FROM THE BACK ROW: The Darling Children

Posted on July 18th, 2012

Hey DSM Fans!

We’re in our second week of Cathy Rigby is PETER PAN and we’re loving every second!  The show is spectacular.  And we know it’s spectacular because children are sitting completely still and adults are proclaiming their belief in fairies!  It’s the epitome of fun for the whole family.

We were so excited to hear that the Darling Children made time to sit down and talk to us!  Here’s what happened next:

Krista Buccellato (Wendy Darling)

Cade Canon Ball (John Darling), age 11

Julia Massey (Michael Darling), age 10

Colin Wilson  (understudy for Michael), age 8

Inside the theater, the four cast members settle into their very own velvety teal seat.  Cade, Julia and Colin gently test the limits of their chair’s rocking capability and appear to be very satisfied, saying, “We never get to sit out here.”

Where are you from?

Krista – Floral Park, NY

Cade – Lake Tahoe

Julia – Southern California

How do you go to school while you’re on tour with a Broadway show?

Krista Graduated from Emerson College with a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre

Cade & Julia are happy to be on a summer break from the online learning program, K¹².

Cade, Julia and Colin tell us about Sonya, their devoted “tutor and wrangler.”  The kids fondly explain that Sonya makes sure they’re in the right place, at the right time, at all times!

Cade confidently adds that Sonya keeps him out of trouble.

 

What was the first Broadway musical you saw / you were in?

Julia: To see – Wicked

Cade:  To see – Disney’s Mary Poppins / to be in – Disney’s Broadway tour of Mary Poppins (as Michael Banks). What a coincidence!

Krista: To see – Annie – in which James Leo Ryan (Smee) played Rooster! Krista said it was very special to realize she was starring in a production with someone from the very first show she ever saw. (Another great coincidence!)

Who do you idolize? Who inspired you to become an actor?

Julia: “I know it may sound weird, but Bette Midler.  I love her.”

Cade: Jim Carey

Krista: Kellie O’hara and Cathy Rigby –“I grew up watching the video of Cathy Rigby as Peter Pan, so to actually be on tour with her is surreal.”

Colin: Hagrid (played by Robbie Coltrane in the Harry Potter films).

Cade and Julia chime in to tell us about Colin’s Harry Potter Legos.

Colin is very proud of his collection, and he was also very excited to tell us all about his Harry Potter wand collection, which includes a wand he bought at Olivanders.

It’s summer in Texas.  What do you think of this weather?

All: It’s HOT.

Cade, is Canon Ball actually part of you real name?

Cade: Yes, I get asked that a lot!  When I go to auditions, I have to take a copy of my birth certificate because they never believe it’s really my name!

Krista, do you ever get all of the fairy dust out of your hair?

Krista: (laughing) No! There’s fairy dust everywhere.  It’s in my hotel room, it’s in my car, it’s even in my apartment back home. Sometimes we feel like monkeys because the cast and crew will come up to us and start picking it out of our hair, its funny.

Julia:  [In the 2^nd act] when I lay in the cradle, there’s a whole pile of fairy dust [waiting for Cathy to use minutes later] and sometimes I’ll sit up and the whole side of my face is covered in fairy dust. I’m like the Fairy Dust Monster.

Krista: Yeah, we all need a signal or something, like baseball players use (she moves her index finger from nose to chin and back, as if signaling) just to let someone know they have fairy dust all over their face.

Julia, when you lead the dancing in “Ugh-A-Wug,” I overheard the little boy behind me say, “Michaels my age! I could do that too!” 

Julia: (her eyebrows shoot up) Really?? Wow.

How does it feel to be a role model at 10 years old?

Krista, Cade & Colin smile proudly at Julia, eager to hear her answer

Julia: (Still in shock, her face lit up with a huge smile) I don’t even know what to say! It’s my first time to hear that!

Are you looking forward to any particular cities on the tour?

Cade: Dallas!  Because there’s a Six Flags here, right? And I really want to go to Six Flags.

Krista, Cade, Julia and Colin were a pleasure to talk to.  Their real-life sibling dynamic seems to mirror that of the Darling children, and it’s obvious that they care for each other.  They all have a very bright future ahead of them!  So come see The Darling Children with Cathy Rigby is PETER PAN, now through July 22^nd!

-DSM Haley & Luke

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