''Legs Diamond'' is a musical with a book by

Harvey Fierstein Harvey Forbes Fierstein ( ; born June 6, 1952) is an American actor, playwright and screenwriter. He is best known for his theater work in '' Torch Song Trilogy'' and '' Hairspray'' and movie roles in '' Mrs. Doubtfire'', ''Independence Day'', an ...

and Charles Suppon based on the Warner Brothers film ''

The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond ''The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond'' is a 1960 neo-noir crime film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Ray Danton, Karen Steele and Elaine Stewart. The supporting cast features Warren Oates, Jesse White and Robert Lowery. The picture ...

'' (1960), with a screenplay by Joseph Landon. The music and lyrics are by Peter Allen, who starred as the title character in the Broadway production. ''The Almost Totally Fictitious Musical History of

Legs Diamond Jack "Legs" Diamond (possibly born John Thomas Diamond, though disputed; July 10, 1897 – December 18, 1931), also known as Gentleman Jack, was an Irish American gangster in Philadelphia and New York City during the Prohibition era. A bootle ...

'' follows the travails of its title character, a

Depression-era The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

mobster who wants to break into show business.

Production

The musical opened on Broadway at the

Mark Hellinger Theatre The Mark Hellinger Theatre (formerly the 51st Street Theatre and the Hollywood Theatre) is a church (building), church building at 237 West 51st Street (Manhattan), 51st Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, which forme ...

on December 26, 1988 and closed on February 19, 1989 after 64 performances and 72 previews (far more than the usual 16-24 preview periods). Directed by Robert Allan Ackerman with choreography by

Alan Johnson Alan Arthur Johnson (born 17 May 1950) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Education and Skills from 2006 to 2007, Secretary of State for Health from 2007 to 2009, Home Secretary from 2009 to 2010, and Shadow Chanc ...

, the scenic design was by David Mitchell, costume design by

Willa Kim Wullah Mei Ok Kim (Korean:; Hanja:; June 30, 1917 – December 23, 2016), known as Willa Kim, was an American costume designer for stage, dance, and film. Life and career Kim was born near Santa Ana, California in 1917 and graduated Belmont Hig ...

, and lighting design by

Jules Fisher Jules Fisher (born November 12, 1937) is an American lighting designer and producer. He is credited with lighting designs for more than 300 productions over the course of his 50-year career in Broadway and off-Broadway shows, as well extensive ...

and Peggy Eisenhauer (Associate). The cast included Peter Allen ( Jack Diamond),

Julie Wilson Julie May Wilson (October 21, 1924 – April 5, 2015) was an American singer and actress widely regarded as "the queen of cabaret". She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 1989 for her performance in '' Le ...

(Flo), Randall Edwards (Kiki Roberts), Brenda Braxton (Madge), Joe Silver (

Arnold Rothstein Arnold Rothstein (January 17, 1882 – November 4, 1928), nicknamed "The Brain", was an American racketeer, crime boss, businessman, and gambler in New York City. Rothstein was widely reputed to have organized corruption in professional athletic ...

Jim Fyfe James "Jim" Michael Fyfe is an American actor, writer TV host, theatre director, and acting coach from Piermont, New York. Since 2003, he worked at Rockland Country Day School in Congers, New York. He started as a history teacher before becomin ...

(Moran), Christian Kauffmann (Bones), Pat McNamara (Devane), and

Raymond Serra Raymond Serra (born Aurelio Lacagnina; August 13, 1936 – June 20, 2003) was an American character actor known for his many supporting roles in film and television over a 30-year career. He and his wife, Gayle, had four children. Select fil ...

(Augie), Jonathan Cerullo (Tango Dancer). The reviews were unanimously negative, with particular disbelief at Peter Allen's attempts to play so totally against type as a suave lothario.

Frank Rich Frank Hart Rich Jr. (born 1949) is an American essayist and liberal op-ed columnist, who held various positions within ''The New York Times'' from 1980 to 2011. He has also produced television series and documentaries for HBO. Rich is current ...

commented that the evening's most compelling drama was watching Allen figure out "what to do with his hands". The failure of the musical was so total that it compelled the

Nederlander Organization The Nederlander Organization, founded in 1912 by David T. Nederlander in Detroit, and currently based in New York City, is one of the largest operators of live theaters and music venues in the United States. Its first acquisition was a lease on ...

to finally sell the beloved but flop-prone Mark Hellinger Theatre to the Times Square Church, which still owns it. On Sunday, December 3, 2017, ''Legs Diamond'' celebrated its 30th anniversary with a reunion concert at

Feinstein's/54 Below 54 Below is a cabaret and restaurant in the basement of Studio 54 in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Owned by Broadway producers Steve Baruch, Richard Frankel, Marc Routh and Tom Viertel, 54 Below has hosted shows by such performers as Patt ...

