Thank You, Five: Post Show Chat with Billy Harrigan Tighe and Kristine Reese
Production: Finding Neverland (2017)
Performers: Billy Harrigan Tighe and Kristine Reese
Roles: J.M. Barrie and Mary Barrie (respectively)
Billy Harrigan Tighe (left) and Tom Hewitt (Photo Credit: Jeremy Daniel)
Can you talk about the crazy lifts in the show, especially with the young kids?
BHT: It’s like a well-oiled machine. We have a lot of safety procedures that go into play and practice before and after the show make sure everything is safe for the kids every day, as well as the adults who are lifting kids that might not be used to be lifted every day like dancers are. It takes a lot of practice and a lot of rehearsal and a lot of meticulous attention to detail. I think generally, they love it. I’m sure there’s the kid who’s afraid of heights, but I don’t think we have any. They’re all very eager to be up in the air and doing crazy stuff and jumping off the beds. If anything, they probably wish there was more.
The cast of Finding Neverland (Photo Courtesy of the Hippodrome Theatre)
Is there anything fun or interesting you think the audience would love to know?
BHT: Well I think what’s really interesting is that Baltimore, for us, is the debut for four new boys, so the show has a brand new energy. I think any time you get a chance to see a show when it gets new blood is really exciting because the whole cast has this sort of energy shift. We’re all kind of finding this new group together and it’s really fun for everyone.
Kristine, same question for you.
KR: I’m relatively new to the cast, but I think it’s fun that Billy and I are actually married in real life!
As a married couple, how did you end up as part of the same touring company?
KR: We’ve been married for seven years. He was in the show, and I was able to join later when there was an opening.
BHT: Very lucky. It’s a lot of luck!
What about your costumes? They’re beautiful, but what was it like having to walk and dance in them?
KR: They are very long and heavy at the bottom, obviously very fitted. I also have to wear these hip pads, because during the time period, there was a certain kind of silhouette. It was very much about the small waist and a more womanly figure. Underneath these dresses, I have these pads which are kind of weird to walk in backstage because your center is off. But they are beautiful!
“Stronger,” the final number before intermission, was incredible and so intense. Can you talk about that?
BHT: Yeah! For me particularly, it was kind of the illumination of everything I’ve always loved about Peter Pan as a kid. Getting to play with swords and pirates everywhere, and we get to make believe there is this giant ship and there’s fog everywhere! It really embraces the adventurous side that I think Barrie has. As an actor, there’s just nothing more fulfilling than walking up a plank with a sword singing a high note! It definitely feels like a rockstar at that moment and I feel so lucky that I get to do it every night. It’s a blast.
The cast of Finding Neverland (Photo Credit: Jeremy Daniel)
How does this compare to other shows you’ve done?
BHT: What makes this show so different is the kids. They are a bundle of energy that is hard for any of us to ignore. And because they are so integral to the story, they really are the soul of the company. I think that, for any of us who are working adults, it’s so easy to get locked into a show feeling like work and feeling like a job, just like any other job. But the kids are a constant reminder that what we get to do for a living is fun and that we get to dress up and play pretend and imagine that we’re doing this and bringing this story to life. I think for me, that’s really what makes the biggest difference. Every night, I get to play on stage and I’m having the time of my life.