Rigby is at it again...

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 4/24/09 at 10:47pm

Cathy Rigby is at it again.. how did I miss this? She will playing peter Pan 8 times a week from May through Christmas.. in Branson, MO!

http://www.themansiontheatre.com/show_peter_pan.php

Once again proving that a farewell is not a farewell. She is giving a good-bye that is worthy of Cher in how long she is doing it.

[KirbyCat]

Posted: 4/24/09 at 10:55pm

She is forever young. Gotta love her

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 4/24/09 at 11:00pm

I can't find any real cast info or anything along those lines. I have only found a blog post stating a guy names derick Snow is cast as Smee.. NOTHING else.. no creative team or anything..

And the posted video is 20 years old.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/24/09 at 11:01pm

[KirbyCat]

Posted: 4/24/09 at 11:08pm

No, this is legit.
I read on Paul Rubin's (he's in charge of flying in the show) **the forbidden site** page that she IS indeed doing this as her "last" Peter Pan.

[delucad15]

Posted: 4/24/09 at 11:46pm

holy crap.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 4/24/09 at 11:56pm

Once again proving that a farewell is not a farewell.

The farewell tour was a farewell to touring the role. Not a farewell to the role entirely should it be a sit down production.

[esparza 333]

Posted: 4/25/09 at 8:43am

My goodness I saw her "farewell tour" in 2005. She really is astonishing to keep playing this role. 56 years old and still going strong. She first played the role 35 years ago in a touring production.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/25/09 at 8:47am

When this Peter says he WON'T grow up, I guess he means he WON'T grow up.

[gypsy4]

Posted: 4/25/09 at 10:15am

I saw the finale performance of the farewell and every time she always brings new energy to the stage as if she's playing it for the 1st time I wish I could show you an article but in it she did say she was retiring you do know she's getting cup there to 60.

[gvendo2005]

Posted: 4/25/09 at 11:25am

Cathy Rigby is almost the female Ted Neeley. That's a disturbing thought.

[gypsy4]

Posted: 4/25/09 at 11:48am

what is up with the video on the site it looks like it was made 15 years ago they've made a more recent one haven't they?

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/25/09 at 12:55pm

Well, seriously, what else is she going to do? Give up the Pan and play Mimi in a tour of "Rent?"

I'll bet Cyril Ritchard was buried with the hook....

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 4/25/09 at 1:16pm

The commercial footage is 20 years old. She also used that exact footage to advertise her 1997 tour as well.

I saw her final NYC performance. Good, but best to leave well enough alone. She was starting to slide downhill then.. the prerecorded crows were awful. If you can't do the crowing, don't play Pan.

She is worse than Ted Neeley. The problem is that Rigby holds the first class rights to Pan in North America AND she thinks that she is the only person capable of understanding Pan and doingg the show justice. The fact is, howver, that neither of those things are true. There are MANY capable Pans out there.. and many people that would give the show better than a third rate regional campfest when doing it on a Broadway stage. Last tour, Roughly 1/3 of the cast and crew were relatives of Rigby.. that is her right, I understand, but clearly they weren't the best for their jobs.. her daughter said in the press that she hates performing and doesn't want to be an actress.. yet there she was onstage as a lost boy..

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/25/09 at 1:28pm

You seem overly invested, broadwayguy2. It seems like it's more your problem than Miss Rigby's.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 4/25/09 at 1:32pm

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing, Namo. Broadwayguy went very negative on Charlotte d'Amboise, too. Weird little vendettas.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 4/25/09 at 1:42pm

Whatever you say.

First of all, my first theatrical experience was seeing Rigby as Pan in the late 80s. I LOVED that show and I have never looked back. I loved Rigby as well. I was saddened at her last tour, seeing how she was a bit past her prime and still hasn't given the show a full proper staging and how she becomes more self serving with her productions. Her right as a producer, yes, but it was eating away at the show.

In regards to Ms. d'Amboise, she was a disaster as Cassie. Goldyn and Patty ran rings around her and Isenegger.

Neither of those things are vendettas. I find it funny that here, you criticize certain people, and you MUST have a vendetta. Ridiculous.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/25/09 at 1:49pm

Frankly, I could give half a rat's ass about either Cathy Rigby or the sacred text of Peter Pan the musical. I am merely commenting that the, uh, strength, of your argument and how it seems a bit stronger than the material calls for.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 4/25/09 at 2:02pm

What Namo said.

It's when you go on and on about it, as you did with d'Amboise (and you're starting to do with Rigby), that makes it a vendetta. I loved Charlotte as Cassie, perfect for the role. Not much of a singer, granted, but Cassie is a dancer.

Jess Patty, who has a lovely singing voice, couldn't dance MatM, and isn't an actress, to put it mildly. Goldyn could dance and sing, but was much too young and dead wrong for the role. Cassie shouldn't be so cock-sure full of herself. You may have enjoyed her performances, but you weren't seeing Cassie. You were seeing Jess Goldyn.

And geez, already... if Rigby can still fly in her 50's in freakin' MO of all places, I say let her.
Updated On: 4/25/09 at 02:02 PM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 4/25/09 at 3:40pm

and many people that would give the show better than a third rate regional campfest when doing it on a Broadway stage.

Have you seen Peter Pan staged regionally as of late? The Rigby production is first class in terms of sets, costumes and special effects compared to some of the productions that I've seen staged regionally. It's a very difficult and expensive show to mount in order to do it justice and I think this production does that.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/25/09 at 4:31pm

The last time I saw Rigby in the role was at The Theater at MSG. I guess it was about 4 years ago. At the time I wished that I could have brought my little granddaughter to see it, but Elizabeth had just been born.

Wouldn't it be nice if this production moved to a NYC venue and I could share with my Little One the magic of PETER PAN?

[tourboi]

Posted: 4/25/09 at 4:47pm

Saw her in Boston and she was magical. Just incredible. Well done, Ms. Rigby.

And I'll echo what someone else said: lay off her. She said farewell to touring the role. This is a sit down. Very different animal.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 4/25/09 at 4:55pm

O/T, but while I liked d'Amboise, I still think she was very wrong for Cassie, especially by the end of her run. There were portions where it was clear she was marking.

On/T, complain all you want, she owns the rights, the Oprhanage Barrie left the story to (who aren't fans of this version) don't have an issue. There's nothing you can do.

Kinda wished I still lived near Branson. I'd totally go see it.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 4/25/09 at 5:32pm

They aren't fans of the Rigby version or the musical in general?

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 4/25/09 at 6:50pm

I know.. as I said, she owns the rights and will do what she will. If she wants to do a sit down in Branson, more power to her. I do, however, wish that she would release the first class rights.

I won't lie. I'd see this if i could. I am sure this will be a restaging of her last two tours, but i wished it were something fresh.

And no, I am not saying that production values are bad, but they are FAR from "state-of-the art", as Rigby calls them.

The Great Ormond Street isn't that fond of the American musical version in general because it bastardizes Barrie's intent. It is actually quite a dark, twisted tale. I wish I could see a production that followed his vision..