There aren’t a lot of musicals these days that get lost in swirls of memory and fond nostalgia for the sweeter simplicity of yesteryear. The witty, the wry, the sober, the dry irony of the here and now takes precedence in contemporary musical theater form, in favor of truth seekers and those who threw away their rose-colored glasses years ago.

But imagine, if you will, that you could dig up and capture the innocence and joy in discovery that comes along with adolescence, even if for a few brief moments — that’s the spirit of “Summer of ’42,” a new musical based on Herman Raucher’s autobiographical novel and 1971 screenplay.