Festival 56 launches its summer season with A Year with Frog and Toad

Staff
Posted 6/20/18

Festival 56 opens its 15th summer season with A Year with Frog and Toad, a sprightly adaptation of Arnold Lobel’s beloved Frog and Toad stories.

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Festival 56 launches its summer season with A Year with Frog and Toad

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PRINCETON – Festival 56 opens its 15th summer season with A Year with Frog and Toad, a sprightly adaptation of Arnold Lobel’s beloved Frog and Toad stories. The production, which runs from June 23–30 at Princeton’s Grace Performing Arts Center, is for audiences of all ages. You don’t have to be, borrow, or belong to a 5- to 10-year-old in order to enjoy this family musical.

A Year with Frog and Toad is a rare example of a children’s musical produced on Broadway. Frank Vlastnik of Peru played the Snail with the Mail in the original Broadway production. Festival 56’s production features Brandon Chu as Frog and Adam Oldaker as Toad with Katie Dodd, Frank Monier, and Carly Rose rounding out the cast of woodland creatures.

This inventive, colorful cast of five performers acts out the story of what happens in the spring when birds begin to sing and plants begin to bloom. Frog, a cheerful soul, and Toad, who worries a lot, wake up from hibernation and resume their friendship. Difficulties arise when Frog sees that Toad is sad because he never receives mail. He sends Toad a letter, but unfortunately the mail carrier is Snail. Meantime, cheerful Frog and grumpy Toad enjoy all sorts of adventures. Eventually fall and winter arrive, there are scary stories to tell, and the two friends attempt sledding in the snow with predictable results. At last Snail delivers the uplifting letter, and the year ends with a happy Christmas.

Brothers Robert and Willie Reale collaborated on the stage version of A Year with Frog and Toad. Robert composed the music while Willie wrote the book and lyrics. The show was originally presented on Broadway by Bob Boyett, Adrianne Lobel, Michael Gardner, Lawrence Horowitz, and Roy Furman and had its world premiere at the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis, Minn. Festival 56’s 2018 summer production is sponsored by Hornbaker Gardens and Langhenry, Gillen, Lundquist & Johnson, LLC. Season sponsors are Heartland Bank and Trust, Princeton Tourism and Visitors Bureau, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Grace Performing Arts Center is located at 316 South Main Street in Princeton and is fully accessible with public parking nearby. To purchase tickets, visit www.festival56.com, call the box office at (815) 879-5656, email boxoffice@festival56.com, or stop by the theater. The box office is open noon to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and one hour before performances. Tickets are $29, $26 (seniors 65+), $14 (students 11+), and $5 (kids 10 and under). Beer, wine, soft drinks, and the famous Festival 56 cheesecake are available for sale at the lobby bar. For further information, contact the box office.