(SALT LAKE CITY, UT)— The newly-expanded production of Cagney, based on the life of “Yankee Doodle Dandy” star Academy Award-winner James Cagney, returns to the stage, opening at Pioneer Theatre Company’s (PTC) September 20, 2019 and runs through October 5, 2019. Tickets for this pre-Broadway production can now be purchased by calling 801-581-6961 or visiting pioneertheatre.org.

 

“Utah is in for something special.” said PTC Artistic Director KAREN AZENBERG, “PTC is already known for bringing the best of Broadway to Salt Lake City (including Steve Martin’s Bright Star and Sting’s The Last Ship). Now, with Cagney, we’re aiming to bring the best work coming out of Salt Lake to Broadway. We knew the balance of story and spectacle of Cagney would be a terrific choice for a first pre-Broadway venture. At PTC, we’re continuing the legacy of the regional theatre; we are developing new work, engaging with the community to widen economic growth, and debuting state, national, and world premieres.”

 

“We set the bar for performance. Most of shows you see at PTC are titles you can’t see anywhere else,” added PTC Managing Director CHRISTOPHER MASSIMINE. “Salt Lake City is a thriving community. Its growth leads the U.S. and the demographics for patrons of the arts closely mirror New York’s. We have sophisticated audiences who are also cultural enthusiasts and enjoy an economy where a Broadway-ready show can be built, produced, and refined in our full-service shop-to-show facilities, at a substantially lower cost (or, at a fraction of the cost) than anywhere else in the country.”

 

Cagney, a biographical musical based on ‘Hollywood’s tough guy in tap shoes,’ played an award-winning Off Broadway run, presented first at the York Theatre, followed by a successful transfer to the Westside Theatre and a limited engagement in Los Angeles. The Broadway production of Cagney will be produced by RIKI KANE LARIMER (Enter Laughing, Smokey Joe’s Café, Gigi, On the Town) and KATE EDELMAN JOHNSON (Wyatt Earp: Return to Tombstone).

 

Broadway’s ROBERT CREIGHTON reprises the title role, for which he received the Fred Astaire Award. Creighton also co-authored the music and lyrics for Cagney alongside CHRISTOPHER McGOVERN (Vocal Arrangements: Ionescopade, The Jazz Singer), with book by PETER COLLEY (I’ll Be Back Before Midnight, The War Show, The Donnellys). BILL CASTELLINO (Desperate Measures, Storyville, Ionescopade) and JOSHUA BERGASSE (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Gigi, On the Town) will return to the helm as director and choreographer, respectively.

 

“Cagney started as an idea and then a passion in acting school—not only because of my obsession over how powerful and versatile James Cagney was on screen, but because his story was a compelling one: a story of the American dream, one that resonates more today than ever,” said Creighton, who also bears an uncanny resemblance to the Hollywood icon. “With a large and knowledgeable arts community and PTC’s Broadway-level resources and facilities, Salt Lake City is the perfect place for an out-of-town tryout. We couldn’t be happier.”

 

Creighton’s Broadway credits include Disney’s Frozen (Weselton), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Durdles), Anything Goes (Purser/Moonface), Chicago (Amos), The Little Mermaid (Chef Louis), The Lion King (Timon), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Jackie Mason’s Laughing Room Only and Shakespeare-in-the-Park’s Comedy of Errors. His television appearances include guest starring roles on “The Family” (ABC), “Elementary”(CBS), “Law & Order” (NBC) and “Life on Mars” (ABC).

 

DARRIN BAKER will play Jack Warner, Cagney’s chief adversary and CEO of Warner Brothers. Baker has had a long career in Broadway including roles in Tarzan, Wonderful Town, Jackie Mason’s Laughing Room Only, Footloose and The Scarlet Pimpernel.

 

Rounding out the cast are MATT CROWLE (Monty Python’s Spamalot), DARIEN CRAGO (Holiday Inn, White Christmas), KRISTEN SMITH DAVIS (Anastasia), JEFFRY DENMAN (White Christmas, The Producers, Cats), ROBERT ANTHONY JONES (Finding Neverland, The Phantom of the Opera, Hairspray), CHARIS LEOS (The Glass Menagerie at Fulton Theatre, Victor/Victoria at TUTS), DANIEL PLIMPTON (The Book of Mormon, Spring Awakening, White Christmas), MELISSA SCHOTT (Cirque du Soleil’s Banana Shpeel, White Christmas), EDWARD TOLVE (Funny Face at Musicals Tonight, Sayonara at Pan Asian Rep) and JESSICA WOCKENFUSS (National tours of Jersey Boys, White Christmas, Monty Python’s Spamalot, The Little Mermaid).

