On August 7, 1974, New Yorkers looked up and noticed what appeared to be a small dot suspended between the Twin Towers in lower Manhattan. It was Philippe Petit, they’d later learn, a French high-wire artist performing his most daring stunt: walking unharnessed between the two identical skyscrapers. It was a feat that would capture the world, inspire a New York Times best-selling novel and an Emmy-winning documentary, and 50 years later, Petit is commemorating the marvel with a show about that day at Cathedral of St. John the Divine on August 7 and 8.
Called Towering!!, the event consists of 19 scenes developed by Petit about the stunt and includes performances by actors, dancers, and musicians. A film by James March, who directed Man on Wire, a 2008 documentary of of the Twin Towers walk, will also be screened. Perhaps the highlight of the event will be a “reenactment” of the famous exploit, in which Petit will walk unprotected across the 601-foot-long nave of the church while his friend, Sting, serenades the crowd below.
Notably, the wire’s height will be significantly lower than the daring World Trade Center event and will only be about 20 feet off the ground. “I have nothing to prove at 75 years old, short a couple of weeks,” Petit told The New York Times. However, this also means spectators will see more than a dot this time around and can, in fact, take in the performer’s face and body movements as he walks the wire. “It’s a nice thing for New Yorkers to have a vision of the Twin Towers walk where you can see what I’m doing,” he said.
