NEW YORK — Fifty years after his iconic tightrope walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, Philippe Petit repeated his death-defying stunt with a performance about seven miles north of the World Trade Center at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
The 74-year-old artist wanted to celebrate the “glorious days of the Twin Towers” rather than focus on their tragic end in the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.
“I don’t need to remind people of the doomed day,” Petit told The Associated Press after Wednesday’s performance.
Petit said he wanted to honor both his remarkable achievement and the legacy of the towers.
“It adds a certain meaning when you discuss a legend or a piece of history, even if the object of that history is no longer present. That is the miracle of memory,” Petit said.
The performance, titled “Towering!!,” recreated Petit’s unauthorized walk between the towers on August 7, 1974After climbing into the cathedral and reflecting on the memories of that day, Petit took to the tightrope as Grammy-nominated jazz clarinetist Anat Cohen played below him.
As Petit continued his daring walk, Sting took the stage to sing “Fragile.” Later, Petit wore a sequined gold tunic as “Fields of Gold” played in the background.
Petit used the stunning visual and acoustic splendor of the world’s largest Gothic cathedral to recreate the grandeur of his historic walk 1,300 feet (400 meters) above the ground. Conceived and directed by Petit himself, the production featured a series of short scenes that brought his 1974 feat to life.
Petit was arrested after crossing the towers and portrays this in the performance, which will be held for the second evening on Thursday.
At one point in the show, while reflecting on the success of the Oscar-winning documentary “Man on Wire,” which chronicled his famous walk, Petit admitted that he had been dealing poorly with success, including distancing himself from his friends.
“I was really bad to my best friend Jean-Louis Blondeau, who was more the creator of this adventure than I was,” said Petit.
After the performance, Petit received a proclamation from the office of New York City Mayor Eric Adams declaring the day Philippe Petit Day.
Petit has been an artist in residence at St. John the Divine for over 40 years and has performed 23 times in support of the cathedral.