#Cathy Rigby

[slightlys0iled]

thoughts on the 2000 cathy rigby musical version of slightly? i’ve always appreciated how >:( he seems to be the whole time

HI ANON! I hope you know this ask has made my absolute day, thank you for the ask!!

So I will say that I have a very complicated relationship with the Charlap and Leigh musical*. I find it pretty badly paced for a musical adaptation of a play, and the soundtrack is very hit or miss w me. It's no secret I much prefer the Stiles and Drewe "Musical Adventure", but for all my dislike of Charlap, I've always said that the Cathy Rigby version is by far the best staging of it.

*Charlap is the musical with "I won't grow up" "I gotta crow" and has had Mary Martin, Allison Williams and Cathy Rigby as Peters at different points. It's the one anon is talking abt

A way a lot of Peter Pan adaptations fail for me, top fan of the Lost Boys, is to make the boys too analogous. This is why I dislike the boys in the Mary Martin ver, they're all identical to eachother (save for Tootles, kinda) I can't even tell which one is which at times. Double for the Allison Williams ver (they also fail from looking like the fucking Newsies and there being like 30 of them. I dislike large Lost Boy casts anwyays but that's a diff post for a diff day). A good way to differentiate the Lost Boys is their introductory scene, which a lot of adaptations choose to cut for some reason.

The Cathy Rigby version of Charlap does include this scene, which is why I like it significantly more than the MM and AW productions. CR Charlap is a lot more like a staging of Peter Pan with Charlap's music at intervals, not a staging of Charlap's musical with Peter Pan at intervals, which is how IN MY OPINION, a lot of Charlap productions end up.

(also in this review thingy i'm gonna be referring to the cast of THIS proshot!)

(waayyyy more under the cut)

There's an individual in the Peter Pan fandom with an absolutely huge following so I'm not going to name names but if you know who I mean then you know who I mean, that considers Cathy Rigby the best on stage Peter Pan ever, and the rest of her cast to be the best stage cast of PP, and honestly, to an extent I'm inclined to agree.

My focus is always gonna be on the Lost Boys and it's an immediate con for me in the pros and cons list if the Lost Boys (and ESPECIALLY Slightly, but we'll get to Slightly in a sec!) are handled poorly, and CR doesn't handle them poorly, I honestly love them. Now they're definitely not perfect. No Curly and Nibs and Tootles are blended into Tootles and Nibs is just there.. ig, but I really like them. Another important thing to keep in for the Lost Boys is their comedy. I like when stage productions have them almost clowning, Barrie himself described Slightly as the comedic figure.

The boys are a great source of comedy especially on stage. CR keeps a lot of their physical theatre elements, they roughhouse a lot, something which the original 1904 boys were instructed to do in the script, and the number "Wendy" reminds me of my GCSE drama piece the way it's full of physicality, humour, and clowning! I also really like their costuming!

I like how distinct they each are, and that they don't get a "uniform" like the Disney lost boys, or AW Charlap ones. I also love that they don't just look like... normal kids (MM CHARLAP I SEE YOU!). They each have personality whilst still looking like... The Lost Boys.

They remind me a lot of the '03 boys, design wise, too, with the scrappy roughness of their look.

So, yeah, I do actually like them.

Onto Slightly, then.

One thing that I think Barrie did wrong was cutting the Slightly Soiled joke from the 1911 novel. Yes I know it's stupid toilet humour yes I know it's unfunny. But I think it's a good character establishing moment for him when he gets to be his egotistical self, bragging to the others. CR keeps it and it does genuinely get a laugh, which is cool.

In fact, this production just does a great job at nailing the "most conceited of all the boys" nature in him. He's really vain and just has this air of arrogance about him which I think every version of Slightly needs to have. One thing I love watching in scenes with a large cast including the boys is to watch their background actions, and I love how in Ugg-A-Wugg, before the big group dance at least — he legitimately looks like he doesn't want to be there (me too man, i also would not want to be in ugg a wugg), which is def giving the "i'm better than this + all of you" Slightly Soiled vibe.

