By Alex Iwashyna, blogger at Late Enough 
When my mom suggested I take the children to see the musical, A Year with Frog and Toad, at Theatre IV, I was ambivalent. I love exposing my children to the arts, but I’m suspicious of kid-friendly events that require quiet. I don’t like setting myself up to SHHH every five minutes. My mouth gets tired.
However, I gave into culture and I did not regret a minute of my decision. The show is fantastic. My kids laughed. I laughed. The actors are fun and energetic, and the costumes creatively turned these adults into frogs, toads, birds, snails and more. The storyline is about a friendship, but not “besties” who never have a moment of frustration. The friendship between Frog and Toad is about accepting a friend for who they are, being thoughtful, and truly caring about one another.
This is the longest show I have taken my 5 year old and 2 1/2 year old to see. It even had an intermission, but I only had to say shhh once in sync with nearly every parent there because the show felt about one song too long. But no one seemed to notice — in fact, a family stopped me after the play and said: Your children were so well-behaved. I can thank Frog and Toad for that.
After the show, my children met all the characters and had their playbills signed. When one of the actors asked him what he liked best about the musical, he answered: Everything! I don't think my son stopped smiling for the rest of the afternoon.
And that is how I feel about A Year with Frog and Toad, too. It's one of my favorite kids’ cultural experience so far in Richmond. This particular show runs through Saturday December 31, 2011 at Willow Lawn, and I cannot wait to see what else Theatre IV does this season. Their ability to create family-friendly events that don't descend into chaos astounds me.
Disclaimer 1: We joke that my daughter is a 32-year-old trapped in a 2-year-old body. I think the show's recommended age of 4 years or older is appropriate for most children.
Disclaimer 2: I did not receive any perk for writing this review. I requested to write it after attending the musical because I enjoyed A Year with Frog and Toad so much and knew that Theatre IV advertised with Richmondmom.com.
Editor's Note: We do have 1/2 price ticket nights for A Year with Frog and Toad at Theatre IV, details here.
