Meet “Daddy Long Legs,” and prepare to be charmed.

A delightful new entry in that rare breed of two-person, full-length musicals, “Daddy Long Legs” is a vocal showcase for two, and Pittsburgh Public Theater has a winning duo in newcomer Danielle Bowen as feisty Jerusha Abbott and Allan Snyder as an endearing Jervis Pendleton — aka Daddy Long Legs.

The actors each possess a pure, unforced Broadway sound that is perfectly suited to Paul Gordon’s pleasant score and John Caird’s reimagining of a tale that is more than a century old.

Ms. Bowen is a natural. She arrives at the Public with a short regional resume and some raves, including for the St. Louis Municipal Theatre (Muny) as Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz.” Here, she offers a beautifully sung, delightfully spunky performance in a role that has captured young girls’ imaginations since the Jean Webster novel was first published in 1912. Although the idea of letter writing as the major form of communication may seem dated, the coming-of-age story has stood the test of time:

The oldest orphan in the John Grier Home, 17-year-old Jerusha is rescued by a trustee who is moved by a humorous essay she has written and decides to send her to a women’s college, where she will study to be an author. Among his conditions is that she will write him a monthly letter, while he will never reciprocate or meet her. Her gratitude for this blessing inspires her to imagine an older, grandfatherly benefactor — a source of consternation to the anonymous Jervis/​Daddy.

The well-read, wealthy bachelor is the do-gooder black sheep of his family and a sort of Henry Higgins lite. He hasn’t much use for wasting education on girls who run off to get married, and yet this Jerusha’s writing has him entranced.

Mr. Snyder’s Jervis has at least as many highs and lows as Jerusha. As she grows in experience that only bolsters her joyful spirit, her letters arrive like a breeze through his stuffy life. He is at first bothered and bewildered by his feelings — until he discovers that his niece is Jerusha’s classmate. Jervis insinuates himself into Jerusha’s life without revealing that he is her benefactor, while trying to control her as Daddy. When she mentions the attentions of another classmate’s brother, his jealousy flares.

As Jerusha matures, she hungers for freedom from restrictions and informs Daddy that when women get their rights, men had better watch out. She also writes about her feelings for Jervis in her letters, not knowing she is writing to him, as their course moves from self-discovery to a battle of wills to romance.

The novel was written as a series of letters and opened into a wider landscape in several movie versions. This latest adaptation of “Daddy Long Legs” originated off-Broadway in a postage stamp-sized theater under the direction of Mr. Caird (a Tony winner for “Les Miserables”).

At the O’Reilly Theater as in New York, both actors are mostly onstage together — Jervis upstage, pacing in his stately study, and Jerusha keeping to the uncluttered downstage area. Three musicians are seated upstage left but are never intrusive and never overwhelm the vocals.

The Public’s Ted Pappas directs one of the first regional productions of the musical, setting a natural pace toward the inevitable and allowing the vocals to shine.

If you’re yearning for a simpler time and in search of an antidote to the cynicism that often rules the day, look no further than the Public’s charming “Daddy Long Legs.” It has the good-hearted sweetness to cure what ails you.

Sharon Eberson: seberson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1960. Twitter: @SEberson_pg.

First Published: March 21, 2017, 4:00 a.m.