Toad and Frog will stick with her forever

By Nathan Black

About two years ago I went to see A Year with Toad and Frog at the Arden Theatre in Old City. This was a children’s show, which is not something I normally attend, but a friend of mine was an understudy for the show and was finally being placed in one of the supporting roles.
I came to the show alone and sat comfortably through the first act. I was dazzled by the set and was amazed at their clever use of space. Children should be mystified by these shows, and they were! I even remember a girl behind me gasping an almost inaudible, yet amazed, “wow,” when the sets pulled apart to show the inside of Toad’s home.
The best part of this experience was during intermission. I was flipping through the program when a little girl walked up to the house manager, who standing on the set, and stood there staring at him waiting for a response. He finally turned and saw her, and the interchange went like this:

(Little girl enters Stage Center and approaches the House Manager. He doesn’t notice her until he turns and sees her standing before him. She stretches out her arm and waves using only her wrist.)

Girl: I love the show!
House Manager: Really! That’s-
Girl: I like the lights and the stage and the costumes and the people the way they go poof and disappear!
House Manager: Great! I love the show-
Girl: I LOVE IT SO MUCH!

(Girl runs off Stage Left. House Manager remains.)

One of the things that I love about theatre is that is has the power to change people’s lives and the strength to blow the walls off brick buildings. Yet it can also whisper the most delicate nuances of peace and love. This girl was so taken by the performance that she used the word love to describe how she felt. Children are honest, and even though she may not understand the impact of the word love, anyone can believe that she meant it.