Laurence Turner and Jessica Munoz glided across the stage of the Dorothy Mulvihill Theater with the ease and the carefree comfort of seasoned Broadway veterans.

They might as well have been on the deck of the ship going from New York to London as portrayed in Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes” – the performance selected by the Manteca High School Thespians for their spring production.

In character as Billie Crocker and Reno Sweeney – the lovestruck stowaway and the sultry nightclub singer – the duo seemed as cool on their feet in their opening sequence on opening night as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were in Irving Berlin’s “Top Hat.”

And having that sort of grace under pressure goes a long way when working out the kinks the first time you’re performing in front of a full auditorium.

Midway through the number while engaged in a dance sequence, Munoz’ microphone flew off and ended up near the back of the stage – something that could have spelled disaster for somebody that wasn’t able to roll with the punches.

She worked her way back over to it, plugged it into her ear, and picked up when her next verse came. It’s something you’d expect a professional to be able to handle. The fact that she didn’t let it ruin the first big dance and vocal number of the night showed that she deserved to be in that role.

Turner – who serves as the protagonist – seemed to have a magnetic quality that worked with the role he was playing. The confidence was perfect in his pursuit of Miss Hope Harcourt, the fiancée of Sir Eveland Oakleigh –played by a hysterically funny and over-the-top Adii Keramehmedovic – and made the audience pull for him even more.

But he wasn’t without help.

Jordan Garcia’s turn as Moonface Martin – affectionately known as “Public Enemy No. 13” – gave Crocker somebody he could count on to help him out in his pursuit, and with Sweeney’s help already shored up all he needed was the means to steal her away from the life of luxury that awaited her when the ship moored in the United Kingdom.

Ultimately he’d do just that.

The point of a musical, however, is that we get to see what happens through a variety of elaborately staged numbers – and in this case, some very famous ones like “I Get a Kick Out of You” and “Anything Goes.”

Munoz was in the majority of the vocal arrangements – which were backed by an actual, in-house orchestra – and was joined by Turner on a few. Other performers included Keramehmedovic, Kierra McCann as Bonnie, Whitney Ayers as Hope and Garcia as Moon. The Company also performs several times.

The bottom line: Go see it. There’s nothing better than watching the fearlessness of young people as they pour their heart and soul into something artistic. There’s no pretentiousness in any of it. And they appreciate looking out and seeing you sitting there – even if they’ve never met you before.

The show continues tonight at 7 p.m. at the Dorothy Mulvihill Theater. Additional performances will be held on Saturday, March 31 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 1 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for students and children.