Cathy Rigby as Peter Pan, again?!?!?- Page 2

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/24/11 at 11:41am

Like what, Seussical? Yes, a shining display for anybody's talent.

Yes, actually, she was fantastic in Seussical.

She's also played (regionally) Mammy Yoakum in 'Lil Abner, Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun, Molly Brown in The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and one of the roles in Steel Magnolias.

Question... i just put the Cathy Rigby Peter Pan on my Netflix streaming queue... is it faithful to the production? meaning did they edit it out anything substantial?

Nothing substantial, no. There are a couple of small cuts (the overture is shortened, for example), but it's very faithful to the stage show (and includes the entire 8 minute Ugg-a-Wugg sequence as staged by Patti Columbo).

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/24/11 at 11:46am

I saw this online a few minutes ago and thought it was funny -

A few music changes in new Cathy Rigby Peter Pan. "I'm Flying" is now "I'm Sitting" and "I Gotta Crow" is now "I Gotta Lay Down a Minute".

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 8/24/11 at 11:58am

Whoever designed the new tour website is a moron! They put white text over white clouds. You can't read it. Nice work.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 8/24/11 at 1:33pm

Betty, given McCoy-Rigby's track record with the show, the web designer is probably one of Rigby's close relative who has no experience or desire to work on websites and just did it because Cathy thought it would be fun, so they pulled out a web design how-to book from 1994 about "state of the art" design.

The dvd is a great introduction to the stage show, but it is less faithful than adamgreer let's on, to be fair. As he states, the overture is shortened (which I detest) and I DOES show all of Patti Columbo's incredible choreography, but the entire orchestration is different (they integrated a symphony), there is some VERY unfortunate video editing during the flying sequences to make it 'impressive' but it just ruins it for me - they edited in shots of Cathy in a somersault harness that was never used on stage, they digitally edited the flight out of the nursery (my favorite effect.. it's BUTCHERED here), the flying ballet is done a bit differently and there are some cast changes - Rigby added her daughters to the show as Jane (a role played in that tour by the actress who also played Tootles) and an extra Mermaid and Elisa Sagardia (Wendy) plays Wendy Grown (played on-stage by Mrs. Darling) with a post production fade effect to show the change..

That tour (1997) was also more technically ambitious than the 2004 'farewell' tour (2004), yet both were billed as state-of-the-art. They were anything but..

Let's see what we get this tome around. I like the new Peter tunic, but I see that no one spent money on shoes and we get a stage full of black jazz shoes and poorly made spats again.

[gypsy4]

Posted: 8/24/11 at 4:32pm

The Overture wasn't even included on the DVD just the brief excerpt from the Prologue. before hand of seeing the tour I had only seen the Television Production and I was pretty in awe of seeing all that had been cut, One last note also Theresa Mccoy doubled as both Jane and 2nd twin the last time.

Rigby was also fabulous on Tour in Seussical! it was cute to see Drake english ( Michael) share the stage with her as JoJo. I wonder what ever happened to Drake he was pretty talented.

Updated On: 8/24/11 at 04:32 PM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 8/24/11 at 4:44pm

I like the new website. It's obviously not finished yet. And the text is actually silver and embossed on top of white clouds with blue shadows. I can read it just fine.

I like that they're using the updated illustration of Cathy from the CD soundtrack and DVD cover instead of the older drawing that they've been using for the last two tours. Updated On: 8/24/11 at 04:44 PM

[redmustang]

Posted: 8/24/11 at 4:52pm

Peter Pan is a magical show. I've seen it with Duncan and Rigby. And believe it or not, there are actually a lot of people (including children) who have never seen it. If you are annoyed that Rigby is planning another tour, DON'T BUY A TICKET. I feel, if she can physically do it, let her fly.

[bk]

Posted: 8/24/11 at 7:04pm

"So she decided "hey, I'm still young...why not?!""

She's fifty-nine soon to be sixty. The last tour was heavily advertised as a FAREWELL tour. So, apparently no one thinks that words have meanings and that it's fine to get everyone out to spend their dough again thinking they're seeing what's being advertised.

It's really time to pass the baton and there are PLENTY of younger actresses who could do a stellar job.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/24/11 at 7:06pm

Kristin Chenoweth!

[AC126748]

Posted: 8/24/11 at 7:07pm

She's been very candid about returning to the role:

I changed my mind. I thought, the last time I did it [on tour], "How can I do it at my age?" And that's the main reason you stop — because you predict what might feel like in the future. We did it regionally last summer… and after doing it last summer, I thought, "Why not?" I miss it, I love it, it's something that has brought great joy to me and hopefully to the audiences, and I've honestly never felt better.

