Father and son take to the stage in "A Stoop on Orchard Street" in Philadelphia

Five to six times each week, during a scene in the play A Stoop on Orchard Street, Jake Faragalli and his father, Scott, contemptuously brush past each other on stage while singing opposing views of immigrant life in 1910.

Jake plays Benny, a young boy in a Jewish immigrant family, and sings about the melting pot of New York and the optimistic thoughts of the newcomers to the Lower East Side. Scott, playing a police officer and enemy of the neighborhood, sings to the city's new residents: "Why don't they go back?"

The musical, written and produced by Jay Kholos, began its run Oct. 10 at the Dell Theater in the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia and will continue at least through December.

Jake, 11, a sixth-grader at Ann Mullen Middle School in Gloucester Township, auditioned for the lead role of Benny the night before rehearsals began in September. He had heard of the opening from his teacher at the Walnut Street Theatre School, where he takes acting classes.

When the directors of the semiprofessional production contacted the school for a recommendation of an actor for the role of Benny, director of education Tom Quinn immediately thought of Jake. During a summer class, Quinn said, Jake stood out for his "strong stage presence."

And his acting and singing at audition were exceptional, Kholos said.

Scott Faragalli, who lives with his wife, Maria, and their two children in Erial, was hesitant about letting his son play the role - the matinee performances would conflict with school.

"I wanted to make sure the school was going to work with him," he said, "to make sure he could make up lost work."

The principal granted Jake permission to miss school for performances, and Jake has kept his grades up, his father said.

Having a father-son duo like the Faragallis is a first for Kholos.

He said that after casting Jake as the lead character, Scott Faragalli was given a courtesy audition for the small role of the police officer.

"I had no expectation that he would be able to pull it off," Kholos said. "We were really impressed."

Because Scott Faragalli often helped Jake learn the music and memorize lines, he said he wanted to "give it a shot."

Scott Faragalli, a warehouse supervisor in Mount Laurel, performs in the play only at night and in weekend shows. Another actor plays the police officer at matinees.

"The music never left me," he said. "The performing part never left me."

To prepare for his role, Jake said, he asked himself questions about how his character would behave. He said that he practiced with his father at home and that even his sister, Olivia, 6, now knows the songs.

Jake's previous experience on stage was limited to local and school productions, including the roles of Oliver Twist in Oliver!, Jem Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, and Tom Sawyer in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

When Stoop closes, he expects to have acted in 70 to 80 shows. All his previous roles have lasted only a weekend or two.

Jake said he hadn't tired of playing Benny, that each performance was different, depending on the audience.

"If you do something that you love - if you truly love it - you want to do it all the time," he said.

Kholos was inspired to portray the immigrant narratives onstage after touring the Tenement Museum in New York and listening to his grandfather's stories of migration.

Stoop, which has been performed more than 1,000 times, was the longest-running production at the Mazer Theater in New York after opening there in 2003 - a year after it had its debut in Nashville.

Kholos said many of the shows at the 200-seat Dell in Philadelphia had been sold out, which he attributed to word-of-mouth.

Many audience members identify with the show, he said, because it tells a story similar to those of their ancestors.

Jake hopes to act in Phantom of the Opera when he is older, he said.

More than 15 actors have played Benny - they all quickly outgrow the role. Kholos said he was thrilled with Jake's performance.

"If this kid isn't 6 feet tall, I'm going to try to get Jake to join us in New York," Kholos said. "I've got to keep him where he is and hope his voice doesn't change."