, and many of the original cast members reunited to perform. It was directed and produced by original cast member

Jonathan Stuart Cerullo Jonathan Stuart Cerullo (born December 21, 1960) is an American director and choreographer, executive producer, and former performer. Cerullo is known for his work on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally. He has also worked in circus, film, ...

and starred

Christine Andreas Christine Andreas (born October 1, 1951) is an American Broadway actress and singer. Biography Andreas was born in Camden, New Jersey, to James Francis Andreas, a systems analyst, and Teresa Cecilia Genovese Andreas. She graduated from Suffern ...

, Brenda Braxton, Randall Edwards, and

Bob Stillman Bob Stillman (born December 2, 1954, in New York City) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. Biography Stillman studied piano at Juilliard, and composition at Princeton University. He made his Broadway debut in ''Grand Hotel'' as Erik in ...

Song list

;Act One *Prelude/When I Get My Name in Lights - Orchestra, Jack, Ensemble *Speakeasy - Madge, Ensemble *Applause - Flo, The Hotsy Totsy Girls *Knockers - Jack, The Hotsy Totsy Girls *I Was Made for Champagne – Kiki, The Tropicabana Dancers *Tropican Rhumba – Jack, Kiki *Sure Thing Baby – Jack *Speakeasy Christmas – The Hotsy Totsy Girls *Charge It to A. R. – Augie, Bones, Moran, A. R., A.R.'s Gang *Only an Older Woman – Jack, Flo *Taxi Dancers' Tango – Jack, Ensemble *Only Steal from Thieves – Jack, Kiki *When I Get My Name in Lights (reprise) – Jack, Company ;Act Two *Cut of the Cards – Jack, Company *Gangland Chase – Orchestra *Now You See Me, Now You Don't – Jack, Kiki, Ensemble *The Man Nobody Could Love – Kiki, Flo, Madge *The Music Went Out of My Life – Flo *Say It Isn't So – Jack, Company *Say It Isn't So (reprise) – Ensemble *All I Wanted Was the Dream – Jack *Finale – Jack, Flo, Company "Come Save Me", a song cut from the show, had been recorded by Allen and Niki Gregoroff on one of Allen's albums in 1985. It also was included in ''The Boy from Oz'', a musical about Allen.

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

Discography

The original Broadway cast recording was released by RCA Victor (RCA Victor 7983-2-RC), and it now is out of print. The most famous song "When I Get My Name in Lights" was re-done by Allen and his friend

Harry Connick, Jr. Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and television host. He has sold over 28million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 List of best-selling music artists i ...

on Allen's last album ''Making Every Moment Count''. It also was included in the stage musical "The Boy from Oz," where it’s sung by the young Peter. ; Standard Edition # Peter Allen - "Prelude/When I Get My Name in Lights" (4:56) # Brenda Braxton - Speakeasy" (4:11) # Julie Wilson & Peter Allen - "Applause/Knockers" (5:41) # Randall Edwards - "I Was Made for Champagne" (5:07) # Peter Allen - "Sure Thing Baby" (3:58) # Carol Ann Baxter, Colleen Dunn, Deanna Dys, Gwendolyn Miller & Wendy Waring - "Speakeasy Christmas" (0:44) # Raymond Serra, Christian Kauffmann, Jim Fyfe & Joe Silver - "Charge It to A.R." (2:21) # Peter Allen & Julie Wilson - "Only an Older Woman" (3:39) # Peter Allen & Randall Edwards - "Only Steal from Thieves" (3:28) # Peter Allen - "When I Get My Name in Lights (Reprise)" (1:42) # Peter Allen - "Cut of the Cards" (2:25) # "Gangland Chase (Instrumental)" (3:40) # Peter Allen & Randall Edwards - "Now You See Me, Now You Don't" (3:37) # Randall Edwards, Julie Wilson & Brenda Braxton - "The Man Nobody Could Love" (4:25) # Julie Wilson - "The Music Went Out of My Life" (4:40) # Peter Allen - "Say It Isn't So" (4:46) # Legs Diamond Original Broadway Cast - "Say It Isn't So (Reprise)" (1:12) # Peter Allen - "All I Wanted Was the Dream" (2:58) # Peter Allen & Julie Wilson - "Finale" (1:43)

References

External links

Internet Broadway Database listing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Legs Diamond 1988 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals based on films Cultural depictions of Legs Diamond Cultural depictions of Arnold Rothstein Biographical plays about criminals Musicals set in the United States