A Year with Frog and Toad is a children's show, but there's a lot for grown-ups to love in the gentle tale of two amphibians who learn to get by with a little help from their friends.
The musical, based on the classic stories by Arnold Lobel, broke new ground by bringing professional children's theater to Broadway for the first time in 2003 and it was nominated for a Tony Award. The show opens Tuesday at Imagination Stage.
Those familiar with the Frog and Toad series will recognize many of the vignettes that comprise this sweet story following laid-back Frog and uptight Toad as they wake from hibernation in the spring and start a year’s worth of adventures. Despite their different attitudes, the best friends help each other overcome their insecurities with kindness and support.
"It's a story about friendship," director Colin Hovde said. "It's about how we get by with our friends. The piece deals with so many complex issues in a way that's really accessible to kids but that's really smart for adults."
Imagination Stage is known for producing high-quality children's theater and Frog and Toad is no exception. Hovde, a Helen Hayes Award-winning director, leads a cast whose credits include shows at some of the top regional theaters. Jobari Parker-Namdar, who recently appeared in Freedom's Song at Ford's Theatre and Five Guys Named Moe at Arena Stage/Cleveland Playhouse, plays Frog. Stephen Edwards Horst, whose credits include Occupied Territories at Theater Alliance and Man of La Mancha at Shakespeare Theatre Co., plays Toad. Matt Dewberry, Tracy Lynn Olivera and Nova Y. Payton round out the cast of woodland creatures.
"The ensemble of five are some of the best performers working in D.C.," Hovde said. "It's a spectacular cast."
The show's jazzy, vaudeville-style songs also attracted Hovde, but mostly it was a chance to tell an engaging story. Hovde, who is producing artistic director of Theater Alliance and whose credits include there include Spark and The Wonderful World of Dissocia, said his approach remains the same no matter the age of the intended audience.
"Good storytelling is good storytelling whether it's for children or adults," he said. "I try not to look at it as talking down to kids. There is a lot that kids understand and I try to acknowledge that."
A Year with Frog and Toad runs through Jan. 10. Tickets start at $10. www.imaginationstage.org
Classic Rock and Classical Strings at Strathmore this weekend
The Music Center at Strathmore hosts two very different types of “classic” concerts this weekend.
On Friday, musicians will perform the entire Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 album Rumours. The concert is produced by Classic Albums Live, an organization that brings together groups of hugely talented musicians to perform some of rock ‘n’ roll’s most seminal albums live on stage.
One of the top-selling albums of all time, Rumours includes hits like “Go Your Own Way,” “Dreams” and “Don’t Stop.” Fans can expect to hear them all, in album order, since the show is meant to recreate the album note for note. It’s more like a recital than a cover band performance, which puts it right at home in Strathmore’s concert hall.
On Saturday and Sunday, the stage is set for a more traditional recital by the National Philharmonic. The program features award-winning violinist Chee-Yun, playing Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4. The concert begins with Sibelius’ Rakastaya (The Lover) and ends with Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings.
Classic Albums Live: Fleetwood Mac Rumours, 8 p.m., Friday, $29-$49; The National Philharmonic, 8 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday, $29-$89; www.strathmore.org
James Brown Experience brings the funk to Bethesda Blues and Jazz
It's been almost 19 years since James Brown, the "Godfather of Soul," passed away on Christmas Day 2006. But the legacy of the one-time “hardest-working man in show business” hasn't quit. And either has his drummer, Robert "Mousey" Thompson, who performed with Brown from 1993 until his death. Thompson and his band, The James Brown Experience, will play Brown's biggest hits at Saturday's Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club dance night. With a tight horn section led by saxophonist Eugene Chapman and singer Greg Cooper convincingly playing the part of Soul Brother No. 1, there probably isn't a funkier or more fun way to burn off the Thanksgiving calories this weekend.
8 p.m., Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club, $20, www.bethesdabluesjazz.com
