Play: Charlotte’s Web
Theater: Upstage Productions
Cast: Kyrian Keeton (Charlotte), Elizabeth Claflin (Templeton), Athen Keeton (Baby Wilbur/Spiderling/Gosling), Samantha Bolin (Wilbur), Gabrielle Baker (Martha Arable), Dean Thronson (John Arable/Narrator), Birdie Bolin (Fern) Brooklyn Backman (Avery), Alyson Chang (Spiderling/Gosling), Ivy Dew (Sheep), Kamryn Erickson (Lamb), Abby Hall (Spiderling/Gosling), Hope Dew (Spiderling/Gosling), Henry Flaherty (Mr. Zuckerman), Mackenzie Israelson (Gander), Mackenzie Johnson (Goose), Xander Moltzon (Spiderling/Gosling) Sophia Olson (Narrator/Photographer/Fair Goer) Breanna Pederson (Lurvy), Kelsey Pearson (Aunt Edith), Greatta Schnabel (Narrator/Reporter/Fair Goer)
Inspired by the beloved children's novel by E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web tells the story of a young pig who is saved from an untimely death by a little girl named Fern (Birdie Bolin) and given the name Wilbur (Samantha Bolin). As Wilbur grows up, he learns that come winter, he will be met with a tragic fate. Wilbur’s salvation comes when Charlotte (Kyrian Keeton), a wise and beautiful spider, befriends the lonely, little pig and vows to save his life. As this unique friendship is born, Charlotte uses her gift of spinning words into her web to show the world that Wilbur is truly a terrific, radiant, humble pig.
I recently had the privilege of watching the play Charlotte’s Web, produced by Upstage Productions, out of Minnesota. I was extremely impressed with the overall quality of this performance of one of my favorite children’s stories. While I dearly love both film versions of this classic tale, this was my first time seeing it done as a stage production. I enjoyed watching the children portray the characters, and while they were good overall, two young performers stood out to me, with how very well they portrayed their respective characters. Elizabeth Claflin, who plays Templeton, did not look much like his animated counterpart, but he captured the essence of Templeton, both in costuming and in attitude perfectly. Ms. Claflin made me believe she was Templeton, and that is what good theater is. The brightest star on the stage was Kyrian Keeton, the young lady they cast to play Charlotte, herself. Whereas the other actors had multiple roles to play, Ms. Keeton’s only role was Charlotte, and she played her role very well indeed. Her costume was extremely cute, creative, and age-appropriate… I particularly appreciated the silver bedazzled spiderweb skirt and black leggings, paired with the black and silver top. (to be honest, I wanted to recreate this outfit for myself, because I also enjoy wearing leggings and black and silver is an elegant color palette and one of my favorites to wear) While she didn’t have any elaborate spider makeup, I definitely got the impression that she was a spider, and that she was the beautiful and elegant Charlotte, at that. She gave me the same essence that she was Charlotte, just as much as Debbie Reynolds or Julia Roberts, who are much more seasoned actors, who have also voiced this noble character. Book Charlotte would be enormously proud of Ms. Keeton’s shining performance as her character. That is the best compliment I can give her. I love how creatively they used that space on the stage where Charlotte’s web was slightly elevated, and Wilbur’s pen was beneath her. It gave the impression that she was in the corner of the doorway looking down at him, and the connection she shared with the actor playing Wilbur was strong. I also liked how the backgrounds changed, signaling that we have moved locations, despite the set pieces not changing throughout the play. For having such a humble budget when it came to sets, I thought this means of storytelling was very creatively executed and interesting. Her spinning the words into her web was very creatively done. And her death scene made me cry… not just Wilbur’s heartfelt goodbye to his dearest friend, but just how well Ms. Keeton chose to portray Charlotte’s death. No dramatic suffering or song… just a soft, heartfelt goodbye, and the sentimental music, paired with watching Charlotte curled silently into a ball, gives a powerful impression of melancholy, and I genuinely felt emotional, watching this character die. I was wondering how they were going to portray this moment, and they handled it perfectly. I got a pleasant shock when I saw how they chose to end this beautiful story. While they do keep the thread of Charlotte’s children staying with Wilbur, they chose to have five little spiderlings stay, rather than three. I actually found that to be an endearing change, and I was glad he got to keep more of Charlotte’s children with him. The costumes for Charlotte’s children were not as elaborate as their mother’s gown, but they still made ridiculously cute spiderlings. Rather than having the daughters write his homage to Charlotte in their webs, this Wilbur chose to dedicate the medal of honor that he had won at the fair… the catalyst that represented Charlotte’s success in keeping her promise to save Wilbur’s life, and he gives it back to Charlotte, by having Templeton place the medal in the corner she used to call home, and I thought this was a very beautiful way to honor his friend, and tie up those final story threads with the same emotional poignancy, while making their ending unique.
I was, overall, very impressed with this performance of one of my favorite children’s stories. While they had a rather humble budget, as far as costuming and set pieces, the creativity and quality of the performances truly makes this a radiant story, and, to borrow a phrase from my dear friend, Charlotte, “Character counts more than how impressive one looks” … and I felt they had very good character.
