The children’s classic book, A Year with Frog and Toad, comes to life this month at the Coronado Playhouse, a small dinner-style theater attached to the Coronado Community Center. The show is specifically geared towards preschool- to middle school-aged children with a colorful set, upbeat songs, live orchestra, and heart-warming stories that children will recognize and love.
The play A Year with Frog and Toad first appeared in 2002 when Adrianne Lobel, the book author’s daughter, commissioned the play from the four-book Frog and Toad series. The play was enthusiastically received in Minneapolis, and from there it moved from Off-Broadway to Broadway in 2003, and eventually earned three TONY Award nominations for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score.
In the Coronado Playhouse’s A Year with Frog and Toad, it is evident great care and attention went into each detail of the production. The set (designed by Barron Henzel) is beautiful, with Frog and Toad’s tiny houses on opposite ends of the stage and a “pond” in between. The orchestra is cleverly concealed behind pieces of the set, just visible enough for children to see some of the instruments being played. Each costume has been carefully and creatively constructed, and every song and dance number delights the audience with precision and enthusiasm.
The actors playing Frog (Barron Henzel) and Toad (Frank Remiatte) are funny and endearing with great rapport on stage. A cast of characters (Birds, Snail, Turtle, Mice, Large and Terrible Frog, and more) danced through each scene with Frog and Toad. The finest performance, though, comes from Wilfred Grant T. Paloma, who poured enthusiasm into his role as Snail and drew laughter and applause whenever he appeared.
On Saturday, June 27, the production added a performance specifically geared towards families of children with autism and other disabilities. The doors opened early for families to feel comfortable in their seats, and then the show began first with a warm welcome, some introduction of characters (particularly the Great and Terrible Frog so that no one would be frightened), and proceeded with lights dimmed instead of off and earplugs provided for those who needed them. In this thoughtful atmosphere, everyone felt at home and enjoyed the show immensely.
For this production, the Coronado Playhouse and Pickwick Players (East County) are collaborating for the first time. Their goal is to share their resources and bring quality entertainment, all while raising awareness and money for Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego. Children and parents can purchase gift bags at the show with a Ronald McDonald coloring page, crayons, snacks, juice, stickers, and more for $5, part of which goes to support the charity.
The entire show is a delight, from the enthusiastic welcome at the door to the service for our community. The cast and crew deserve a warm round of applause for such a wonderful production. Visit Coronado Playhouse to buy tickets and support our local theater!
Where: Coronado Playhouse, 1835 Strand Way, Coronado, CA 92118
When: Thru July 12. Showtimes listed here.
Tickets: $20 for adults and children over 14, special price of $14 for kids aged 14 and under
Phone: (619) 435-4856 or email to [email protected]
Online: http://coronadoplayhouse.com/
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Becca Garber
Staff Writer
eCoronado.com
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