Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

The production of [tag]Peter Pan[/tag] currently showing at the Orpheum in San Francisco is delightfully entertaining and wonderful fun for the whole family.

Cathy Rigby is nothing short of amazing. Ok, she is really short, but also thoroughly amazing. From the moment she flies through the London window of the Darling children flinging fairy dust everywhere, I couldn?t believe she was anything other than a ten year-old boy. The reality that she is 53, and the first American woman to medal in World Gymnastics back in 1970 simply cannot penetrate the mind as she captures your heart as the boy who refuses to grow up. Her postures, attitudes and voice embody the confident captain of the Lost Boys. One of the play?s best lines is when Tiger Lily says that Peter Pan is the sun, the moon, the stars, to which Peter replies without the least trace of modesty, ?Yes I know.? And Rigby?s flying? Now that?s something to crow about. She has the energy and enthusiasm of a ten-year old, and the flying skills of, well, a former gymnast. She reveals the depth of her character through body language and facial expressions, and the broken heart of an orphaned Pan is not only convincing once it is revealed, but heart-breaking as well. Cathy has been playing Peter Pan off and on since her first stint as Peter in a touring production in 1974. She has the part down cold, but her performance feels completely natural as if she?s never rehearsed. She is the shining star of this production.

Another bright performance was James Clow?s Captain Hook. Clow was dazzling in Hook?s red and gold costume, followed by an entourage of oddly dressed, though no less colorful pirates. When Hook first stepped onstage, he was greeted with a chorus of hisses and boos. He looked exasperated, as though he gets that reaction all the time, and said, ?I haven?t done anything yet.? His pirate cohorts follow him prancing through one song and dance number after another with a definite San Francisco flair. Smee, played by Patrick Richwood, provided comic relief in all the requisite places while following the captains orders (or what he thought were the captain?s orders) to the best of his bumbling ability.

Elisa Sagardia returns to her Broadway role of Wendy for what has been billed as Rigby?s farewell tour. Abigail Taylor was darling as little Michael Darling in zip-up footed jammies, and Gavin Leatherwood is convincing as the loyal John Darling. The beautiful Lauren Masiello plays Tiger Lily as lithe and athletic, especially during the phenomenally choreographed and high-energy dance number ?Ugg-a-Wugg,? where she, Peter, Wendy, the Boys, and the Indians all play drumsticks across the stage and upon one another. Theresa McCoy, daughter of Cathy Rigby and producer Tom McCoy, plays one of the twin lost boys, and Jane, the adult Wendy?s daughter.

Scenes and musical numbers that will linger in memory for years to come include ?I Gotta Crow? where Rigby?s vocals prove nearly as strong as her flying; ?I?m Flying? with Peter and the Darling children (and special nod to flight choreographer Paul Rubin); and, of course, the hero scene when Peter saves Wendy and the boys from the pirates and defeats the dastardly Hook, throwing him to the ever-waiting crocodile. The set design is beautiful and intricate from the Darling nursery to every facet of Neverland and back again.

In this age of Hollywood special effects it is easy to be jaded by the simplicity of stage productions, but not one person seemed blas? when Peter Pan flew over the audience to sprinkle us with fairy dust. That was the happy thought most children (and those of us who never grew up) held in our hearts as we flew home after the delightful production.

Don?t miss your opportunity to see Peter Pan as only Cathy Rigby can portray him. Peter Pan ends its two-week run at the Orpheum on May 21. Tickets can be purchased online.

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