By Jason and Alisha Hagey
Salt Lake Acting Company‘s (SLAC) 13th annual children’s play is filled with fantastic singing and dancing, a timeless tale of friendship, and fun for everyone. Written as vignettes told throughout four seasons, A Year with Frog and Toad allows children (literally and at heart) to share in the enduring friendship of two best friends. Whether swimming, raking leaves, sledding, or baking cookies, Frog and Toad are exemplary friends – examples to all of us – who support and love one another through hard times and good. Life lessons are presented in the most endearing and entertaining ways.
A Year with Frog and Toad is penned by brothers Robert Reale (Music) and Willie Reale (Book and Lyrics) and based on characters in the stories of Arnold Lobel. Lobel spent most of his second grade sick and kept himself occupied drawing. When he returned to school, he shared his pictures of animals with classmates in the hopes of making friends. From these experiences, Frog and Toad emerged. When describing himself, he did not use the words “author” or “artist” but “daydreamer.” And, in a way, A Year with Frog and Toad pays homage to this daydreaming, beginning with the characters waking from a hibernation dream after a long winter.
Three birds start the show after spending the winter in the south. They introduce us to the world Frog and Toad inhabit, and then we meet these two affable, lovable characters. Danny Borba (Frog) enchants the audience with his exuberant bounce and boisterous personality. He’s the cool kid we all wanted to be when we were young: fun, energetic, and carefree. Matthew Tripp (Toad) is the one I connected with, the worrying but hopeful one. Tripp delights with his ability to emote all the concerns of being human while being adorable. Borba and Tripp create the perfect pairing.
The trifecta of terrific, the three other actors bring the rest of the show to life, jumping from one character to another. Hannah Keating, Anne Louise Brings, and Chris Curlett are a delight at every moment. Whether they play a bird, a turtle, a mouse, a lizard, a frog, or a mole, these three give themselves to their characters with rapturous glee. They are dynamic, and their presence helps the audience get into the scenes and want to play along. Keating’s turtle is enormous fun. Brings’ mouse is adorable. Curlett’s snail is the most wonderful of running gags.
Penelope Caywood’s (Director/Choreographer) theatrical pedigree reflects her adept hand at producing theatre for children. A Year with Frog and Toad relishes in the playfulness of childhood and comes from an imagination that understands children. Caywood’s direction is the reason for this. She is helped by the fantastic talents of her costume, set, and lighting designers.
With a skilled eye for detail, Dennis Hassan‘s (Costume Designer) costumes for this production are ingenious. Each character’s personality is captured in their costumes, and Hassan uses simple anthropomorphisms of their animal counterparts to help us know what kind of animal they are. Erik Reichert (Set Designer) gives us a world of Frog and Toad that is whimsical, with the walls being made of blades of grass and the trees being abstractions that give us a sense of time and season. Genuinely lighting up the stage, Jesse Portillo’s (Light Design) work heightens every aspect of the production and brings life and liveliness to the world Frog and Toad inhabit.
Throughout the audience, the ages ranged from baby through elementary school years (and their parents and grandparents). There is something for everyone in this production. The cast is generous with the children, connecting with them at every level. Engagement is a primary factor in bringing children to this production. They will laugh, clap, speak with the characters, and thoroughly enjoy every moment of this short show (the runtime is about an hour, so not too long).
Running Time 60 minutes with no intermission
Salt Lake Acting Company Presents A Year With Frog and Toad by: Robert Reale and Willie Reale
Salt Lake Acting Company – Upstairs Theatre – 168 West 500 North, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84103
December 2, 2022 – December 18, 2022
Ticket Cost: $17-27
Box Office Phone: 801.363.7522
Box Office Email: info@saltlakeactingcompany.org
Open 11am – 5pm, Mon – Fri
SLAC Website
SLAC Facebook Page
Open Captioned Performance
December 11 at 3pm
Audio Described Performance
December 18 at 3pm
Sensory Performance
December 10 at 12pm
ASL Interpreted Performance
December 17 at 12pm
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