Photo credit: Emily Dever
The value of friendship is a tricky thing to bring across on stage. There are a million ways to focus on friendship that make its seem schmaltzy and hackneyed—even in musical theater and even in a children’s show... especially in a children’s musical. Director Tony Clements manages to make a story about the importance of friendship seem breathtakingly earnest and sincere in Marquette University’s production of A Year With Frog and Toad.
Nick Parrott is finely precise as the compassionate Frog. Kevin Brauer brings a robustly endearing anxiety to the nervous, neurotic Toad. Brauer and Parrott have a palpable connection on stage that does much to keep things from getting too sentimental.
The musical is based on Arnold Lobel’s beloved children’s books whose illustrations set the two friendly amphibians in a kind of ambiguous early 20th century. The show’s design includes just a hint of steampunk that matches quite well with the musical’s upbeat, jazzy early 20th-century sound. The costuming is more stylized than representational. Costume designer Erin Slattery Black finds a good balance between animal reference and visually appealing fashion.
The cast of animals is huge. There’s a turtle, a snail, a lizard a mouse and more. There’s enough activity in and around the rest of the animals to hold the attention of adults and kids alike. The casual, unspoken attraction between Frog and Mouse makes for one of several cute little bits of peripheral action that add to a fun show for all ages.
Through Jan. 28 at Helfaer Theatre, 1304 W. Clybourn St. For tickets, call 414-288-7504 or visit showclix.com/events/marquettetheatre.
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