It was a simple passion for acting that drove Brandon John Lee to dress up and act like a frog. A strange endeavor, perhaps, but not to the “A Year with Frog and Toad” followers.

“A Year with Frog and Toad” is a musical that follows two friends over the course of four seasons. Developed from the children’s story written by Arnold Lobel, the Broadway musical will be presented at the Des Moines Playhouse. The adaptation was written by Robert and Willie Reale and is directed by Toby Nicholson.

The story follows the cheerful and popular Frog and the rather naive Toad from waking from hibernation in the spring, to planting gardens, swimming, raking leaves and sledding. Both Frog and Toad learn lessons along the way, including an important one about friendship and recognizing the attributes that make each person unique.

Lee, an ISU alumnus and Ankeny native, plays the energetic Frog in the musical. Although his four-year soccer career at Iowa State did little to help him in this particular role, he said he has a love for the theater and experience in community theaters.

The cast spends 15 to 20 hours per week rehearsing for the six weeks prior to opening night, Lee said. He spends his days working as a sales consultant for the Principal Financial Group in Des Moines.

“It’s not for someone who needs something to do,” he said. “It’s for someone who is looking for a change in lifestyle.”

“A Year with Frog and Toad” is a fun, lighthearted comedy for the whole family, Lee said.

“A lot of the kids are going to be able to relate and know how they [Frog and Toad] talk and act,” Lee said. “It teaches that friends can be friends no matter what.

Everybody walks and talks and acts different, and Frog and Toad are just that. Everybody can get along, and that is the main theme of the musical.”

The costumes in the musical are very creative, colorful and detailed, Lee said. The choreography also fits the characters and the theme of the musical perfectly, he said.

Lee’s favorite part of the production, however, is the music.

“It was nominated for Tony Awards right off Broadway, and the music is very, very good – and difficult. It’s got great harmony and rhythm. It’s beautiful,” he said.

It is the comedy, visual elements and slapstick humor that attract audiences of all ages to “A Year with Frog and Toad,” Lee said.

“The director did an outstanding job of staying true to the actual script as far as words and blocking, but he gives us a lot of freedom as to each character and what they would do,” he said. “We’re really starting to find the groove and play off each other. It should be a good time.”