The show plays this upcoming weekend at Harris Stage Lines
PASO ROBLES — Wine Country Theatre is back and taking audiences to the farm with their rendition of the family favorite, “Charlotte’s Web.” Paso Robles Press was in the audience for the theatre company’s sold-out opening night on Friday, Oct. 18. The show, which also runs for three performances this upcoming weekend, is taking place at Harris Stage Lines in Paso Robles, which is the perfect stage for such a farm animal-centric play.
“Our board of directors came up with it [Charlotte’s Web], knowing the venue, and we thought, what a perfect show for the venue. We’ve been here before. We know the location. It would suit the venue perfectly. That’s how we came about picking Charlotte’s Web,” stated first-time director Veronica Surber.
The show has a runtime of about an hour and a half and is perfect for young theater-goers as well as anyone else who wants to revisit their childhood. Whether you read the E.B. White novel or you’ve seen one of the film versions, many of us grew up with this story of a young girl (Fern) and a spider (Charlotte) unintentionally tag-teaming to save the life of Wilbur, the pig.
“This is my first time working with this company, and it is great,” said Amelia Baker, a Paso Robles High freshman who plays Wilbur. “I like working with all ages. I think it’s something that is necessary for theater. It was just a really enjoyable time.”
The cast consists of 23 actors of a variety of ages, from tiny spiders to grown pigs and every other age and farm animal in between. Baker gives us a Wilbur that you root for. Lindsey Villanueva-Taylor presents a Charlotte who is very aware of her impending doom, while also being the best friend a pig could ever ask for. Edgar de la Cruz had the audience chuckling with his performance of the rat Templeton.
“I have farm animals at my house. So I know how it is raising a pig and raising horses and all that,” said young actress Lillyana Denton, who played Fern. “So when Papa’s trying to kill the pig, I know how that is.”
The show balances the darker themes of the story with a wheelbarrow full of fun. In fact, the entire cast had moments that made the audience at the outdoor venue laugh out loud. The comedic acting chops of everyone on stage were on display throughout the entirety of the show. From actors playing humans to those playing other farm animals, it didn’t matter how much stage time each actor had; they milked it for what it was worth, and the payoff was a delighted audience. The comedy is there to counteract the reality and sadness of the lifespan of a spider as we watch Charlotte weave her miraculous webs to keep Wilber from heading to the butcher.
“It’s kind of a lot of pressure because it’s an iconic character,” said Villanueva-Taylor, playing the titular role of Charlotte. “Everyone has known this character since they were 5 or 6 years old and even littler with the movie and things like that. I just kind of wanted to honor her and have it be about friends and all that fun stuff.”
And just like the rest of the cast, Villanueva-Taylor gives a beautiful performance as everyone’s favorite fictional spider.
You can catch this endearing play for yourself on Friday, Oct. 25; Saturday, Oct. 26; and Sunday, Oct. 27; with performances at 7 p.m. every evening. To buy tickets, head to winecountrytheatre.org.
As Baker (Wilbur) said, “Come watch the show!”
Feature Image: A photographer snaps a shot of Wilbur the Pig (played by Amelia Baker), with Fern (played by Lillyana Denton). Templeton the Rat (background left) is played by Edgar de la Cruz. Caleb Cole and Saba Jahanzeb play Fern’s proud parents, and Christian Albers plays Mr. Zuckerman, who discovered Charlotte’s amazing web. Photo by Shaunice Barragan-Young
