Recently, Fun Things was invited to see the play Charlotte's
Web at the Arden Theatre Co. in Philadelphia. Most of us have seen the movie or
read the book as children and my first thought was how would they pull off a
play with so many barn-yard animals in it. I was thinking the cast would be in
elaborate costumes and that the set would be elaborate as well. But the
opposite turned out to be true.
The entire play takes place under the framing of a barn,
with large timbers suspended over top of the actors and some of the audience.
The actors are in minimal costume. This approach to the play allows the
audience to be drawn into the characters, their personalities and the story as
a whole. It lets you focus on the people the animals are rather than the fact that
they are talking animals.
The combination of very talented actors and this approach to
set and costume design made for an engaging, entertaining, emotional and
wonderful production of Charlotte's Web that wowed the entire family. In fact,
when you looked through the audience adults and children alike were
enamored with this play.
If you have never been to the Arden Theatre you will love
this intimate venue. It has about 5 sections of seating with about 10 to 15
rows each. We were lucky enough to sit in the second row; however there are no
bad seats in the entire theatre.
My 6 and 8 year old girls loved this play. Their favorite
characters were the pig, who put forth a dynamic and energetic performance,
Charlotte, the spider, played by a very talented actress who at points in the
play rappels from the rafters of the stage and the Gander who supplies the
music for the whole entire play with one guitar and a harmonica.
I highly recommend taking your entire family to this play.
The Arden is easy to get to. It’s just up I-95 in Old City
Philadelphia. Parking is plentiful. We parked at the lot next to RistorantePanorama (also a great choice for a meal).
Dinner & A Show
Idea
We went to a 7:00 PM show and took the kids to the Continental Old City for dinner. If you’re not up for the Continental, there are several good
kid-friendly restaurants in the area.
40 N 2nd St, Old City Philadelphia
Charlotte's Web is playing now through February 3rd
Tickets can be purchased here: http://www.ardentheatre.org
Location: 40 N 2nd St, Old City Philadelphia
This event is appropriate for: The Entire Family
Cost: $15 and Up
Fun Things received complimentary tickets to Charlotte's Web. Thank you to the Arden Theatre!
