Margot's Musings

  On Saturday April 13, 2024 I went with my mom to see A Year With Frog and Toad at The Chicago Children’s Theatre. The play is based on the popular children’s book by Arnold Lobel and was adapted for the stage with music and script by Robert and Willie Reale. Chicago Children’s Theatre’s production was directed by Michelle Lopez-Rios. The story is about a Frog and a Toad who are best friends and they have good times and bad times together. These moments include: Frog and Toad going sledding, Frog and toad go swimming (and Toad looked funny in his bathing suit), Frog and Toad rake each others backyards, Toad bakes cookies, Frog tells Toad a scary story, Frog and Toad have an almost Christmas celebration together, and Frog writes a letter to his dear friend Toad.  The performances were Toadly Awesome!! Frog is played by Eduardo Curley-Carillo, and Toad is played by Nick Druzbanski.  My favorite part about what Nick Druzbanski did as Toad was when he gathered up all of his...

 The play that I saw was Carmela Full of Wishes at the Chicago Children's Theatre and I went with Dolph Paulsen (my mom's partner). The play is based on a book by Matt de La Peña and adapted for the stage by Alvaro Saar Rios, and directed by Michelle Lopez-Rios.  In the lobby, before the play began, I made a dandelion out of popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners and pom-poms, which was fun. When I walked into the theatre the stage was super colorful and at one end there was a laundry mat and a bodega on the other side. The magnificent set was designed by Regina Garcia and the colorful and sparkly lighting design was by Jason Lynch.  The play opens with Carmela (played by Maria Clara Ospina) And it is her seventh birthday! (I had a seventh birthday in July!) Carmela is excited to go on errands with her big brother because she is finally old enough to go, but she finds a dandelion on the way sticking out of the cement. Carmela's bossy big brother Miguel is played by Juan Gonzalez ...