5Q: A Year with Frog and Toad

The children’s book-turned hit Broadway musical returns to the stage that hosted the world premiere. A Year with Frog and Toad debuted at Children’s Theatre Company in 2002, before eventually moving to Broadway and receiving three Tony Award nominations: Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Book.

CTC Artistic Director Peter Brosius writes in his production notes, “A Year With Frog and Toad celebrates the power and beauty of friendship. Through this delightful story, we see how we can be friends with those who may be wildly different, sometimes irritating, sometimes impossible, sometimes ridiculously funny, and that these friends make our lives richer and fuller.”

A recent addition to the CTC Acting Company, Janely Rodriguez, joins the cast as Bird 3/Young Frog. No stranger to Twin Cities theater, Rodriguez has previously shined in roles with CTC, Theater Latté Da, and Ten Thousand Things. In an announcement, CTC stated, “Janely started at CTC as a performing apprentice and has since been cast again and again.”

You joined the CTC Acting Company in the 2023-24 season. What’s exciting to you about being a member of the company?

The most exciting thing is knowing that I’ll be part of a season in some way, either in timeless classics or incredible new works.

Arnold Lobel’s daughter specifically chose Frog and Toad to adapt for the stage because her father didn’t condescend to children, and the stories appealed to both children and adults. As a member of the company, how do you approach roles to appeal to cross-generational audiences?

As honestly and with as much authenticity as possible. If my 30-year-old self finds something funny or sincere, I lean into it. And it reads across age ranges. There’s no need to simplify anything for kids’ sake; they’re fully on board. 

Frog and Toad have made waves on social media as people of a certain age have looked back with nostalgia, growing up with their stories. What is your connection to these characters?

A have very vague memories of reading Frog and Toad stories as a kid. I feel I have developed more of a connection to these characters now as an adult. Something I’m trying really hard to do for myself is practice mindfulness and gratitude. And now we have a whole new generation of kids who get to learn about concepts like this from two (very queer-coded) anthropomorphic amphibians. It’s very healing for my inner child to witness.

When Arnold Lobel wrote these books in the 1970s, he was closeted. Before his death, he spoke about how these characters allowed him to explore different sides of himself and show love between characters that he couldn’t in real life. What is your take on this resurgence of the history and the growing attachment to this story within the queer community?

I believe the resurgence of the history is in and of itself such a radical act. So much of queer history has been either kept hidden or literally destroyed, and is still in danger of being erased. It’s so affirming to us in the community to know that not only are we here, but we’ve been here. And we’ll continue to be here telling our stories. 

There are so many great messages in the Frog and Toad tales. What do you hope audience members take away from seeing this production?

Above all else, this is a story about unconditional love. Frog and Toad are two very different personalities, and yes sometimes they don’t see eye to eye, but, when it comes down to it, they both accept one another for who they are. Whatever their differences, they will always end up in a place of compassion and understanding. And I hope the audience feels that.

A Year with Frog and Toad runs at Children’s Theatre Company through June 16. For more information and to purchase tickets, head to www.hennepintheatretrust.org.