She's Flying — Again! Rigby Will Tour in Bway-Aimed Peter Pan Starting Fall 2004 - playbill.com — Page 2

ok, I LOVE Peter Pan, and i mreally exicted about this since i've never seen Cathy...

All I can say is that I wish Mary Martin was still alive =*( that woman was a goddess, and I swear I couldnt believe she was 47 when she made the video of Peter Pan that I watched non-stop growing up. Just goes to show that if you're a good enough actress, a 50 year old woman can make people believe shes a young boy! I think thats cool =)

Sheek, how can I get you started on Mary Martin? Please, in a word: start.

The tradition of woman d'un age certain essaying this role has always had a strange, unintended impact. As an impressionable lad, I was deeply shaken by the lesbian tinged Martin rendition, particularly when she stopped flirting with Wendy to don the Spanish Lady drag and seduce that old Queen of Queens, Cyril, with his Peggy Lee beauty mark and Norma Desmond eyeliner. Talk about confusing the children in Eisenhower era America.

Miss Anita Bryant, if you're reading this, and I know you are: Why were there so many gay baby boomers, you ask? I can trace it all to the Mary Martin version of PAN on TV in the 50s. It was brainwashing, as powerful as anything in MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE.

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"Watching Mary Martin in my childhood never caused me to wonder about the sexuality of any of the performers. At age six I was well aware they were ACTING..."

Well, once again my sense of humor fails me. I'm calling Hillary and talking about Ghandi and Mary Martin. We all know they were lovers.

But pu-leeze, using the PC argument that this is the equiv. of judging on skin color is a stretch. Hey, maybe some of us wouldn't want to see Rigby in the role if she were still 25. Maybe we would like to see Barrie's vision restored. A revolutionary concept: A show about boy that won't grow up -- starring a boy. (Michael Jackson, release Aaron Carter from your bedroom--now! We need him on broadway!)

Argue with our standing by that preference on artistic/aesthetic grounds, but don't drag gender/age politics into the debate and paint anyone who doesn't yearn to see Rigby skyward as age-biased. If I don't want to hear "I've Got a Crow" sung by a woman with crowsfeet, that's my prerogative as a consumer. And a theatrically savvy opinionated poster at this-here web site. It doesn't make me into somebody who's trying to keep old folks off the stage.

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"Maybe we would like to see Barrie's vision restored".

Barrie put up his own money to co-produce the first production in 1904. Casting a middle aged woman of 37 was his vision. No male ever played the role until long after Barrie's death.

Wow imagine how old a 37 yr old would look in 1904.

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I have actually always wanted to see Peter Pan on stage so hopefully it will come to Broadway:)

theatreguy is correct there......

they got the idea from the British pantomine tradition.. then Peter Pan was adopted into the pantomine repertoire... but a woman was cast because of the child labor laws.

Barrie wanted alos wanted a male to play the role in the silent film, but the produvers scrapped Barrie's script and cast a woman.

look at original production photos.... they are adults.

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((Edited out a double post)).

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Updated On: 1/7/04 at 03:09 PM

Overkill? That does not exist. If you do not want to see the show, then don't go.

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May Sheek have the final word. When this thread hit "page 2," I knew we were in trouble. Soar, Cathy, soar. With my blessing.

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If Rigby does The Visit ... I'm THERE.

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