Cast of ‘Cagney’ visits the late actor’s old stomping grounds
The cast of the musical “Cagney” stopped by the Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank recently to get a first-hand look at some of the places where the late actor James Cagney was filmed.
During the tour, the performers visited Hennesy Street, New York Street and some of the other sets and locations where the Vaudeville star-turned-movie actor once performed in front of the cameras.
The musical is being presented at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood through Oct. 29. “Cagney” was originally produced off-Broadway in New York at the York Theatre and Westside Theatre for 14 months, starting in April 2015.
“This whole show started with my obsession with his movies,” said Robert Creighton, who plays Cagney in the musical. “I’ve watched every single one of those movies that you can get your hands on, some of them multiple times. So to be walking, standing and being around where he was, it’s really cool.”
Riki Kane Larimer, the musical’s producer, said she was asked by Kate Edelman Johnson — whose father, Louis Edelman, produced the movie “White Heat,” which featured Cagney — to bring the show to Los Angeles.
Larimer was hesitant at first, saying Los Angeles is “not a theater town, [it’s] a movie town,” but she quickly remembered that “Cagney” is a musical about the movies.
She also said she wanted “Cagney” to be performed in L.A. the way it was performed during its run in New York and did so by bringing the original cast to the El Portal Theatre.
“I wanted it to be exactly what we did in New York, and it is exactly what we did in New York,” Larimer said.
Johnson said she considers Cagney to be one of the greatest performers of all time and was mesmerized by the musical. She added that to see the cast tour the Warner Bros. back lot gave her a feeling of hope that people will continue to remember and honor classic Hollywood.
“It makes me feel like there’s something that’s going to happen to keep it going,” Johnson said.
For more information about “Cagney” or to order tickets, visit elportaltheatre.com.
anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