I also really like how the other boys pick on him a lot? The other boys being mean to Slightly as a staging choice goes way back to the earliest castm where he was the only one played by a man, the others played by women, and it'd look inappropriate for him to share a bed with them, them all playing young children in 1904, so they would gang up on him and chase him out the home before any bedtime scenes. Of course this was later changed in modern adaptations where we don't bat an eyelid at that anymore and Lost Boy casts have been a variety of genders... but him being the go-to target of their scuffling remains. Probably because he's a huge jerk still, and always has been.

Thing only I even noticed: how he gets the "I will stay a boy forever" verse in I Won't Grow Up!! I've been saying for years that's Slightly's verse and no one has listened to me! (It's a bit like how I talk to the wall about how the 'wallet fat and an old man's hat' line in Be Back Soon from Oliver! is Charley Bates, these are things only I care about).

I just really love how the actor playing him carries himself too. This production does a great job of the minor parts, chorus, and ensemble staying in character all the time, I really enjoy it. How he walks with the snootiness and vanity you'd expect from Slightly Soiled, but yet how he drops the bravado around Peter. How he seems perpetually annoyed by being surrounded by the others and thinks he's better than them. I think the dude playing him understood the assignment, he's so fun and so Slightly.

Agree that he's perpetually walking around like >:[, Very him. Nails the egotism of Slightly.

I love him, actually. Wish we got to see him dancing w an ostritch (my favourite Slightly moment literally NOT ONE DIRECTOR HAS EVER ADAPTED!! 💔) but yeah. This Slightly Soiled gets the @/slightlys0iled stamp of approval!

Thanks for the ask!

[not-wholly-unheroic]

Question: Would anyone be interested in a “Peter Pan Confessions” side blog if I started one? I’m thinking of something similar to the @waltdisneyconfessions blog where people could send in things and then have them posted anonymously. It would be open for confessions regarding any/all of the characters from any version of the story.

NOTE: One important caveat… I am not comfortable sharing NSFW content on any of my blogs so that sort of confession would be a no-go.

[rambles-by-micki]

Tfw you watch Cathy Rigby as Peter Pan for the first time in over a decade and now you're emotional

[after60scrapbook]

This ad appeared in some wome's magazines (Family Circle, Cosmo, etc.) in June of 1979. A few copies are online, but I thought I'd post this HD image.

[xxgothchatonxx]

My favourite Peter Pan actor is actually Cathy Rigby.

(Yes, Peter Pan is traditionally played by a woman onstage, starting from the very first production back in 1904.)

I reckon Cathy captured the spirit of his character the best. Sweet and innocent, but also mischievous and cocky. And 100% believable as an eternal child with an almost complete lack of maturity.

Also the fact she was 60 when she played Peter for the last time is just amazing.

[anonymous-inquiry]

i am living for the little laugh hook does at the end of “hooks tarentella” in the cathy rigby broadway musical recording. it is just…. so silly….

[littlefaefeather]

Cathy Rigby as Peter Pan was mine!

I realise a lot of girl’s Gay Awakenings was kiera knightly or kristen stewart which is cool phenomena tbh but I’m rlly interested in other Gay Awakenings like for example mine was morena baccarin in firefly and also gemma artenton in st trinians. CALLING ALL GAYS (boys and nb babes included)!! reblog with ur non kiera/k-stew Gay Awakening!!!

[gingerteaonthetardis]

it would be so much easier to stop rotting and do the shit i gotta do if i had a live audience to clap for me while a fae creature tormented by my impending doom begged and pleaded with the audience to save me with the power of their belief. like i just feel that would definitely replenish my depleted fairy magic i mean help me get the laundry done

[monogramsalarm]

Had to do my yearly Phantom of the Opera rewatch and drew Christine while I was at it

[ID: A drawing of Christine Daae in her blue dress. She's holding a rose to her chest and had fog pooled around her skirt. END ID]

[janamonji]

'Peter Pan Goes Wrong" the Movie and More

If you’ve been intrigued by “Peter Pan Goes Wrong” and have either seen it or won’t be able to see it, you might be interested in the 2016 production of “Peter Pan Goes Wrong” that was filmed as a TV movie. The movie is available with a free seven-day trial of Broadway HD available through Amazon Prime Video and you can explore other related options. Peter Pan Goes Wrong ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Under the…

[slightlys0iled]

cr slightly anon here!

thank you for the amazing response and i totally agree with everything you said!!

