Micheal Friedman Michael “Mikey” Friedman, 16, of Freehold Borough, will travel to Neverland when he appears in a featured role in Phoenix Productions’ upcoming revival of “Peter Pan.”
Mikey will be playing the role of John Darling in a production of “Peter Pan” that will be staged at the Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, for two weekends, starting Nov. 13.
The young man said his love of acting began at the age of 8 when he played Tiny Tim in “A Christmas Carol.” He said he “100 percent” wants to act for the rest of his life.
“Acting is the ability to create behavior through your performance,” Mikey said. “When I am on the stage, all of my problems disappear and it is just the stage and me, nothing else.”
Phoenix Productions is a nonprofit community theater organization that has produced more than 100 full-scale revivals of Broadway musicals since 1988.
“Peter Pan” will be Mikey’s second show with Phoenix Productions. He appeared as Friedrich in “The Sound of Music” last fall.
In “Peter Pan,” he will play the role of John Darling, the second of the Darling children who gets swept away to Neverland with the adventurous Peter Pan, according to a press release from Phoenix Productions.
Once in Neverland, John, his brother and his sister encounter the Lost Boys, the native princess Tiger Lily and the nefarious Captain Hook.
“Peter Pan” will run for two weekends, with performances on Nov. 13 and Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 14 and Nov. 21 at 7 p.m., and matinees on Nov. 15 and Nov. 22 at 3 p.m.
Tickets are available at the Count Basie Theatre box office, 99 Monmouth St., Red Bank, by phone at 732-842-9000, or online at www.countbasietheatre.org.
Mikey is a junior in the Freehold Regional High School District’s Fine and Performing Arts Academy at Howell High School. He has performed in “The Producers,” “The Wiz” and “Anatomy of Gray.”
“After high school, I hope to continue with musical theater at a school in New York, such as New York University or Ithaca College,” he said.
Mikey is the son of David and Janice Friedman.
“He was never shy,” David Friedman said. “He has a stage presence and it comes naturally to him. He enjoys it immensely and cannot get enough of it. He has a natural ability.”
“It is something he loves to do,” Janice Friedman said. “He is my pride and joy. I am so proud of him. He is a go-getter and a hard-worker. He loves the arts and is following his dream.”
— Contact P.J. Candido at [email protected]