[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]http://www.livemom.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Traci-Shannon.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Traci Shannon is a former actress turned military wife, SAHM, and hopeful writer. She spends her days trying to catch up with that life that happened while she was busy making plans. You can read her adventures at AStarinMyOwnUniverse.com.[/author_info] [/author]
I was so pleased for the opportunity to review A Year with Frog and Toad at ZACH Theatre. The books are classic and I was excited to see how the Zach Theatre would bring them to life. I am happy to say that I was not disappointed.
The production is absolutely lush. The set is colorful and beautifully built. It consists of two houses (one for each hopper). The houses spin to reflect both the outside and inside. The costumes are equally delightful. Set in a Vaudeville style, our friends Frog and Toad are dressed to the nines complete with high-button shoes. All of the costumes are so well done, and I was very impressed by the high production value.
The play opens with a singing trio of birds freshly returned from flying south for winter. They announce that it’s almost spring. We then follow Frog and Toad as they awaken from their hibernation. Together they grow a garden in the spring, go swimming in the summer, rake leaves in the fall, and sled in the winter before returning to their long slumbers. They encounter friends and sometimes struggles as the days pass.
There are a lot of fun musical numbers including a cute song about looking funny in a bathing suit and another about baking cookies. My favorite, however, is a recurring number sung by the postman. A snail delivering the mail, he hustles and hurries as quickly as he can which, of course, is not fast at all. A letter the frog mailed to toad in spring isn’t delivered until winter yet it comes at just the right time.
All in all, it is a wonderful production. Both my children, aged 7 and almost 11, had fun. My husband and I enjoyed it as well. Here is my only concern. The show, which is only about an hour, is split into two acts with a 15-minute intermission (making the full run time about 1:15). TIP: Bring a book or some other form of entertainment in case your kiddos get antsy during intermission time.
*Editor’s Note: Intermission has since been changed to 10-minutes.
You can check out the show through November 29th at Zach Theatre’s Kleberg Stage. Tickets are available for purchase online or at the box office.
[facebook]
[retweet]
