Children’s tale hops from page to stage

Youth Theatre presenting ‘A Year with Frog and Toad’

The beloved characters of children’s author Arnold Lobel hop from page to stage in “A Year with Frog and Toad,” a story of adventure and friendship coming to the Chattanooga Theatre Centre March 23-31.

The whimsical musical, written by brothers Robert (music) and Willie Reale (book and lyrics), is based on the “Frog and Toad” children’s stories written and illustrated by Lobel. The production follows the woodland adventures of two amphibious friends, a curmudgeonly toad and a cheerful frog, with their colorful hopping, crawling and flying companions, over the course of a year.

The upbeat score entertains audiences with plenty of wit, making it an inventive, exuberant and enchanting musical for the whole family. The play is structured as joyful vignettes, which feature catchy tunes (such as Snail’s “I’m Coming Out of My Shell”), funny dialogue and memorable characters.

Two casts of young actors will perform on alternating days.

The Summer Cast includes Taryn Bracher (Snail), Benjamin Brown (Frog), Mason Carter (Toad), Landry Howard (Bird/Mother Frog), Aleah Larson (Turtle/ Mole/Squirrel), Hannah Lowe (Lizard/Mole/ Squirrel), Annabelle Major (Bird/Young Frog), Avery Sharpe (Mouse/ Terrible Frog) and Augusta Westhoff (Bird/Father Frog).

The Winter Cast includes Tyler Bacon (Frog), Darrius Calloway (Toad), Erin Eames (Lizard/Mole/Squirrel), Alex Loyd (Bird/Young Frog), Acadia Phillips (Mouse/Terrible Frog), Genna Raborn (Bird/ Father Frog), Autumn Schulmeister (Turtle/ Mole/Squirrel), Emma Tuttle (Bird/Mother Frog) and Rachel Young (Snail).

The production is directed by Chuck Tuttle; Michael Huseman is music director.

Tickets are available by visiting the CTC box office at 400 River St. (Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.), by calling the box office at 423-267-8534, or online at TheatreCentre. com.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Darrius Calloway, left, plays Toad and Tyler Bacon is Frog, two amphibians who are the best of friends, in the Chattanooga Theatre Centre’s upcoming production of “A Year with Frog and Toad.”