[The farewell tour was billed as such because] I just wasn't sure where I'd be at this point. As long as I can be believable on stage and I don't have to compromise anything that I've done, we said, "Let's do it again." The great thing about Peter Pan is that there is always this kind of new generation of kids — if you wait five or six years, there's always families with new children and kids that are old enough. It just seemed like a bottom-line "why not?"
Playbill.com interview

[gypsy4]

Posted: 8/24/11 at 10:19pm

I don't like the fact that they've forgotten to mention in the article that the farewell tour closed in 2006.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 8/24/11 at 11:01pm

Peter Pan with Rogby was my first live theatrical experience, so it always holds a very special place in my heart and for that reason, and my love of Tom Hewitt and Kim Crosby, I will see this tour. I can not lie about that.

At the same time, I DID see her (BILLED AS) farewell tour (as well as the 1997) - at MSG - and I left the theatre feeling, frankly, angry. Technically, the show was in shambles. The sets were a decade old and showing their age. The rebuilt costumes were done cheaply and poorly and Tinker Bell effect was much more low tech than the 1997 tour and it didn't look nearly as attractive. Rigby, sadly, was also a let down as well. As much as I always loved her Pan, I felt she had more than overstayed her time in the role. Yes, she is athletic and boyish, but a Peter who can no longer crow?? They were pre-recorded! I was only a few rows from the stage and it was very apparent.. she also sported a very visible headset mic to get the mic head very near her mouth..

Honestly, I would respect her touring the show more if she owned up to the fact that she is riding Peter's coat tails for a paycheck rather than finding a new property to put her stamp on. Instead, she runs Peter into the ground in ever cheaper productions and bills them as 'state of the art' and all new, when in fact a it's mid-90s third tier regional staging with NO state of the art technology or craft in ANYTHING other than the flying designed by Paul Rubin... and that is simply because he is an incredible innovator in the field and refuses to remain static. She then peppers the cast, crew and staff with her family members who sometimes - in particular Theresa McCoy in the program for the 2005 MSG engagement - state in PRINT that they never have had and never will have theatrical ambitions whatsoever, don't really like acting at all, and ONLY do it in this show because Cathy wants them to so that she can have everyone on the road. That fact that she nabbed Tom Hewitt and Kim Crosby for this tour is a Godsend. Here she is, holding onto the rights like a spoiled child who let anyone play with her toy because "no one lives it as much" as her...

Cathy was and is and always will be Peter for a generation. Just as Cindy Robinson and Elisa Sagardia will be Wendy for that generation and JK Simmons and Paul Schoeffler will be Hook (James Clow, well...).

It's time to pass the harness on to a new Peter to begin the second century so that Rigby can bow out with some sense of grace and respect left in the role. Seeing her wobble off into the wings with white hair and a walker, to me, would be tragic and incredibly ironic.

[gypsy4]

Posted: 8/24/11 at 11:17pm

yeah I thought it weird under Theresa's Bio in the program for the last tour it just said "thanks everyone, I'm just glad to be back working with my family again" along with that it also listed the 20 something relatives that were part of the company. Rigby's Peter Pan will always hold a special place in my heart and I'd kill to see the show again. anyone know what elisa sagardia has been up to? I know last I heard she was working on her degree but it was non-theatre related.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 8/24/11 at 11:41pm

I don't have the MSG program in front of me, but the quote was to the effect of "I don't like acting, I thought it was fun to try when I was little but now I just get too nervous and don't like it and I will never do it again after this tour closes, but I wanted to travel with my mom and fiancee, who is on the crew."

I have heard nothing of Elisa Sagardia since the tour closed in 2006. but she WAS majoring in psychology, so I assume she has branched into that. Between the 1997 and 2004 tours, I can only recall her appearing in a Fiddler on the Roof tour and as Peron's Mistress in Evita...

[N2Theater]

Posted: 8/25/11 at 12:00am

If she still has it. Why not?

[bwaybabe2]

Posted: 8/25/11 at 10:21am

N2Theater...you took the words I was going to post, haha. I also say WHY NOT? She is obviously is great shape, and enjoys playing this role. I think there are going to be a lot of happy kids (AND parents ) out there experiencing this...talking about good and "real" family Theater.
I...can't wait till it comes near me! :))

[Gothampc]

Posted: 8/25/11 at 10:28am

Cathy has to keep going until she has her own legend to tell

Mary Martin has her legend of slamming into the wall and breaking her arm and then heroically performing in The Sound of Music

Sandy Duncan has the (urban) legend of flying over the audience and her glass eye popping out and falling into an audience member's lap.

What has Cathy got?

[bwaybabe2]

Posted: 8/25/11 at 10:45am

OK G, you got me to laugh...but, sorry, I don't think Cathy will fit that category for you. After all, she brought to this role (and said by others also, not just me), an athleticism which neither Martin or Duncan possessed.
I wish her the best.