Review: Last Chance to See a Legendary Peter Pan

Cathy Rigby is Peter Pan

A Musical Production of the Play by Sir James Barrie, Lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, Music by Moose Charlap, Additional Lyrics by Betty Comden & Adolph Green, Additional Music by Jule Styne; Original Broadway Production Conceived, Directed, and Choreographed by Jerome Robbins; Scenery by John Iacovelli, Costumes by Shigeru Yaji, Lighting by Michael Gilliam, Sound by Julie Ferrin, Flying Sequences Choreographed by Paul Rubin; Production Stage Manager, Michael McEowen; Musical Supervision and Direction, Bruce Barnes; Choreographed by Patti Colombo; Directed by Glenn Casale; Presented by McCoy Rigby Entertainment, Nederlander Presentations, Albert Nocciolino in association with Larry Payton, Michael Filerman, Heni Koenigsberg and La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts

CAST: Cathy Rigby as Peter Pan, Brent Barrett as Captain Hook; with Kim Crosby, Krista Buccellato, James Leo Ryan, Jenna Wright, Lexy Baeza, Sophie Sooter, Hadley Belle Miller; and Carly Bracco, Anthony Bryant, Cameron Henderson, Joseph Keane, JC Layag, Bety Le, Patrick Loyd, Marc Andrew Nunez, Clark Roberts, Melissa Roberts, Rod Roberts, Kalen Sakima, Shannon Stoeke, Erika Tomlinson, Dane Wagner, Sam Zeller

Performances through April 28 at Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre, 270 Tremont Street, Boston, MA; Box Office 866-348-9738 or www.citicenter.org

When I was five years old, I fell in love with the story of Peter Pan. Probably for as long as I live, Mary Martin will reside in my heart as "the boy who wouldn't grow up," but move over, Mary, and make room for Cathy Rigby. From the moment she bursts through the big double windows of the nursery of the Darling residence, wearing a smile as wide as the galaxy and sprinkling fairy dust in her wake, Rigby sends an electric charge rippling through the audience. The title says it all: Cathy Rigby is Peter Pan!

In keeping with her character, the 60-year old Rigby inhabits the walk, the fidgety mannerisms, the boisterousness, and the charm of a little boy who is all id and ego, always in search of the next adventure. She kicks up her heels, wipes her nose with the back of her hand, shies away from affectionate touches from Wendy, and epitomizes "youth, joy, and freedom" whether on the ground or in flight. It has been announced that this national tour of Peter Pan will be Rigby's last (the tour concludes on Sunday in Boston), but as I watched her soar across the stage, I had to wonder how she can ever give this up.

In his imaginative production, Director Glenn Casale surrounds Rigby with a cast of the highest order, beginning with the delicious Brent Barrett as Mr. Darling/Captain Hook. Whereas Cyril Ritchard was a preening, foppish Hook, Barrett plays the role with swagger, a sneer, and more testosterone. His beautiful baritone adds luster to the humor in "A Princely Scheme" and "Another Princely Scheme," and, despite being fearsome, elicits our sympathy when he laments in "Hook's Waltz" that when children play at Peter Pan, "they force the baby to be Hook...the baby!" In this version of Neverland, the ballet skills of the Indians make it hard to look upon them as savages, and their leader Tiger Lily (Jenna Wright) does some extraordinary dancing. Patti Colombo's extensive choreography for Peter, Tiger Lily, Wendy, the Boys and the Indians turns "Ugg-a-Wugg" into a breath-taking showstopper at the top of the second act, and the dance numbers throughout are energetically performed by the ensemble whose vigor seems boundless.

Understudy Carly Bracco (on for Krista Buccellato) was seamless as Wendy. Possessed of a lovely, crystalline voice, her duet with Rigby in "Distant Melody" was poignant, with more than a bit of longing for what has been lost lingering in the notes. Gender-blind casting for the other two Darling children results in a young woman (21-year old Lexy Baeza) playing John and a pair of eight-year old girls alternating in the role of Michael (Sophie Sooter and, in this performance, Hadley Belle Miller). Baeza captures John's proper British boyishness with a hint of an underlying explorer, and Miller mixes the stage presence of an old soul with the necessary adorableness quotient for the littlest brother.

Veterans Kim Crosby (Mrs. Darling) and James Leo Ryan (Smee) stand out with warmth and dignity, and excellent comic timing, respectively. Clark Roberts infuses Nana, the shaggy dog nursemaid, and the Crocodile, Hook's nemesis, with larger than life "personalities," adding lots of comic relief. The young men and one woman who portray the Lost Boys are a scrappy bunch who appear to be genuinely loyal to Peter, making their departure from him heart wrenching. The members of the ensemble double as pirates and Tiger Lily's tribe, singing boldly as the bloody buccaneers and dancing lyrically as the noble warriors. Tinkerbell is a creation of sound and light, and when the children of all ages believe hard enough to revive her, Peter acknowledges the crowd with a shout out of "Boston Strong!" Very nice touch and much appreciated.

Musical Supervisor and Director Bruce Barnes leads a topnotch orchestra of fourteen musicians in the pit and keeps all of the familiar songs in the forefront of this highly-polished production. Wonderful sets by John Iacovelli bring us into the nursery, to the dangerous Marooner's Rock, into Peter's underground home, and aboard Hook's Jolly Roger pirate ship. Shigeru Yaji's costume designs and Michael Gilliam's lighting augment the look and feeling of London and Neverland. Sound design is by Julie Ferrin, and Sean Boyd directs the many fights, guaranteeing both excitement and safety.

However, the crème-de-la-crème of the excitement takes place above the stage in Paul Rubin's choreographed flying sequences. Rigby does so much more than fly back and forth like a pendulum. She soars and dips like a bird, she somersaults mid-air, and purportedly reaches speeds up to twenty miles per hour. It's enough to make your head spin, but mostly it's enough to make your heart leap and your mouth grin...very broadly. As much as you expect her performance to be physically commanding, the realism of her acting is astounding and her singing voice is rich and strong. You can't help but experience a sense of wonder as you watch her experiencing the same thing. She flies with abandon, yet with amazing skill, and you barely notice the supporting wires, even as she zooms out over the audience almost within reach of the mezzanine. Spiderman, who's your Daddy? Watching Cathy Rigby perform her stunts is one of the most thoroughly entertaining evenings I've had in the theater in a very long time.

Bring your kids, your grandchildren, and your grandparents for a flat out, family-friendly production. I would, however, advise against exposing the youngest tots to the shenanigans of the reprehensible, albeit humorous, Captain Hook and his crew of pirates (there were a few cry-babies in the audience on opening night), as much as I applaud parents who choose to introduce their children to the performing arts. Adult theatergoers need not be accompanied by a child (other than their own inner one). In 1989, Cathy Rigby opened in the first Peter Pan tour at the Colonial Theatre in Boston. Now she has flown full circle and makes her exit from another Boston stage, hopefully heading for a long, fulfilling future somewhere in the vicinity of the second star to the right. She has brought joy to countless thousands and deserves no less.

Photo credit: Cathy Rigby as Peter Pan (Isaac James)

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