
DATE: Thursday, September 18, 1997          TAG: 9709170168

SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN             PAGE: 06   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: COVER STORY 

SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   73 lines

FOUNDATION HOSTS FUND-RAISER WITH `CHARLOTTE'S WEB,' DINNER

Charlotte has a web site, not CSPIDER-dot-com, but a lovely web on which she writes messages, telling the world about Wilbur, a piggy facing a fate worse than bacon.

Like the movie ``Babe,'' though, there is a happy ending for this one little pig - a life of contentment on a money-making farm.

The story of ``Charlotte's Web,'' a children's favorite since it was introduced in 1952, will be performed at Nansemond River High School on Saturday.

The fund-raiser for the Suffolk Education Foundation is a professional production of the prestigious Hurrah Players.

Five of its stars are Suffolkians - Maggie and Jennifer Chambers, Kaitlin Bowles, Rachel Ford, Heather Carroll.

``Charlotte's Web'' opened last year at the Pavilion Theatre in Virginia Beach.

``It was a two-week run and every show was sold out. The story is popular because the book is still in all the school systems,'' said music director, Polly Martin. ``The kids know and love it. The appeal is animals, its softness - the charitableness of saving the pig.''

The producers of the popular film ``Babe'' borrowed from ``Charlotte's Web.''

Both stories begin with the threat of death. Wilbur the pig is going to go because he is the runt of the litter.

Size prejudice rears its ugly head, but did you hear the one about the farmer's daughter?

Her name is Fern - a future attorney, maybe. Her successful plea to dear, ol' dad, spares her dear li'l pig.

Wilbur cavorts with his buddies - a sheep, an owl, a bat and a rat with a sense of humor.

His best buddy is Charlotte A. Cavatica - sounds like an Italian arachnid - whose save-the-pig's-life messages - spun on her web - are instrumental in keeping Wilbur out of the sausage factory.

The only problem the pig seems to have with the spider is that the multi-legged one eats flies - but that doesn't mess up their strange friendship.

Charlotte needs her nourishment. She is the mama of 514 baby spiders, a number that could give Miss Muffet a heart attack.

``Charlotte's Web'' is based on a true incident - sort-of.

Maine farmer/author E.B. White began to feel sorry for a doomed-to-die pig.

``I started thinking of ways to save his life,'' he wrote. ``I had been watching a big grey spider and was impressed by how clever she was at weaving. Gradually, I worked the spider into the story. It's a story of friendship and salvation on a farm.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo courtesy of HURRAH PLAYERS

``Charlotte's Web'' includes Suffolk residents Heather Carroll as

the sheep and Rachel Ford as Charlotte.

Graphic

ABOUT THE EVENT

WHAT: The Suffolk Education Foundation presents The Hurrah

Players production of ``Charlotte's Web.''

WHEN: 4 p.m., Saturday.

WHERE: Nansemond River High School. Tickets are $5, proceeds are

used for mini-grants for teachers, college scholarships for

graduates, tuition assistance, special programs, and support of the

Teacher of the Year banquet.

OTHER ACTIVITIES: A take-out spaghetti dinner will be offered