Evening star., 1954-11-07
As,eeiosed Press ssoff Writer

Peter F'oy Is one theater man
who always has his way with
the ladies.
AS flying supervisor" of
English and American show
business. MIR. Foy has spun an
enviable bevy of dancers and
actresses skyward during the
past seven years.
Currently he is the man re-
sponsible for Mary Martins
stunning flights about the
stage of the Winter Garden in
the smash show Peter Pan"
Miss Martin, he admits, is his
first "puppet" to burst into full
song in midair.
II never have trouble with
Peter Pans'or childrenor
anybody else except Wendys." :"
Mr. Foy says when asked
whether earth bound perform
ers ever are reluctant about
takeoffs. Frequently Wendy's
are timid. 7 think it must be
because producers pick a nerv-
Gus type to play the role"
Hes Busy Man
In addition to officiating at
revivals of the James Barrie
youth classic, Mr.. Foy has a
heavy run of business each
year in the British Isles for
Christmas pantomime shows
and aerial ballets--the latter
something never yet done here.
As the principal field agent
for the British family firm
which inherited grandfather
George Kirby's development
of stage flying apparatus. Foy
has installed equipment for as
many as 90 flying shows going
on at the same time.
Up to 13 performers have
been airborne simultaneously
by sets Of the weird flying ma
chimes.
The exact engineering spec
ifications of the Kirby appara-
tus are a matter of trade Sc
crecy. but Foy points to a two
foot-square box hung aloft
and says it contains "about a
half dozen drums" around
which the complicated wire
and-rope rigging entwines. At
one end of the rope is Foy, or
a specially trained stagehand,
out in the wings. At the other
end is Peter Pan-or. any one
else, wearing a foam rubber
harness and hooked to the
end of piano wire.
It's All So Sofe
The wire can Withstand q
weight Of two tons, a sudden
jerk of a half ton--altogether
a nice, safe margin since the
average Pan is about 110
pounds.
In the current "Peter Pan"
Foy displays 10 different fly
ing patterns which go under
such labels as "herringbone,"
straight rise" and greet"
For one of Mary Martins
aerial trips, Foy nightly climbs
a 14-foot ladder backstage,
and on cue leaps up and off.
Miss Martin scars thereby
across the pirate ship.
Its highly hazardous from
my point of view because of
the close quarters" says the
backstage Peter, "but doing
1t that way is the only way
to get the effect. Knock
wood, I've never dropped any
one"
Highly appreciative Of the
wondering awe with which
spectators applaud, Foy never
theless is a man somewhat
bemused by the specialization
of his skill.
Where can you go from
flying SUPERVISOR" he asks.
"After all this isn't the kind
of business where you can go
out, look around and say I
think I'll put two of these
machines into this town."
The Stors Ascend
Second thougts of first
nights: Broadway's two latest
plays from television work.
shops demonstrate again that
there's nothing like a dame to
bridge the chasn which
yawns between the two art
forms.
The word dame, of course,
Is used in its most elegant
sense, for Kim Stanley and
Geraldine Page are two ac-
complis h e d mistresses of
thespic skill.
Miss Stanley won stardom
her name is now elevated
In lights over the show title
just "a hours after "The
Travelling Lady" reached the
playhouse.
Miss Page, already the
holder of star rank, garnered
new laurels when she arrived
the following evening in '"The
Rainmaker" at the Cort.
IF a ch0ice must be made