Spotlight's "Frog and Toad" Musical Teaches Audiences and Cast About Friendship

From week to week, the Compass Church located at 1551 Hobson Road in Naperville is home to multiple services of worship, weekend and midweek activities for children and teens, prayer meetings and classes for adults, as well as a networking group for those looking for employment. However, last week the church opened its doors to Spotlight Youth Theater’s DuPage branch and served as the venue for the Theater’s spring production, “A Year With Frog and Toad.” Reportedly more than 2,300 patrons came to see the first four daytime presentations of the show, including busloads of students and teachers from public- and private schools, homeschooling families, and adults with disabilities who were invited by a local non-profit organization to see the show.

Based upon the award-winning children’s books written by Arnold Lobel, and modeled after the Tony Award-nominated Broadway version of the original musical, “A Year With Frog and Toad” follows two great friends—the cheerful Frog and the grumpy Toad—through four fun, activity-filled seasons. Through its witty dialogue and jazzy, upbeat music, this whimsical show aims at teaching theatergoers of all ages about the value of friendship, adventure, and of embracing the attributes that make each of us different and special.

The musical’s emphasis on the importance of friendship is likely one reason it has been so popular with school-aged boys and girls. Young people—as well as the adults who arranged for them to see the show—can see firsthand on a daily basis the important role that friendships have in their lives. And this show offers subtle, helpful reminders about how friends should treat one another.

The ability to develop and nurture friendships is a key factor behind why many Spotlight students audition for each of the three shows that the Theater produces every school year. For example, this is the seventh show for Edward Baumgarten, who plays Toad. He revealed that his favorite part of being in this show—which he says stresses “how strong a friendship can be”—is performing on stage with some of his “closest friends.”

While having the opportunity to perform alongside his friends may have initially been the reason that Baumgarten was so pleasantly “surprised and excited” upon learning he’d been cast in this leading role, he soon discovered that this opportunity was helping him grow as a person and performer. He explained, “I would not have been able to do this show without God helping me through it. He has given me all my gifts and talents and, through this show, I have seen that God can use (them) to touch people’s hearts and to move the audience.”

Alec Hansen, who plays Frog in the musical, also has been positively affected by this show. “What I’ve been taught by this experience,” he said, “is that real art takes real work. Sometimes, a role just clicks, and that’s great! In my opinion though, to make a character come to life, to give it a foundation, to give it real emotions and beliefs like a human being, you have to spend time on it. If this show has taught me anything, it’s that the creation of a lovable and believable character requires a serious investment of time, thought and energy.”

Like Baumgarten, Hansen also seems to be emerging from Theater’s spring production, his 19th with Spotlight, with a heightened sense of the importance of friendship. He added, “Frog and Toad really need each other throughout this show, and they always have that desire to heal their friendship and to get along. The world tells us to be selfish. But this show reveals that friendship can fill the void that selfishness creates. My friendship with Christ is my true source of comfort. As audiences come to this show, I want them to leave valuing friendship more highly than they did before.”

Although Frog and Toad and a whole load of adorable woodland creatures have already performed in seven presentations of the musical, the cast of approximately 100 youth will present another show Friday night at 7 p.m.; one on Saturday afternoon at 12:30 p.m.; and the closing one on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. To buy tickets to see the show, visit the Spotlight Youth Theater website at https://www.spotlight.org. Adult tickets cost $12; tickets for children and seniors are $10. At-the-door ticket prices are $2 more per ticket. Discounted tickets for those interested in bringing a group of 15 or more are also available.

Patrons who are able to catch one of the final presentations of the musical are encouraged by Spotlight to set aside time to visit the Theater’s Silent Auction tables that are set up in the foyer at The Compass Church. This is where you will find beautifully-decorated gift baskets filled with such items as sporting event tickets, gift certificates, Frog and Toad-themed items, and other products donated by local business and members of the community. Money raised through the silent auction helps fund Spotlight’s ongoing programming, which includes educational classes, family-friendly productions, and fun summer camps throughout Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Heim Photography.)