Will Memmo as Toad and Charlie Retzlaff as Frog. Photo by Faith Wang.
Chad Rabago and Rockville Musical Theatre (RMT) deliver a remarkably heartwarming and uplifting production of their summer musical, “A Year with Frog and Toad.” Based on the Frog and Toad children’s stories written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel, the musical follows the two amphibious friends and a handful of their animal neighbors through a year in their life, hitting all the major seasonal highlights: planting seeds, swimming, raking leaves, and sledding! With book and lyrics written by brothers, Robert and Willie Reale, it serves as a perfect cozy romp through the wilderness. Rockville Musical Theatre’s production, complete with an intimate seven-person cast, is perfectly suited for a summer evening at the Gaithersburg Arts Barn.
…a remarkably heartwarming and uplifting production…the perfect ray of light, promoting friendship, laughter, and joy…
The titular characters come to life in the quite capable “hands” (read: webbed feet) of Charlie Retzlaff as jaunty Frog and Will Memmo as worrywart Toad. Together, Retzlaff and Memmo are wonderfully at ease holding the stage together and bring the perfect amount of endearment and gaiety to the best friends. Apart, they were able to show off their impressive vocals, whether it was Retzlaff’s smooth and rich texture in his solo, “Alone,” or Memmo’s bright and sweet tone in “Seeds.”
Backing the leads are the equally impressive vocals of the animal ensemble, showing off expressive faces and tight harmonies, especially the trio of bird girls Vanessa Daelemans, Taylor Litofsky, and Melodia Mae Rinaldi. Among Frog and Toad’s chorus of animal friends, one that deserves special attention is Mary Efimetz who had the audience roaring with laughter every time she took the stage as Snail. Dressed as a park guide, complete with backpack and sleeping bag to act as her “shell” (an exceedingly clever design by costume designer, Glenn Williams), Efimetz’s delivery and physical comedy are unmistakable. She also has the vocals to back it up which she shows off in “I’m Coming Out Of My Shell,” one of the most charming numbers of the evening.
The driving force of this production and making it such an incredible success was the talent and hard work of its technical and design team. The overwhelming care that was put into every facet and detail of the production design is enough to warrant the price of admission alone. From the plethora of knick-knacks and bobbles of the set dressing (Caroline Dinh and Lillian McKinley) that brought us into Frog and Toad’s homes, to the exceedingly clever use of the stage. Set pieces (especially the clothes rack), and beautiful set painting by Caroline Dinh created scenes from the middle of a pond to sledding down a snowy hill. The set design elements give the audience so much to look at, one could see it twice and still catch things that were missed the first time. McKinley, along with Carolyn Eby, should also be commended for their incredibly vibrant and well-suited props scattered throughout the production, notably the specialty props used in the Large & Terrible Frog scene. The lighting design by Kirk Patton and Kathie Rogers also brought some wonderfully beautifully punctuated moments, especially in Toad’s, “Seeds.”
Live musicians are a rarity and a treat in the area, so it is additionally important to call out the hard work and skill that went into making the live band of “A Year with Frog and Toad” a success. Under the skillful direction of Music Director Owen Posnett, the band soars through this score. With commendable sound balance, the band which were behind a curtain that aids to dampen some of the louder instruments, allows for the musicians (who frequently joins the production as characters) and actors to be heard. Throwing aside the curtain to reveal the band and button little moments with a trombone here or a flute flourish there (shoutout to Reeds players Neva Keuroglian Sullivan and Logan Mazer for their work on the jazzy final numbers), the band sounded tight, lively, and followed the actors with ease and precision.
Further complimenting the music beautifully was Jess Stahl’s choreography. Lively and fully of spirit, Stahl made incredible use of the stage structure and actors’ abilities to deliver choreography that was both fun and effective for the intimate setting of the Arts Barn. Most impressive was the cohesion of choreography and staging between Stahl and Rabago, never wasting an instrumental transition moment or scene change to go untended and creating beautiful stage pictures in songs like “Getta Load Of Toad” and “He’ll Never Know.”
RMT’s production of “A Year with Frog and Toad” serves as the perfect ray of light, promoting friendship, laughter, and joy during a social climate that sorely seems to be lacking all three. If you could use any of those things in your life, then you just might want to spend “A Year with Frog and Toad.”
Running Time: On hour and 30 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.
Advisory: Recommended for ages 6+.
“A Year with Frog and Toad” runs through July 27, 2025 presented by Rockville Musical Theatre in partnership with Gaithersburg Arts Barn, 311 Kent Square Rd., Gaithersburg, MD 20878. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (240) 258-6394 or go online.
