Frog and Toad offer up a feel-good story of friendship for the holidays at MTYP

Everyone should have a friend like Frog. 

That's the message that shines through in Manitoba Theatre for Young People's latest production of the musical A Year with Frog and Toad — an unassuming, gentle and heartwarming series of vignettes about the two amphibious besties.

There's not much that's very complex about Frog and Toad — a Tony-nominated 2002 musical based on Arnold Lobel's much-loved books, last seen on the MTYP stage back in 2008.

Through a series of vignettes, we follow a year — from hibernation wake-up in the spring through the seasons — with Frog (Matthew Armet) and his best buddy, Toad (Katie German).

Together, the two rely on their friendship to overcome the mild obstacles they face — Toad's efforts to grow a garden, for example, or her squeamishness about being seen in her swimsuit by their other animal friends (played by a talented ensemble of Ari Weinberg, Brittany Hunter and Rochelle Kives).

No, these are not huge problems. By and large, Frog and Toad get along just fine and have a nice time together.

That may sound a little dull, and to be sure, this isn't a whizz-bang, explosive musical. Its charm, though, is not in spite of its simplicity, but because of it.

Frog and Toad is, at its core, a story about the uncomplicated joy of having a good friend — the kind who will rake your leaves, help you eat the cookies you've baked and bring you a sandwich when you're feeling down. It's a theme that resonates in director Pablo Felices-Luna's sweet and entertaining production.

The tunes by Robert Reale (whose brother, Willie Reale, wrote the book and lyrics) are catchy and generally upbeat. They're all well performed by the cast, and by the three-person live band under musical director Paula Potosky.

There's some nice, snappy choreography from Sarah Topham in the musical numbers as well.

Designer Jackie Chau gives the show an uncomplicated and colourful setting, with costumes that are more suggestive of the animals the actors are playing than detailed representations. Her cleverly adaptable set lets the action in Felices-Luna's well-paced production move quickly from scene to scene.

At its heart, though, are charming performances from Armet and German.

Armet is a joy as the irrepressibly cheery and unfailing polite Frog, grounding the character with a sense of such simple decency that the audience wants to be his friend too.

As Toad — sometimes crankier, but still generally genial — German is energetic and likable.

The ensemble of Hunter, Kives and Weinberg likewise turn in spirited performances — Weinberg does a particularly nice job as the eager, if not fleet-footed, snail entrusted with delivering an important letter from Frog to Toad.

The show comes with a couple of caveats for very young theatre-goers — at close to 90 minutes, it runs longer than most MTYP shows (though there's a welcome stretch break mid-show), and one scene involving the story of a terribly large (and largely terrible) carnivorous frog might be a bit intense for some.

But for the most part, A Year With Frog and Toad is like curling up with a favourite blanket — there aren't any surprises, and it may not be the most exciting thing you'll ever do, but it sure does make you feel good.

A Year with Frog and Toad runs at Manitoba Theatre for Young People until Dec. 29.