When is soon? Well, sometime between now and later, of course! But you’d better not wait until later— because the time is NOW! To get your tickets to see the delightfully heartfelt production of A Year With Frog and Toad (TYA-edition) at Children’s Playhouse of Maryland. Directed by Liz Boyer Hunnicutt, with Musical Direction by Charlotte Evans, and Choreography by Lauren Stuart, this quaint and charming little musical details its namesake based on the illustrated children’s books by Arnold Lobel. Are you ready to spend a year with frog and toad? They’re certainly ready to see you!
Debuting his first CPM mainstage scenic design, Colton Roberts has put clever creativity to work for the show’s pond-based setting. The spinning wall fixtures that double-up as both the interior and exterior of Frog and Toad’s respective houses are not only picture-book perfect, but they’re swift and functional for those quicker scene changes. The beds are backed with beautifully painted (shoutout to scenic artist Laura Miller) cattails and there’s a few other simple furnishings that really allow the characters to have fun with the setting and encourages the audience to engage their imaginations. You get some extra-clever assists from Props Master Amy Vickers— those ‘sandwiches’ look delicious!
Giving the kids as solid and whimsical aesthetic, Costume Coordinators Lizzie Jaspan and Anna wh take an inspirational approach to the show’s sartorial selection, which serves the production and the performers twofold. It allows the audience to see hints of the animal-characters that are being crafted before their very eyes and it allows the young performers to put their own characteristics an personalities into their roles respectively. The Bird Sextet, for example, features a series of ‘flapper’ bead dresses with feathers fluffed into head bands or around the sparkly sequin jackets in a series of bright and tropical colors. Yellow and black striped shirts for the bees, burgundy jumpsuits for the squirrels, and a whole cowgirl motif for Snail! Jaspan and Tsakalas let their imaginations loose on the costume closet and the result is fun and fanciful, making for the perfect dose of whimsy in the show’s costumes.
You get real fun characters from Liz Boyer Hunnicut’s direction; Toad has excellent comedic timing and often utilizes physical stage-falls to his advantage when really going for moments of humor and you get this sweet, gentle compassion from the way Frog works up her character, particularly when responding to some of Toad’s quirks. Hunnicutt even coaches some of the characters to have accents, like the delectable slow, southern drawl on Snail to help the audience realize just how slowly a snail can go. And of course the show is well paced (you’d expect nothing less from Hunnicut’s seasoned expertise, but shoutouts are also deserved of Stage Manager Anne Freeburger, Stage Crew Chief Amy Bell, and Stage Crew Ava Basta and RJ Oakey) with quick changes, smart blocking, and an overall evenly distributed use of the space.
On top of looking great you’ve got some really impressive dance work arriving from choreographer Lauren Staurt. You wouldn’t expect a show that’s geared toward the younger performers to have so much choreography in it nor would you expect it to be this active or accurate and Stuart achieves all of the above. There’s two different ballets— Underwater Ballet (featuring Luke DiBello, Meghan Chrzanowski Colette Halcott, Patty Boettcher, Carly Stuart, Rhys Amenta) and the Snow Ballet (featuring Luke DiBello, Meghan Chrzanowski Colette Halcott, Patty Boettcher) and the movements in both of those numbers are just divine. You also get a lot of snazzy swing moves during the bigger ‘whole ensemble number’ and anything that features the Bird Sextet (Mars Bell, Patty Boettcher, Luke DiBello, Meghan Chrzanowski Colette Halcott, Nick Testerman) has fun kicks and box-step-shuffles. There’s even some partnered-broom dances during “He’ll Never Know” one of those duet-apart numbers featuring the titular characters. Stuart has really outdone herself with the level and amount of choreography in this show and it’s very impressive.
Vocally, the show is solid. Musical Director Charlotte Evans gets robust and hearty sounds out of her cast of 24 and blends them together in a way that makes for enjoyable music. The Bird Sextet (Mars Bell, Patty Boettcher, Meghan Chrzanowski, Luke DiBello, Colette Halcott, Nick Testerman) get to do some really cool harmonious blends during “Spring” and you get some really lovely sing-around duets from both Frog and Toad. The same is true for “Getta Loada Toad” with the aforementioned titular characters and three of those bird-sextet members, who play other animals in that moment. There’s a lot of enthusiasm that Evans encourages in musical numbers like “Cookies” too, which helps keep the show’s overall energy nice and high.