© 2026 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Theater: Upstage Productions
Cast: Kyrian Keeton (Charlotte), Elizabeth Claflin (Templeton), Athen Keeton (Baby Wilbur/Spiderling/Gosling), Samantha Bolin (Wilbur), Gabrielle Baker (Martha Arable), Dean Thronson (John Arable/Narrator), Birdie Bolin (Fern) Brooklyn Backman (Avery), Alyson Chang (Spiderling/Gosling), Ivy Dew (Sheep), Kamryn Erickson (Lamb), Abby Hall (Spiderling/Gosling), Hope Dew (Spiderling/Gosling), Henry Flaherty (Mr. Zuckerman), Mackenzie Israelson (Gander), Mackenzie Johnson (Goose), Xander Moltzon (Spiderling/Gosling) Sophia Olson (Narrator/Photographer/Fair Goer) Breanna Pederson (Lurvy), Kelsey Pearson (Aunt Edith), Greatta Schnabel (Narrator/Reporter/Fair Goer)
Inspired by the beloved children's novel by E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web tells the story of a young pig who is saved from an untimely death by a little girl named Fern (Birdie Bolin) and given the name Wilbur (Samantha Bolin). As Wilbur grows up, he learns that come winter, he will be met with a tragic fate. Wilbur’s salvation comes when Charlotte (Kyrian Keeton), a wise and beautiful spider, befriends the lonely, little pig and vows to save his life. As this unique friendship is born, Charlotte uses her gift of spinning words into her web to show the world that Wilbur is truly a terrific, radiant, humble pig.
I recently had the privilege of watching the play Charlotte’s Web, produced by Upstage Productions, out of Minnesota. I was extremely impressed with the overall quality of this performance of one of my favorite children’s stories. While I dearly love both film versions of this classic tale, this was my first time seeing it done as a stage production. I enjoyed watching the children portray the characters, and while they were good overall, two young performers stood out to me, with how very well they portrayed their respective characters. Elizabeth Claflin, who plays Templeton, did not look much like his animated counterpart, but he captured the essence of Templeton, both in costuming and in attitude perfectly. Ms. Claflin made me believe she was Templeton, and that is what good theater is. The brightest star on the stage was Kyrian Keeton, the young lady they cast to play Charlotte, herself. Whereas the other actors had multiple roles to play, Ms. Keeton’s only role was Charlotte, and she played her role very well indeed. Her costume was extremely cute, creative, and age-appropriate… I particularly appreciated the silver bedazzled spiderweb skirt and black leggings, paired with the black and silver top. (to be honest, I wanted to recreate this outfit for myself, because I also enjoy wearing leggings and black and silver is an elegant color palette and one of my favorites to wear) While she didn’t have any elaborate spider makeup, I definitely got the impression that she was a spider, and that she was the beautiful and elegant Charlotte, at that. She gave me the same essence that she was Charlotte, just as much as Debbie Reynolds or Julia Roberts, who are much more seasoned actors, who have also voiced this noble character. Book Charlotte would be enormously proud of Ms. Keeton’s shining performance as her character. That is the best compliment I can give her. I love how creatively they used that space on the stage where Charlotte’s web was slightly elevated, and Wilbur’s pen was beneath her. It gave the impression that she was in the corner of the doorway looking down at him, and the connection she shared with the actor playing Wilbur was strong. I also liked how the backgrounds changed, signaling that we have moved locations, despite the set pieces not changing throughout the play. For having such a humble budget when it came to sets, I thought this means of storytelling was very creatively executed and interesting. Her spinning the words into her web was very creatively done. And her death scene made me cry… not just Wilbur’s heartfelt goodbye to his dearest friend, but just how well Ms. Keeton chose to portray Charlotte’s death. No dramatic suffering or song… just a soft, heartfelt goodbye, and the sentimental music, paired with watching Charlotte curled silently into a ball, gives a powerful impression of melancholy, and I genuinely felt emotional, watching this character die. I was wondering how they were going to portray this moment, and they handled it perfectly. I got a pleasant shock when I saw how they chose to end this beautiful story. While they do keep the thread of Charlotte’s children staying with Wilbur, they chose to have five little spiderlings stay, rather than three. I actually found that to be an endearing change, and I was glad he got to keep more of Charlotte’s children with him. The costumes for Charlotte’s children were not as elaborate as their mother’s gown, but they still made ridiculously cute spiderlings. Rather than having the daughters write his homage to Charlotte in their webs, this Wilbur chose to dedicate the medal of honor that he had won at the fair… the catalyst that represented Charlotte’s success in keeping her promise to save Wilbur’s life, and he gives it back to Charlotte, by having Templeton place the medal in the corner she used to call home, and I thought this was a very beautiful way to honor his friend, and tie up those final story threads with the same emotional poignancy, while making their ending unique.
I was, overall, very impressed with this performance of one of my favorite children’s stories. While they had a rather humble budget, as far as costuming and set pieces, the creativity and quality of the performances truly makes this a radiant story, and, to borrow a phrase from my dear friend, Charlotte, “Character counts more than how impressive one looks” … and I felt they had very good character.
© 2026 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.