National Public Radio.

TheatreworksUSA is one of America’s largest not-for-profit professional theatres for young and family audiences. The company has earned the William M. Dawson Award for Programmatic Excellence from the Association of Performing Arts Presenters and the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Award for “artistic vision and commitment to the support and development of theatre artists.”  

Audio description, which is especially helpful to patrons with sight loss, is available for this performance at no extra charge to ticket holders.

Kids Connections, which takes place one hour before Charlotte's Web, is free for ticket holders. Kids Connections includes a craft-centered, child-friendly activity for our youngest audience members.