The curtains open. The lights dim. The sound of the overture rises from the pit and fills the auditorium. Minutes later, three sailors emerge on stage. The trio then sings about their love for New York and their quest for adventure.

Whitman Drama presented their fall musical “On the Town” Nov. 16-18. Directed by Christopher Gerken and senior Kevin Hatcher, the show follows the adventures of three Navy men as they search for love during a 24-hour stay in New York City. The three sailors, Gabey (sophomore Matthew Millin), Ozzie (senior Connor Johnson) and Chip (freshman Eli Blanks), spend their trip searching for “Miss Turnstiles,” or Ivy Smith, whom they spot on the subway. Each sailor starts a relationship with a different woman in their search for Ivy; only Gabey succeeds at finding the real Ivy.

The show was energetic and comedic, a change from recent, heavier shows from the 2016 season “The Crucible” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.” This upbeat change of pace helped the show garner the second-highest ticket sales in Whitman Drama’s history, Hatcher said.

“It was different than the past two years,” junior Molly Herson, who played aggravating, quirky Lucy Schmeeler, said. “People were expecting a darker musical, and then we had a happy, fun, dancey musical, and people ended up really liking it.”

In the weeks leading up to the performance, the costume team organized 177 different costumes for the 34-person cast. The multimedia team also worked tirelessly to add unprecedented digital aspects to the show, such as projecting scenes of New York City streets onto the stage. The scenic team was also able to include a full-sized dinosaur onstage.

“The multimedia and light design really took things to the next level,” Gerken said.

The live orchestra and upbeat choreography perfectly captured the time period: 1940s New York City. At one point, saxophonist Ethan Dodd, a senior, left the pit for a rare onstage instrumental solo.

All of the new features implemented during the show built up the audience’s energy and excitement, which motivated the actors, junior Kira Gandolfo, who played upbeat music teacher Madame Dilly said.

“The audience liked it a lot because the show was easy to follow, they liked the plot, and they were laughing, and that was really encouraging to us,” Gandolfo said.

During rehearsals, the crew struggled to figure out exactly how to run each scene and construct the set, changing the concept of the show about 20 times, Hatcher said. The cast and crew were short on time once they finalized the details, but with countless rehearsals, the show still came together in the end.

“Despite the challenges, I think that our problems just further motivated the students to work their hardest and put on a good show,” Hatcher said. “Ultimately, we had a musical that we were proud to show to our audiences.”

The show was just the first of productions set to appear on Whitman’s stage this year. The issues the cast and crew overcame during ‘On the Town’ proves their ability to successfully put on difficult shows, Gerken said.

“The cast, pit, crew and designers hit a home run this year and I couldn’t be more proud,” Gerken said. “Whitman Drama has a reputation of producing professional level theatre and this year’s musical lived up to that reputation and maybe even raised the bar a bit.”