BUT ESPECIALLY WHEN PRODUCTIONS HAVE A THOUSAND LOST BOYS 😭 give me the ogs or give me death 💪🏻

i love the cr lost boys because of how distinct they all are— you can really gauge their personalities just from watching them react in the background (a personal favorite is when slightly is yapping about kisses and the twins give each other a very annoyed glance). i do miss nibs in that production, though 😭 someday we’ll solve the mystery of why they got rid of him

Hi and thanks for your ask tooo ❤️❤️ I didn't mean to turn it into an essay I swears it!! (changed the pfp but it's still me i prommy!)

FRR IF THERES MORE THAN 6 LOST BOYS I GET DEEPLY UPSET! I used to be suuuper into Oliver! the musical where it was common to see about 30 kids in the pickpocket gang where there is. meant to be 9 of them. Same issue w the Losties too methinks (guiltiest of this is the Allison Williams charlap ngl)

Watchung the background action with the Lost Boys is so fun and real cute too. My favourite was how annoyed they all seemed at the start of Ugg a Wugg personally. (I too would be annoyed performing that number), and their choreography for the song Wendy is so cute! I rag on Charlap a lot because of how much I really dislike the Mary Martin and Allison Williams vers but I really love how CR does the boys!

I'm assuming the removal of Nibs may have just been to give Tootles more to do?? But keep in mind Tootles and Slightly do kinda too much anyways?? A travesty really, but one of my favourite stage versions (National Theatre Live which I recommend so much) does get rid of Slightly, so I guess I can excuse the Nibs erasure... I guess...

Thanks for your lovely ask, too. It did make my day getting to yap :)

[not-wholly-unheroic]

So the Broadway version of Peter Pan is making its rounds in my neck of the woods soon, and while I’m not sure I can justify the expense right now, I am extremely curious about both the restaging since I last saw it and more importantly the fact that PETER IS PLAYED BY A YOUNG MAN. I’ve never seen the Cathy Rigby/Mary Martin version with Peter being played by a dude, and I just wonder why the decision was made and what kind of a singing voice he has where the songs will suit his voice. Like did they pitch the songs down an octave or something to fit him? Or does he just have a higher pitched voice naturally? So many questions…

[nerditudes]

ok but i genuinely enjoyed scifi's neverland series.

[lightgaswaterelectricityrent]

I know I've said this before but in fifth grade we did a colonial themed play at school and my mom had to make the hats so they rented The Patriot to look at the costumes and they wouldn't actually let me watch any of it so I just remember kind of being in and out of the room while they stood by the tv and skipped around and examined it and yeah. I was imprinted on I'm pretty sure

[twistedtummies2]