 

The creative team includes set design by JAMES NOONE (Sunset Boulevard, A Time to Kill, A Bronx Tale, The Rainmaker, The Sunshine Boys), costume design by GREGORY GALE (Arcadia, Rock of Ages, The Wedding Singer, Hello, Dolly, Urinetown), lighting design by PAUL MILLER (Amazing Grace, The Illusionists, Macbeth, Legally Blonde, Company), projection design by BRAD PETERSON (Junk, Oslo, Cats), sound design by PTC resident design ALLAN BRANSON, wig and make-up design by PTC former resident designer AMANDA FRENCH, orchestrations by GREG ANTHONY RASSEN (Bandstand, An American in Paris, Bullets Over Broadway, The Little Mermaid) and music direction and dance arrangements by DOUGLAS OBERHAMER (Swing, Crazy for You, Thoroughly Modern Millie).

 

PIONEER THEATRE COMPANY (PTC): Now celebrating its 58th season, the award-winning PTC is Utah’s Premiere Professional Theatre and a leading arts organization of the West. Led by Artistic Director Karen Azenberg and Managing Director Christopher Massimine, PTC promotes community-building and education though presenting world-class productions; developing new socially resonant and universal work; hosting talks, lectures, and workshops that engage a versatile and inclusive demographic, while celebrating diversity in culture and society; and serving as the connecting bridge between art and scholarship as an affiliate of the University of Utah.

 

CAST:

 

DARRIN BAKER…………………..Jack Warner

DARIEN CRAGO………………….Jane and others

ROBERT CREIGHTON…………..James Cagney

MATT CROWLE…………………..Bob Hope and others

KRISTEN SMITH DAVIS…………Shirley Temple and others

JEFFRY DENMAN…………………Foreman, Wellman, and others

ROBERT ANTHONY JONES……Schlotzki, Yussie, and others

CHARIS LEOS……………………..Ma Cagney, Ma Jarrett, and others

DANIEL PLIMPTON……………..Bill Cagney, Eddie Woods, and others

MELISSA SCHOTT………………..Mae Clarke and others

EDWARD TOLVE………………….Lefty McRae and others

JESSICA WOCKENFUSS………..Willie Cagney and others

 

*Others include Movie Stars, Construction Workers, Porters, Backlot Extras, Screenwriters, Senators, USO Dancers, and a waitress named Lorraine.

 

CREATIVE:

 

BILL CASTELLINO………………….Director

JOSHUA BERGASSE………………Choreography

JAMES NOONE…………………….Scenic Design

GREGORY GALE……………………Costume Design

PAUL MILLER……………………….Lighting Design

BRAD PETERSON…………………Projection Design

ALLAN BRANSON…………………Sound Design

AMANDA FRENCH………………..Wig and Makeup Design

GREG ANTHONY RASSEN………Orchestrations

DOUGLAS OBERHAMER………..Musical Director

 

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PUBLICITY PHOTO SHOOT: Media is invited to participate in an on-stage publicity photo shoot on Tuesday, September 3, 2019, at 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Please call Kirsten Park at 801-581-6270 to RSVP.

 

FILMING OPPORTUNITY: Media is invited to film a rehearsal number on the mainstage on Wednesday, September 11, 2019 at 2 p.m until 2:15 p.m. Please call Kirsten Park at 801-581-6270 to RSVP.

 

MEDIA PHOTOS AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD: High-resolution color photos of this production will be available for media use on the PTC website beginning Wednesday, September 4, 2019 after 3 p.m.

 

Go directly to http://www.pioneertheatre.org/press-room/media-photos/ to view.

 

 

INTERVIEWS: Interviews with the cast and artistic staff are available. Call 801-581-6270 to arrange.

 

WHO:

Pioneer Theatre Company

 

WHAT:

CAGNEY

Book by Peter Colley

Music and Lyrics by Robert Creighton and Christopher McGovern

Vocal Arrangements by Christopher McGovern

Original Songs by George M. Cohan

 

WHEN:

September 20 – October 5, 2019

 

TIMES:

Monday – Thursday, 7:00 p.m.

Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

 

WHERE:

Pioneer Theatre Company (PTC) located in the

Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 300 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City

 

PRICES:

$45 – $68 in advance, and $5 more when purchased on the day of the show

 

MORE INFO:

Box Office: 801-581-6961

Open 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Mon. – Fri.

http://www.pioneertheatre.org/