Photograph by George Sakkestad
Harmony Beckett (left) plays Tiger Lily, and Colette Froehlich plays Peter Pan in the Theatre in the Mountains production of Peter Pan.
By Shari Kaplan
The Santa Cruz Mountains will become Neverland over the next week or so as the Loma Prieta Community Foundation's Theatre in the Mountains presents Peter Pan, a fantasy musical about "the boy who wouldn't grow up" and his friends.
Producer Jon Rosen and director Tino Cecilio are working with ZFX Illusions of Huntington Beach to supply the "fairy dust"--actually tracks, wires and harnesses--needed to make Peter and his friends fly.
Cecilio, a former mountain resident who graduated from Los Gatos High School and San Jose State University, recently finished producing and directing "A Celebration of Courage: The Timpany Center Awards," held May 10 at Flint Center in Cupertino.
He has been directing and choreographing WVLO and Saratoga Drama Group productions for about 15 years, his latest show being Nunsense II. He has also worked with the San Jose Stage Company, the former San Jose Civic Light Opera, the Gaslighter Theatre and the Archbishop Mitty High School drama department.
Although he enjoys working with both adults and young people, Cecilio says he is most used to working with kids. "The youngsters often seem more energetic than adults. It's a very challenging thing," he says.
"I have multiple goals. I want to put on a good show, and I also have a commitment to some level of education in the process. There's a lot kids stand to learn--discipline, teamwork and camaraderie."
One of those kids is Colette Froehlich, a C.T. English seventh-grader who portrays Peter Pan. Joining her are C.T. English eighth-grader Natalie Smith as Wendy, with Christopher Kamaha'o of Santa Cruz as John and Loma Prieta fourth-grader Dennis Dentoni as Michael. Dennis's father Rick portrays Captain Hook. Harmony Beckett, also a C.T. English eighth-grader, plays the Indian princess Tiger Lilly, leader of the Neverland Indian tribe.
Theatre in the Mountains has been serving Santa Cruz mountain residents and the surrounding communities of Los Gatos, Saratoga, Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz for more than five years. Peter Pan is the group's 10th production and its second musical.
Performances are May 17, 18, 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m., May 19 at 2 p.m. and May 26 at 6 p.m. at the Loma Prieta Community Center, 23800 Summit Road, off Highway 17. All seats are reserved: $10 for adults, $8 for students and $6 for children 12 and younger. An Italian dinner will be available for purchase preceding each performance. For information or tickets, call 353-2834.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, May 15, 1996.
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