By Kayla Dunbar and Dustin Freeland. Original music by CJ McGillivray. Directed by Carole Higgins. A Carousel Theatre for Young People production. At Carousel Theatre’s Bee Stage on Sunday, June 11. Continues until June 18

What a treat for the littlest theatregoers among us. Good Day and Good Night is a thoroughly charming show for babies and toddlers that is engaging without being condescending.

Kayla Dunbar and Dustin Freeland’s script introduces Sun and Moon, who meet one day when the dial that changes Night to Day gets stuck. The story takes a number of witty turns that inject elements of contemporary culture into the cosmic sphere: check out the giant cellphones the characters use to order takeout at snack time. The show includes some great little ditties, including a tribute to “unique New York” and one well known to wee folks, “You Are My Sunshine”. There are adventures, hurt feelings, and ultimately, a lasting friendship.

This is a very physical show: director Carole Higgins puts the audience on a round mat in the centre of the floor, and the action moves around us constantly, leaving no time for those with very short attention spans to get bored. Alexandra Lainfiesta as Sun and Steven Greenfield as Moon both deliver warm, generous, and playful performances. Lainfiesta’s buoyant energy and lovely singing voice are nicely counterpointed by Greenfield’s wistful sensitivity. Live musical accompaniment by CJ McGillivray on a variety of instruments adds to the fun.

The show’s design also plays well to the young set. Kiara Lawson’s costumes are simple and vibrant, and Sarah Mabberley’s set and props (including a number of puppets in minor roles) are colourful and inventive: blue ribbons pop out of a watering can as Sun nurtures a plant, for example; a sheet of iridescent fabric passes over the heads of the audience to represent the northern lights. Amid the mostly natural imagery are some witty flourishes, like faithful re-creations of Broadway marquee posters snuck into a New York cityscape made of oversized foam blocks.

My niece, who’s nearly four, loved Good Day and Good Night, and the many younger children (including babies under six months old) attending the performance we saw were engaged for the play’s whole 40 minutes. Sweetness, simplicity, and virtuosity are the magic ingredients in this piece, which enchants the very young without driving their parents crazy. That’s no small achievement.