Spend A Year With Frog and Toad

A great way to get the kiddies out of the house, the live children's play, "A Year With Frog and Toad" is being featured at the Bellmore Theater every Saturday in March. It offers an entertaining morning for the entire family.

Presented by Plaza Theatrical Productions, the story line behind "A Year With Frog and Toad" is how two best friends spend the year together. The play opens in the spring with Frog (Vanessa Spica) and Toad (T.C. Weiss). Frog and Toad perform several songs - both individually and in duets - and one dance number with rakes, "He'll Never Know." My son's favorite - probably because of the topic - was "Cookies." Frog and Toad sing about some cookies that Toad just baked.

Frog and Toad's fair-weather friends, the birds (Jason Schoenberger, Donna Maggio and Melissa Schoenberger) appear for several musical numbers throughout the play. Jason Schoenberger also plays the witty snail mail carrier who sings three comical versions of "The Letter" about a letter he is slowly delivering from Frog to Toad. Donna Maggio also plays a sharp-tongued turtle who belts out a deep solo, "Getta Load of Toad" about the way Toad looks in a bathing suit and Melissa Schoenberger also plays a quiet mouse who goes along with turtle.

The show was directed and choreographed by Tommie Gibbons, with Steve Goldstein as the musical director. Tim Morgenstern was the stage manager and Barbara Kirby did costume design. Alan Kingsley was the pianist for this musical play. "A Year With Frog and Toad" is presented through a special arrangement with Music Theatre International.

Plaza Theatrical Productions will be performing "A Year With Frog and Toad" on Saturdays, March 13, 20 and 27 at 11 a.m. They will also perform "The Wizard of Oz" during the next school vacation week from March 30 to April 3. Plaza Theatrical is a non-profit organization with Kevin F. Harrington and Phyllis S. Harrington as the producers. Tickets are $10 and include popcorn and a drink.

For more information, visit Plaza Theatrical Productions' Web site or call the box office at 599-6870.