'Frog and Toad' hop onto the Corn Stock stage

When one hears a show title “A Year With Frog and Toad,” it is natural to think it’s a play for children. Indeed, it is a play derived from a series of Frog and Toad children’s books.

But that is certainly no reason to dismiss the idea of going to the next offering of the Corn Stock Theatre 2014 season under the tent in Upper Bradley Park, said director Nate Downs. While children will certainly enjoy the show, “there is plenty here for adults, too. I promise, they will enjoy it,” he said.

“A Year With Frog and Toad” opens Friday at 7:30 p.m. and continues each night through Aug. 9 at the tent. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for students. They can be purchased online at www,cornstocktheatre.com or by calling 676-2196.

“I like to describe the show as having the cross-generational appeal of the Muppets, with the absurdity of Monty Python and the charm of Peanuts,” Downs said. “The story is very engaging for adults and kids.”

Part of what is engaging, especially for children, is the magic that is performed as part of the show. Downs said he couldn’t reveal it “but I can tell you we will wow people, especially the kids, with some of these tricks.”

Downs said the musical is based on several books, written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel, so it is largely vignettes that follow Frog and his friend Toad through a year, including all four seasons. Characters sled and swim and fly kites and do all sorts of activities regular children do.

The real premise, however, is not like anything most deal with today  ̶  snail mail. Literally.

At the musical’s start, Frog writes a letter to Toad because Toad says it makes him sad that he never receives mail. Frog gives the letter to the mailman character Snail. All the while until the letter is delivered nearly a year later, Frog and Toad do things to have fun together. When the letter finally arrives … well, it all ties together.

Joel Shoemaker and Adam Windish, both veterans of Corn Stock and other community theatre stages, portray Frog and Toad, respectively. Beth Ann Evers portrays Snail. Birds are portrayed by Emily Hardesty, Nicole Ferree and Nyk Sutter (who plays several other characters) and Mariah Thornton is Mother Frog.

Shannon Orrill is the choreographer and Amanda Bach directed the eight-piece orchestra playing the music written by Robert Reale (with lyrics by Willie Realie).

Songs in the show include the title song, “The Letter,” “Getta Loada Toad,” “Alone,” “He’ll Never Know,” “I’m Coming Out of My Shell,” and “Merry Almost Christmas.”

“A Year With Frog and Toad” broke new ground in 2003 when it became one of the first to bring children’s theatre to Broadway. It was nominated for three Tony Awards that year, as well.

A central Illinois native, Frank Vlastnik from Peru, was part of that original Broadway cast, portraying Snail and several other characters. He visited the Corn Stock cast during a rehearsal last week.

“It was a lot of fun having a professional theatre actor who was in the original cast come see our rehearsal. He’d never seen the show done on stage by somebody else. He couldn’t stay to see any performances, though, because he had to prepare to audition for Stephen Spielberg,” Downs said.

About the Author

Paul Gordon is the editor of The Peorian after spending 29 years of indentured servitude at the Peoria Journal Star. He’s an award-winning writer, raconteur and song-and-dance man. He also went to a high school whose team name is the Alices (that’s Vincennes Lincoln High School in Indiana; you can look it up).