Broadway star and philanthropist brings her energy and spirit to ‘Peter Pan’

By Anthony King | SDUN Editor

There is no better way to say it: Cathy Rigby really is Peter Pan, for the gymnast, actor and producer embodies the same ideals present in the classic J. M. Barrie character.

“For every show – for two hours – I get to go back and be a little kid,” Rigby said. “As obvious as it may sound, there’s always something new.”

Finding that newness, which some may find difficult, comes naturally for Rigby, especially when interacting with the children who come see the show, she said. Rigby has been playing the iconic character on and off since 1990, including a two-year farewell tour in 2004.

But after ending in 2006, Rigby said she missed the show, and came back to it last year for another two-year tour. The show stops in San Diego for one week, starting Tuesday, Nov. 13.

“The role itself, it sort of keeps you younger. It makes you think like a kid, and it makes you believe that anything’s possible,” she said. “It makes you play, and so I did miss that, because it’s really easy to get old quickly.”

Rigby said she did not make the decision to return lightly, but thought that if it could be done better than before, she wanted to do it. “If I can fly stronger [and] if the acting is better, the singing is better, or just as good,” she said, “then I would like to try it again. I’d like to do it one last time.”

Rigby and husband Tom McCoy have been executive producing together for 17 years, helping to stage some of the largest musical events in history, including “Seussical the Musical,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Camelot” and “Peter Pan.” Since Rigby joined in 1990, “Peter Pan” has had four different runs on Broadway and received four Tony-Award nominations.

A part of Broadway San Diego’s 2012-2013 season, “Peter Pan” also features Brent Barrett as the notorious Capt. Hook and Kim Crosby – from “Into the Woods” and “Guys and Dolls” – as Mrs. Darling.

The entire cast’s experience brings a sense of comfort and confidence to the stage, Rigby said, which translates to the audience.

“The confidence that happens when you’ve done a role for a long time is that you don’t worry so much about … doing it the right way as much as allowing yourself to enjoy it. That allows for a much freer performance,” Rigby said. “The minute I fly through the window, any kind of fatigue at all – any kind of ‘I’ve done this before’ – just goes away.”

Born in Los Alamitos, Calif., Rigby perhaps has more credits in acting than she does in gymnastics. Reaching the heights of her athletic career in the 1986 and 1972 Summer Olympic Games, Rigby’s first theatrical role was in 1981 as Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz.” Her interest in musicals, however, began when she was a child.

Saying the first musical she saw was “West Side Story,” Rigby kept that love of theater through her entire life.

“Even though I was involved with gymnastics at the time,” she said, “it really affected me. From then on, I started listening to musicals as I was working out. I never would have thought I would have gone into the world of theater, but I look back know and that had a huge impact on me.”

In turn, Rigby is fostering a love of theater in children today, both from her continuous role in “Peter Pan” as well as her involvement in two nonprofits: Discovery Arts and the McCoy-Rigby Conservatory of Arts.

“One thing I’ve learned about children is they’re so spontaneous,” she said. “They don’t think before they speak and they don’t really care what you think about what they’re saying. … They’re just honest, and I love that about them.”

Based in Orange County, Discovery Arts brings music and arts to children with life-threatening illnesses. The organization operates in several children’s hospitals.

“For that hour, these children get away from their illness,” she said. “It’s funny, because we have kids who are really, really sick but they will not miss this hour a week.”

While similarly focusing on children and the arts, the Conservatory in Yorba Linda, Calif. provides an outlet for children through professional training in dance, musical theater, voice and competitive groups. Rigby and McCoy started the school in 2006.

One goal, Rigby said, was to create leaders at a young age while, at the same time, providing an artistic outlet that would last a lifetime, similar to her experience with “West Side Story” and “Peter Pan.”

“The [shows] mean something different, now that you’re a bit older,” she said. “All of those things, I think are great. Not just memory making, family building and relationship building, but just to be able to relive a moment in your life.”

Rigby and “Peter Pan” come to the San Diego Civic Theatre, located at 1100 Third Ave., for eight shows Nov. 13 – 18: Tuesday and Wednesday at 7 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 1 and 6 p.m. For tickets, visit broadwaysd.com.