{"id":245526,"date":"2012-11-09T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-11-09T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/cathy-rigby-eternal-youth\/"},"modified":"2012-11-09T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2012-11-09T08:00:00","slug":"cathy-rigby-eternal-youth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/cathy-rigby-eternal-youth\/","title":{"rendered":"Cathy Rigby, eterna juventud"},"content":{"rendered":"

Broadway star and philanthropist brings her energy and spirit to \u2018Peter Pan\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Por Antonio Rey | Editor SDUN<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Cathy
(center) Cathy Rigby and The Lost Boys in \u2018Peter Pan\u2019 (Photo by Isaac James)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

\u201cFor every show \u2013 for two hours \u2013 I get to go back and be a little kid,\u201d Rigby said. \u201cAs obvious as it may sound, there\u2019s always something new.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe role itself, it sort of keeps you younger. It makes you think like a kid, and it makes you believe that anything\u2019s possible,\u201d she said. \u201cIt makes you play, and so I did miss that, because it\u2019s really easy to get old quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

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. \u201cIf I can fly stronger [and] if the acting is better, the singing is better, or just as good,\u201d she said, \u201cthen I would like to try it again. I\u2019d like to do it one last time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 \u201cSeussical the Musical,\u201d \u201cJesus Christ Superstar,\u201d \u201cCamelot\u201d and \u201cPeter Pan.\u201d Since Rigby joined in 1990, \u201cPeter Pan\u201d has had four different runs on Broadway and received four Tony-Award nominations.<\/p>\n

A part of Broadway San Diego\u2019s 2012-2013 season, \u201cPeter Pan\u201d also features Brent Barrett as the notorious Capt. Hook and Kim Crosby \u2013 from \u201cInto the Woods\u201d and \u201cGuys and Dolls\u201d \u2013 as Mrs. Darling.<\/p>\n

The entire cast\u2019s experience brings a sense of comfort and confidence to the stage, Rigby said, which translates to the audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe confidence that happens when you\u2019ve done a role for a long time is that you don\u2019t worry so much about \u2026 doing it the right way as much as allowing yourself to enjoy it. That allows for a much freer performance,\u201d Rigby said. \u201cThe minute I fly through the window, any kind of fatigue at all \u2013 any kind of \u2018I\u2019ve done this before\u2019 \u2013 just goes away.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s first theatrical role was in 1981 as Dorothy in \u201cThe Wizard of Oz.\u201d Her interest in musicals, however, began when she was a child.<\/p>\n

Saying the first musical she saw was \u201cWest Side Story,\u201d Rigby kept that love of theater through her entire life.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though I was involved with gymnastics at the time,\u201d she said, \u201cit 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

In turn, Rigby is fostering a love of theater in children today, both from her continuous role in \u201cPeter Pan\u201d as well as her involvement in two nonprofits: Discovery Arts and the McCoy-Rigby Conservatory of Arts.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing I\u2019ve learned about children is they\u2019re so spontaneous,\u201d she said. \u201cThey don\u2019t think before they speak and they don\u2019t really care what you think about what they\u2019re saying. \u2026 They\u2019re just honest, and I love that about them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Based in Orange County, Discovery Arts brings music and arts to children with life-threatening illnesses. The organization operates in several children\u2019s hospitals.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor that hour, these children get away from their illness,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s funny, because we have kids who are really, really sick but they will not miss this hour a week.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cWest Side Story\u201d and \u201cPeter Pan.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe [shows] mean something different, now that you\u2019re a bit older,\u201d she said. \u201cAll 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rigby and \u201cPeter Pan\u201d come to the San Diego Civic Theatre, located at 1100 Third Ave., for eight shows Nov. 13 \u2013 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.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Broadway star and philanthropist brings her energy and spirit to \u2018Peter Pan\u2019 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. \u201cFor every show \u2013 for […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":245527,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"Cathy Rigby, eternal youth","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11549,11547,11551,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-245526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-features","category-news","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=245526"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245526\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/245527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=245526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=245526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=245526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}