LATTE Theater Company of La Grange is introducing a new wrinkle to its fall production.
Instead of staging “Charlotte’s Web” at LATTE’s usual home at Plymouth Place Senior Living in La Grange Park, it’s taking the production on the road. The show will run from Nov. 12 through 22 at various venues .
“When E.B. White first published “Charlotte’s Web” in 1952, he gave the world a deceptively simple children’s story,” Felicia Pfluger, LATTE founder and artistic director, said of picking one of the bestselling children’s books of all time for a stage play of one act. “But if you sit quietly with these characters, you quickly realize that a humble barnyard stable can shine a light on the deepest parts of our shared humanity.”
The play is set in a family farm that raises and sells animals.
The family’s daughter, Fern, becomes attached to a piglet the father gave her and she treats it as a pet, becoming attached to it, naming it Wilbur.
Eventually, Wilbur is given to Fern’s uncle, who allows her to visit him. The farm animals are portrayed anthropomorphically, setting the stage for the narrative of the farm animals having human-like qualities.
One of the other animals, a ram, tells Wilbur he is being raised for slaughter, leaving him understandably distraught. But a barn spider, Charlotte, promises to find a way to save his life.
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“This isn’t just a story about a pig and a spider,” Pfluger said. “It’s a sanctuary of profound truth, a timeless web woven about the miraculous healing power of community.”
The cast is a mix of LATTE veterans and those who are just getting started in their theatrical journey.
Willowbrook resident and LATTE veteran Isidora Kowalchuk, 17, plays Wilbur the pig.
“It’s cool to play a pig,” she related. “Any person would love this show because it speaks to all ages. There are so many layers beneath the lines.”
Kowalchuk talked about the emotion in the ending.
“The moment that resonated with me the most was when Charlotte and Wilbur are at the fair and saying goodnight to each other; you can see how their friendship has grown,” Kowalchuk said.
Another LATTE veteran, Isla Baker, plays Charlotte.
“I love playing Charlotte, but I found portraying her challenging,” Baker said. “I tried to embody a spider’s movement, capturing its grace and agility, while at the same time trying to bring human elements to add depth and relatability.”
Baker spoke of the novelty of participating in a play in different venues and studying spiders to be better able to mimic their movements “without having to get close to a real spider!”
“This is my first time in a traveling show and I can’t wait to share the show with audiences in so many different places.”
Thirteen-year-old Audrey Ollier, of Westmont, plays Fern, the young girl who becomes so attached to Wilbur.
“What I really enjoyed about playing Fern is her determination,” she said. “When she sets her mind to something she will strive to get it done, no matter how much begging it takes.”
Pfluger explained that the decision to take the show on the road was one made out of necessity.
“We love Plymouth Place, she said. “We are looking forward to an opportunity to get back to our home, but they’re doing a huge renovation. But we are hoping to get back there.”
“In the meantime, it gave us an opportunity, and we had so many people interested in the show. So we’re going to be at Mayslake Peabody Estates, we’re going to be at the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art. We’ll be at the Countryside Banquet and Convention Center.”
More information, show times and tickets are at Lattetheater.com.
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.