Cathy Rigby is about to embark on what must be her nine-thousandth tour with the musical, Peter Pan. I think some of those were billed as "farewell" tours but who cares? She's wonderful in the part. I grew up, as many of you did, with the Mary Martin version as an occasional TV spectacular. At the risk of committing heresy, I like the Rigby version better. They chucked a lot of the campier stuff and played Hook as a villainous pirate instead of as a hairdresser with a chemical imbalance…and though Ms. Rigby is getting on in years and is a woman, it's still possible to forget that and pretend for the duration of the play that she's an adolescent male who can really fly. (I'm sorry. Mary Martin was a legend of the theater but I could never see her as anything other than someone's grandma on a wire.) Cathy Rigby is also a better singer.
I found this video, which features scenes from an earlier staging, but I haven't been able to find out much about where this tour will be touring. It apparently commences in August of 2011 at the La Mirada Performing Arts Center (which Rigby and her husband book) here in Southern California, and then it'll be in New York for the holidays…but other than that, it looks like they're searching for venues to play. If anyone comes across additional info about where they'll be, lemme know…