Nashville Children's Theatre producing director Scot Copeland has been with the company 30 years. Back in 1985, he assumed the reins of an organization that could boast it was the oldest professional children's theater in the country, then went ahead and dedicated himself to making sure it was among the finest professional children's theaters in the country. (A decade ago, Time magazine made it official, ranking NCT among the top five nationwide.)
In his time, Copeland has produced 178 plays, directed 121 of them and contributed 11 of his own in a tenure that also included overseeing the design and construction of a new and spacious theater, rehearsal and administrative facility. Having entered the 21st century with those resources in 2007, the new NCT has proven to be a continuously welcoming artistic and educational oasis for Music City children and parents alike.
Copeland's anniversary season seems no different on the surface than most, with five main-stage shows promoting a typical mix of fun, fantasy and music — even social awareness with the forthcoming production of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Yet clearly Copeland has a special fondness for Charlotte's Web, which recently opened and will be with Nashville theatergoers until early December.
Copeland has now produced Charlotte's Web five times at NCT, the deep messages in E.B. White's warm but bittersweet tale resounding always with new generations of youngsters. The original published book (1952) holds a special position in the literature for children, having earned prestigious awards and been accorded noted film treatments. Yet Joseph Robinette's stage adaptation also endures.
For those unfamiliar with the story: Young Fern Arable nurtures a runt piglet named Wilbur, who eventually goes to live with Fern's uncle, Homer Zuckerman. Wilbur is befriended by a barn spider named Charlotte, who hatches a plan to save the pig's life, since he is — like most pigs — destined for slaughter. Charlotte uses her webs to create messages that convince Wilbur's owners to spare his life.
This scenario plays out far more eventfully and with plenty of nuance, but the important thing to know is that Charlotte's Web is an appealingly simple rural story on the surface, with rich and very deep lessons within — about the cycle of life, birth and death, friendship and sacrifice, and some of the harsh realities of the real world. A tale so delicate requires sure-handed treatment, and Copeland ensures that by assembling a versatile cast of seven, some of whom have prior experience with their roles, and that includes portraying various anthropomorphized animals.
NCT favorite Shawn Knight is Wilbur — as guileless and likable a pig as any human is bound to be. His endearing qualities are well-matched to the absolute grace and charm of Jamie Farmer, who as Charlotte spends her most endearing moments flying through the air, suspended in a harness, spinning her magical webs and drawing the attention of all. It's the simple tech of years ago — think Mary Martin in TV's Peter Pan from the 1950s — but it's a great visual. (The "flight director" is Delbert Hall.) Meanwhile, Farmer's effective characterization thrives on gentle understatement and an air of mystery that keeps the listener guessing but can just as easily cut the air with truth and poignance.
Among the supporting players are Amanda Card, who is perfect as young Fern; Eric D. Pasto-Crosby as her father (and also as the directly speaking Sheep); and NCT costume designer Patricia Taber, making one of her occasional stage appearances, as Fern's mother (and also as the comical Goose). Veteran David Compton is also on hand, performing five various roles. Rounding out the ensemble is Brian Webb Russell, who as Templeton, a wiseguy barn rat, is very funny indeed — somewhat gangsterish, self-absorbed and single-mindedly food-obsessed. Russell also proves very entertaining as the cornpone Uncle Homer.
The snappy projection designs, focusing primarily on the spider-web tricks, are by Colin Peterson. Paul Carrol Binkley's original guitar-based score lends energy to certain scenes and helps reinforce the country setting.
Charlotte's Web is a show considered appropriate for all ages, and that is certainly so in the reverence for life that its words inspire. But it has a somber darkness about it, too, which should affect older kids significantly, while possibly challenging the attention of the youngest ones. Still, when an oversized airborne spider is weaving her webs, it seems that everyone in the room becomes part of the captive audience.
Chalk up yet one more success for Copeland, with many more likely yet to come.
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