The ensemble is packed full of fantastical forest-pond-outdoor critters and creatures and they all have wonderful moments in feature! Watch the Bees (Celeste Crespo, Osiris Gijon, Lexi Sands) buzz by when Spring arrives or those sketchy but too-cute-for-their-own-good Raccoons (Rhys Amenta, Beckett McIntyre, D.J. McKeefery) go creeping by somewhere during or between “He’ll Never Know” and “Shivers.” And those pesky, playful Squirrels (Julia Allmon, Ivy Ross, Caelyn Urquia) who go on a leaf-spilling spree during “He’ll Never Know.” Don’t forget to keep your eye out for those adorable hop-along-Rabbits (Zoe Bisante and Kieran Carson) and the quintet of Moles (Lucas Castros Mendez, Zoey Jobe, Alana Marin, Abigail Heer, and Carly Stuart) who are featured during “Down The Hill.” Keep a special eye out for the preciously precocious Carly Stuart who joins the dance team during “Underwater Ballet” and gets to tra-la-la hand-deliver a special note for Toad just before “Alone” and she is both hilarious and adorable doing that and every other sassy silly thing that she does on stage.
If you’re looking for a serious jumper, Osiris Gijon has got you covered, skipping rope during “Shivers” as Terrible Frog. The whole number, somewhat of an over-exaggerated dream-nightmare sequence, features Frog singing to Toad a tall-tale about herself as a Young Frog (Abigail Heer) with her Mother Frog (Celeste Crespo) and Father Frog (Nick Testerman) and how they escape the utter chaos of getting lost at night. Heer, as Young Frog, has a really pretty voice and also understands the humor laced into her singing lines while Crespo and Testerman have greatly animated facial expressions.
You get to hear really strong and fun singing voices from Lizard (Patty Boettcher), Turtle (Meghan Chrzanowski), and Mouse (Colette Halcott) during “Getta Loada Toad” too. All three of these talented young performers are also featured in the Bird Sextet, but watching them sing and dance their way through this gradually-building number is just delightful, especially when they all fall into dance step with one another. Mars Bell, a Bird Sextext member, also doubles up as Snail, who becomes a supporting feature in this show— having four mini solo features (“Letter#1-4”) and a big breakout number, aptly called “I’m Coming Out of My Shell” which she nails with all the panache and ease of a big, splashy Broadway performer, fully confident, and excellently balanced in her vocality. It’s her southern accent, which she carries into her singing voice, and her hyper-mince shuffle to show that she’s the ‘fastest snail postal carrier’ is hysterical.
Frog (Amelia Trageser Campbell) and Toad (Brayden Katzenberger) are the epitome of what I imagine Frog and Toad from the books would move and sound like if those illustrations could leap to life from the page. Katzenberger takes all of these beautiful risks with the character, making him just a little edgy, just a little sarcastic, just a little funny. When he face-plants repeatedly during “The Kite” at the top of the second act, he’s showcasing superb comedic skill, timing, and execution. And his vocals are glorious. You get a sense of earnest emotion when Katzenberger is singing, particularly during “Seeds”, which might just bring a sentimental tear of nostalgia to the eye. There’s a brave assertive confidence in Katzenberger’s voice when he sings “Toad to the Rescue” as well, and the honestly sincere camaraderie between Katzenberger and Campbell is the epitome of friendship. When they’re doing their duet (apart) for “He’ll Never Know” there is such a honest level of wanting to something nice and special for the other that it just makes your heart sing. Amelia Trageser Campbell, as Frog, is the perfect balance of sweet and simple and sincere. Her voice is bold but perfectly suited for all the songs in which Frog sings, and she’s got a particularly lovely sound for “Alone” making it sound so serene without sounding too sad. When Campbell and Katzenberger sing together for “Down the Hill” they’re making it sound like so much fun, even if Toad is scared out of his mind. They do the same for “Merry Almost Christmas” with a gentle hint of holiday warmth. They’re both such extraordinary talents, really living in the amphibious skins of these two characters, making for an excellent, heartfelt theatrical afternoon out!
Soon is now. Because now is the time to get your tickets for A Year With Frog and Toad before that year (which is only actually two more weekends) flies away!
Running Time: Approximately 95 minutes with one intermission
A Year With Frog and Toad plays through March 22nd 2026 with Children’s Playhouse of Maryland in the Lecture Hall of the Administration Building at the Community College of Baltimore County Essex Campus— 7201 Rossville Boulevard in Baltimore, MD. For tickets call the box office at (443) 840-2426 or purchase them online.
