So, as promised, I have something really fun to share this week. In preparation for Peter Pan we ran a contest on a local TV station, where the winner got tickets to the show & the chance to fly with Cathy Rigby - yes folks, Peter Pan, herself!!! Its a pretty sweet contest, and as an added bonus, myself and one lucky reporter from the Telegram & Gazette also got the chance to fly!
I have to say, never in my WILDEST dreams did I think I would ever take flight, but today (with a blizzard underway) things are a bit out of the normal, so I suppose flying isn't so far fetched.
Let me start from the beginning, our enthusiastic reporter arrived at the theatre first, so he was first to get hooked up for flight
As Shawn was strapped in, the tour's Flyman told us that on average Cathy flies at about 20-25 mph, but we would only be flying 10-15 mph. I also found out (to put things in perspective) the troublesome Broadway show, Spiderman, has him flying at almost 50 mph! Based on my experience flying - I can say 15 mph is FAST ENOUGH!
One of the best parts of flying, is that to fly - you MUST be sprinkled with some fairy dust :) So before each flight Cathy made each flyer grab a handful of dust for themselves and then proceded to work her magic by showering us with dust & away we went!
As Shawn went flying through the air, occasionally screaming with fear joy, I became more and more eager for my flight. And after he was lowered to the ground Cathy looked at me with a mischievous smile, she said, "Your next!"
So, I was strapped in, and let me tell you: I have a HUGE admiration for Cathy, and the three children who fly during the show... The harness is EXTREMLY uncomfortable, and has to be SUPER tight to be safe. Quite frankly it was hard to even walk in it, and yet the cast made it look effortless. The fact that Peter Pan does summersaults, jumps, runs, and sings while wearing the harness is amazing
The key to flying, I learned, is arching your back backwards and pointing your toes... Which sounds really easy in theory... but as I found out, flying is extremely strenuous, you have to work hard to stay aimed at the crowd because gravity just wants you to spin around in the air.
I flew around quite a bit - they did a couple drops for me, which is where they take you really high and let go of the rope for a second so you drop really fast. It made my heart jump when they did it the first time with no warning, but I screamed and then told him - Yah, do it again!
The entire experience was so great. It gave me a whole new perspective on the show!
The last flyer was our contest winner, and I was probably most excited for him to fly, because he was only 11! His name is Jared, and he was such a good flyer, he like the drops even more than I did!
I have to give a huge thanks to the crew and to Cathy Rigby for being so wonderful throughout the entire process. Everyone had a blast and with the exception of my bruised legs (yes, from the harness) I walked away completely unharmed and can officially say I flew with a little bit of help from some fairy dust.
Speaking of fairy dust, heres a fun fact:
Guess how much fairy dust Peter Pan goes through?!
In 6 weeks, Peter Pan will have used 40 POUNDS of fairy dust!
Which will cost about $1,500, those fairies don't work for cheap you know!!
So, that was my Peter Pan experience. It was a blast! If you didn't make it out to the show and the after party last night, I encourage you to see it tonight or tomorrow. What I did for flying was NOTHING compared to what Cathy does. Her flips, spins, and dips are spectacular and she really is the perfect "boy who never grew up." I asked her how she felt about reprising Peter Pan and she told me it was so natural for her, she feels so connected with the character that she knows him almost as well as she knows herself. Kudos to the entire cast & crew - the show was fantastic!
One last shot from the Cast Party last night of us theatre employees and the wonderful, Cathy Rigby!