Top 15 Portrayals of Peter Pan

A while back, in 2021 - in celebration of the 110th anniversary of “Peter Pan” - I posted a list of my favorite portrayals of the villain of the story, Captain Hook. Earlier this year, I updated that same list. I said then that, even as a kid, I always liked Hook more than his nemesis, the titular Peter. While this is true, I do think it’s important to state that, as much as I may love the dastardly pirate Pan battles constantly…this does not mean Peter is a bad character. I think that Peter Pan gets a bad rap a lot nowadays, mostly because, if you read the original book…Peter is kind of a little psychopath. He’s sort of a little tyrant, threatening to kill or banish anybody who doesn’t do what he wants, and refusing to listen to reason when people try to help him or keep him under control. And that’s the entire point: Barrie’s story originally didn’t HAVE Hook. The original idea behind what would become “Peter and Wendy” was that Pan was a representation of both everything good AND everything bad about childhood: he is not necessarily EVIL, but he is stuck perpetually in a state of infantile, underdeveloped youth. He’s brash, cocky, and has a LOT of power that I don’t think even he is fully aware of. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding Peter, which actually makes him more fascinating to adults than I think many might realize. Peter’s arc in the story is one of coming to grips with emotions he’s never experienced before, and taking up a kind of responsibility he’s always tried to deny in the past. He’s much more dynamic and more interesting than many people give him credit. I’ve been in a Peter Pan mood lately, so I decided…what the heck? I might as well give a bit of a spotlight to some of my favorite portrayals of the Boy Who Never Grows Up that have come around over the years. (On that note, there has long been a tradition, particularly in stage shows, of women playing Peter, so there will be some ladies included here. Don’t you dare whine about it, they’re absolutely awesome.) Some of these versions stick to the ambiguity of Barrie’s original, while others make Pan either more heroic or more villainous depending on interpretation. There’s a lot of ways you can go with the idea of an eternal child, both idealistic and cynical. So, think Happy Thoughts, everyone, and don’t forget the pixie dust! Here are My Top 15 Favorite Portrayals of Peter Pan!

15. Sandy Duncan, from the Styne-Charlap Musical. (The most famous stage musical version of the story; Duncan first played Peter in a 1979 Revival of the show on Broadway.)

14. Greg Tannahill, from Peter Pan Goes Wrong.

13. Petermon, from Digimon: Ghost Game. (Yeah. Peter Pan as a Digimon. That weirdness speaks for itself.)

12. Mia Farrow, from the 1976 TV Musical.

11. The Version from “Peter and the Starcatchers.” (I’m referring specifically to the books; there is a stage version based on the first book, but I haven’t seen it for various reasons. I love the original books, though. This is probably one of the “nicest” versions of Peter on the list, for lack of a better description.)

10. Robin Williams, from Hook. (Come now, you all knew he had to be here somewhere.)

9. The Version from “Alias, Hook.” (Without going into detail, this really shows how scary a Barrie-accurate Peter can be without much real change.)

8. Charlie Rowe, from SyFy’s Neverland.

7. Betty Bronson, from the 1924 Film.

6. Robbie Kay, from Once Upon a Time. (By far the most evil version of Peter Pan ever made, at least that I've discovered.)

5. Mary Martin, from the Styne-Charlap Musical. (She originated the part on Broadway, starting in 1954.)

4. Cathy Rigby, ALSO from the Styne-Charlap Musical. (She’s been playing the role off and on since the 1970s - no joke, look it up - with her most recent stint being in 2015. She was in her sixties then! Talk about Never Growing Up!)

3. Jason Marsden, from Peter Pan and the Pirates.

2. Jeremy Sumpter, from the 2003 Film.

1. The Disney Version. (Originally played by Bobby Driscoll; this one wins out mostly just because this is the first version I think of when I think of Peter as a character, and because I think the various spin-offs and such have really helped to make him a more likable protagonist over time, while still keeping him true to his established persona.)

[starlitangels]

Hi. As you can probably tell by when I'm posting this, I recorded it at some unnaturally early hour to try to keep the noisy cars on the main road I live on as quiet as possible (their noise never truly stops)

I also recorded it with a sore throat (I've had a cold the last couple days) so I apologize for my voice sounding a little... odd. I can't apologize for the accent being all over the place again, though. Just like the last time I did one of these, I can either do the Tyr/Hades-affectation or a British accent and doing both is Really Difficult for my American vocal cords lol

Anyway. The new Pandora series audio is what finally kicked me into gear to get this one finished. I've had the first 390 words of this script written in my Script Drafts for literal months and just never knew how to finish it up until now

If anyone is interested, the lullaby is "Distant Melody" from the Peter Pan musical. I grew up with that VHS tape of Cathy Rigby as Peter Pan on stage and I've always adored it

Tag list for some friends who might enjoy: @palilious @zozo-01 @gwenifred @halscafe @ryn-halo26 and you know what? you said you'd be interested when I last brought up the idea of doing another Persephone fan audio so: @goodboyaudios