CAROLINE CULOT Norwich Theatre Royal

CAROLINE CULOT

If you thought most children's tales have a happy ending, be prepared for the poignant finale to this story, adapted from the much-loved book by EB White.

Watershed Productions brings to life from the page to the stage this story about the importance of friendship, with Charlotte the spider doing everything she can to save the bacon of Wilbur the pig.

She is helped by reluctant Templeton the rat as well as the scatty Goose and the Old Sheep.

Clever use of set and costumes as well as an enthusiastic cast helped make this a colourful and captivating production.

It is wonderful to see a children's favourite novel adapted for theatre with no television character in sight.

This is an intelligent play faithfully adapted, and suitable – as it states – for older children with its references to death and its sad ending.

The pace of last night's performance could have been stepped up, but on the whole the cast, given a difficult job of playing farm animals, delivered well.

The young audience particularly enjoyed it when the characters ran through the theatre.

And how inspiring to see theatre groups giving youngsters a treat for half-term and encouraging them to want to read books rather than watch telly.