Charlotte's web.

On Monday morning, I took Linna to Singapore's Players Theatre for their performance of Charlotte's Web at the Kallang Theatre. Charlotte's Web was one of my favorite books and movies growing up, so I wanted to share this experience with my little girl. I have never seen Charlotte's Web on stage, so this was a treat for both of us! We went to the 9:30 a.m. performance, so there were tons of children there from local schools. A couple of my friends in Singapore actually had their children attending the performance with their schools on the same day we were there. Kallang Theatre is a pretty large air-conditioned theatre, located next to the Kallang Leisure Park (shopping mall). When our taxi dropped us off in front of the shopping center, I asked people to point me in the direction of the theatre. They pointed me to the movie theatre inside the mall, instead of the actual theatre. Just make sure you know this if you attend one of the performance, because having two theatres in one spot can be a bit confusing!

Once we found the actual theatre, we walked in to see the stage set up with lots of colorful props, and the lighting was very child-friendly. Linna wanted to walk right up to the stage as we waited for the show to start. When the show started (about 15 minutes late, as they were waiting or another school to arrive), the children in the audience erupted in laughter as the cast introduced themselves in-character on stage. The cast was very enthusiastic, and Linna was glued for the first 15 minutes of the show. The costumes were cute. The audience (children) especially loved when Wilbur the Pig would shake his behind on-stage!

Linna waiting for the show
to start at the Kallang Theatre.

One thing I wished there was more of, was sound-effects and music during the show. I know this wasn't a musical, but being a children's performance, I was surprised that there wasn't more o this. There was a very quiet carnival-type music playing in the background during the part of the story set at the county fair, but I thought they could have played that part of the show up a little more. Some of the children in the audience (including Linna) started to get a little restless during the second part of the show, and I think their attention would have been better kept if there was music/sound-effects, or some sort of singing and dancing. I could tell that the older children in the audience enjoyed themselves, as I feel they were able to follow the story-line a little bit better than the younger children.

Over-all, the cast did a great job telling the story that I remember reading as a child. Watching this show made me think back to my childhood, when I wanted to have a baby pig as a pet! I hope Linna doesn't get any ideas:) I feel this show is definitely aimed toward older children, as they are better able to follow the story-line without the use of singing, music, and dancing. We are looking forward to seeing future shows at the Kallang Theatre!

The stage - County fair scene

Charlotte's Web
A Players Theatre Production
Runs through May 23rd, 2013
Kallang Theatre (Singapore)
Tickets: 6348 5555