The fictional characters Frog and Toad enjoy one another. So do real-life actors Todd Talbot and Allan Zinyk, who will appear as the title characters in Carousel Theatre’s production of A Year With Frog and Toad, which runs from Saturday (April 17) to May 8 at the Waterfront Theatre. As they chat with the Straight in the Carousel office on Granville Island, Zinyk and Talbot tumble into one another’s sentences and crack each other up.

Frog and Toad, which opened to acclaim on Broadway in 2003, is based on the children’s books that Arnold Lobel wrote and illustrated in the ’70s. The musical, which is for kids and openhearted adults, isn’t plot-heavy; Frog and Toad plant a garden, go swimming, rake leaves, and take a toboggan for a run as they work their way through the seasons. Like Lobel’s books, the musical is about everyday pleasures—and friendship.

Asked what he’s getting out of working on the show, Zinyk, who plays the somewhat fretful and frightened Toad, refers to his costar, a well-known song-and-dance man who headlined in the Arts Club’s White Christmas. “I know it might not sound like much,” Zinyk says, “but we get to do this little soft-shoe while raking leaves. I’m on cloud nine dancing with Todd Talbot. When do you get to do high kicks—with a rake—while singing harmonies? I feel like I’m in some amazing movie, like in Technicolor. I’m just loving it.”

And Talbot, who plays the calmly optimistic Frog, says that Zinyk is opening up a new world for him. Talbot rarely performs for kids, but Zinyk is well versed in children’s as well as adult theatre; the more recent of his two Jessie awards was for his turn as Horton the Elephant in Carousel’s 2008 production of Seussical the Musical. When asked how he accesses the youthfulness necessary for this show, Talbot replies, “I’m channelling Allan. He brings such innocence to what he does. So I’m just riding that, and hopefully I’ll figure it out from there.”

Zinyk explains his enthusiasm for the project: “I love these characters because they take advantage of their environment. They go swimming when it’s hot out and they go sledding when it’s snowing. They’re not just sitting around. And there are no references to computers or cellphones or anything. It’s just their little world, which I like.

“Frog really takes the initiative to push Toad,” he goes on. “ ”˜Let’s do this’ and ”˜Let’s do that.’ Toad is a little scared of a lot of things. He’s scared of sledding down the hill. He’s scared of being seen in his bathing suit. He’s such a suck sometimes. But he’s a great cook, and Frog comes over to his place a lot.”

As Zinyk points out, the musical helps the very young to identify seasons and emotions: “Be patient. Don’t worry. Don’t be scared. I’m happy. I’m angry.”

Carousel Theatre is inviting children two and up to this show, and there will be special toddler matinees. Describing the difference between a toddler matinee and a regular performance, Zinyk says, “Instead of applause at the end of a show, there’s a lot of crying. And it smells a bit different. But the parents love it. And the kids are so sweet! They’re not heavy enough to keep the [sprung] seats down, so they get kind of crushed sometimes.”

Talbot has obviously been bitten by the kids’ theatre bug. “I have a tendency to be too serious in my work,” he says. “But with this—with these people and this show—I’m laughing harder than I have in a long time. It’s fun. It’s like a breath of fresh air for me.”