Hop to It
Things are hopping at the Butler Little Theatre as the cast and crew polish the second offering of the 73rd season.
“A Year with Frog and Toad” will open Nov. 29. The show is based on the books of Arnold Lobel with the book and lyrics by Willie Reale and music by Robert Reale.
The well-loved characters hop onto the stage in this fun romp which unites cheerful Frog with grumpy Toad. They celebrate their differences through a jazzy score that is billed as fun for the whole family.
Veteran actor Phillip Ball of Butler Township will be leaping into the role of Toad.
“Toad is more of a pessimist and less adept at understanding aspects of the world and relationships. He worries about personal safety and the opinions of others, and he relies on Frog to bridge the gap in his understanding,” said Ball.
“This is a great production for people with young ones or those who still have a child lurking within. Rarely do we ever do a production that is so family oriented and well crafted,” he added.
His buddy Frog is played by Rik Medic of Penn Township.
“Frog is a very upbeat, optimistic creature. He is caring and kind, fun-loving and wise. He is everything that Toad is not. That's why they are best friends,” said Medic of his biggest role to date.
“Both Frog and Toad are on stage almost continuously, which is very different for me. It's a lot of fun, but it really keeps you on your toes,” he said.
Medic, who is a first-grade teacher, is quite familiar with Frog and Toad.
“I wanted to do a show that my students could see and enjoy. Frog and Toad is part of our reading series, so my students were already familiar with it. I think they are as excited as I am about my role in this,” he said.
“This is a delightful show. The music is great, the show is funny, and you can bring the entire family and have a good time. It really has something for almost everybody.”
Bouncing into the world of musicals is Dan McCarty, who will be portraying one of the birds, Father Frog, a lizard, and a mole.
“There are a lot of creatures in this particular story and they all sing and dance,” McCarty said.
Another one of the creature players is Greg Crawford of Chicora, who will portray Squirrel and the Large and Terrible Frog and appear in several choral numbers.
“This is my first role as puppeteer and the first time I've been involved this extensively with a musical. It really is a different process than a straight play,” Crawford said.
“Regardless of your age, it's a great show to attend,” he added.
The show is directed by Katy Closkey Wayne with Becky Plymale as producer and musical direction by Jessica Sanzotti.
Also featured in the production are Erin Mossman Colkitt, Amy Cannard, Lisa Cribbs, Allison Torres, David Halin and Stephanie Kobil.
<B>WHO: </B>Butler Little Theatre<B>WHAT: </B>“A Year with Frog and Toad”<B>WHEN: </B>Nov. 29 to Dec. 7. In addition to the usual curtain times of 8:15 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays, and 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, there will be two Saturday matinees at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 30 and Dec. 7.<B>WHERE: </B>One Howard St.<B>TICKETS:</B> $10, available by calling 724-287-6781 between 7 and 9 p.m. weekdays. Also, a special children’s ticket price of $7.50 is available for this production.<B>INFO: </B>www.bltgroup.org
