The cast of Bring It On includes actual cheerleaders who do real-life routines on stage.

Young talent ricochets all over the stage in Bring It On, the new musical whose national tour opened its Houston stand Tuesday at Hobby Center.

Performers catapult into the air to form human pyramids, turn somersaults while thrown skyward, whirligig across the stage floor in successions of back handsprings.

But it’s not just the awesome acrobatics in the half-dozen big cheer-squad production numbers that we’re talking about. From the leads to members of the ensemble, this gang consistently delivers the goods in song, dance, even some neatly etched comic characterizations. With the gymnastics specialties thrown in periodically for good measure, it makes an impressive team effort whose vibrant spirit proves well-nigh irresistible.

For someone who thought competitive high school cheerleading an unpromising subject for a musical, the surprise is that Bring It On is not only painless, but downright entertaining. Though it’s as slight and slick as the terrain suggests, it’s also smart, hip and realized with considerable showbiz savvy.

For that you can thank the talents behind the show, some of the sharpest in musical theater today. The book is by Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q), the direction and choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler (In the Heights), and the score is a joint effort of composer Tom Kitt (Next to Normal), lyricist Amanda Green (High Fidelity) and composer-lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights). They’ve injected what was potentially a mere formula property with a good deal of cleverness and even some heart.

Loosely based on the 2000 movie of the same title, Bring It On keeps only the cheerleading milieu and the notion of competing schools; the plot and characters are new.

Heroine Campbell is set to enjoy her senior year heading the champion cheer-leading team at affluent, WASPy Truman High. Then she’s “redistricted” to multi-cultural, not-so-affluent Jackson High, where there’s no cheer squad. But there is a hip-hop crew led by Danielle, the school’s queen bee. Campbell must win over the new crowd and bond with Danielle to start Jackson’s own squad and beat Truman. Campbell’s former protegee, the scheming Eva, has manipulated her way into Campbell’s former spot as leader of Truman’s squad — and must be taught a lesson, right? But Campbell learns one, too.

Though the conventional plot is hardly riveting, Whitty enlivens it with knowing, sassy dialogue. A comic subplot pays off big time, as chubby misfit Bridget finds herself more accepted at Jackson than she was at Truman, and attracts the attention of rapper Twig.

If somewhat inconsistent, the score propels the show with some appealing pop hooks, infectious hip-hop rhythms and fairly funny lyrics. Several extended musical scenes that take on big chunks of the plot demonstrate the team’s progressive musical theater thinking. Standout songs include: the wryly humorous It Ain’t No Thing, for Bridget and two fellow misfits; and the ballad Might As Well Enjoy the Trip for Campbell and her new boyfriend.

With his brisk staging and driving dance numbers, Blankenbuehler keeps this busy show in order and in motion. In the drill routines, he manages to work the highlight stunts into the fabric of surrounding ensemble dance. He capitalizes on a strength of the writing — namely that the sense of good-humored camaraderie increases as the action advances.

It’s hard to imagine a more winning cast. As Campbell, Taylor Louderman has voice and personality to spare, and even finds poignancy in this privileged girl’s humanization. As Danielle, Adrienne Warren sings with smoky verve and commands the stage with authority. Elle McLemore deftly differentiates the two faces of Eva, feigning helpless innocence at the start, then turning barracuda.

Ryann Redmond virtually steals the show as spunky sparkplug Bridget; a natural comic, she also can belt and move with the best. Gregory Haney is another showstopper as La Cienega, Jackson’s resident snap-happy drag queen. Jason Gotay is engaging as Campbell’s mellow-dude love interest. Nicolas Womack charms as Twig, Bridget’s slyly rapping Romeo. Kate Rockwell’s unrepentantly spoiled Skylar and Ariana DeBose’s sass-spewing Nautica are two more standouts.

Jason Lyons’ dynamic lighting and David Korins’ versatile production design of light bridges and ever shifting projection screens give the show a sleek, now look.

Love cheerleaders or loathe them, there’s no denying that Bring It On is going to leave a lot of people cheering.

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Bring It On, national tour presented by Theatre Under The Stars
7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays, through Feb. 5
Hobby Center, 800 Bagby
Tickets: $24-$80; 713-558-8887