The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts stages a special reunion of original cast members from Peter Allen’s Legs Diamond December 4. The 1988 Broadway musical was written by Charles Suppon and Harvey Fierstein.
The evening, directed by original cast member Jonathan S. Cerullo (Band In Berlin, The Three Musketeers, Cats), is moderated by Richard Ridge, and features performances, songs, and never-before-heard stories from behind the scenes of the fabled musical.
Members of the original cast, including Christine Andreas (On Your Toes, Oklahoma), Brenda Braxton (Smokey Joe’s Café), Bob Stillman (Grand Hotel), Ruth Gottschall (Mary Poppins, The Music Man), Randall Edwards (Biloxi Blues, Threepenny Opera), Wendy Waring (Will Rogers Follies, The Producers), Deanna Dys (Crazy For You, Annie Get Your Gun), Mary Rotella, (Cabaret, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway) and Carol Ann Baxter (La Cage aux Folles) will appear, bringing together the company for the largest public reunion since the show's closure.
The company will be joined by Sam Given, (The Inheritance) Vanessa Wendt, Clint Hromsco, and Liv Kurtz. Music director Saul Nache (Hip Hop Cinderella), and stage manager Lexi Holder round out the team.
A variety of songs from the show are set to be performed, including “When I Get My Name in Lights,” “Come Save Me,” “Gentleman Out On a Spree,” and “All I Wanted Was the Dream,” in addition to the sharing of backstage anecdotes and their personal memories.
Legs Diamond tells the story of a true-life gangster, Jack "Legs" Diamond, who was reimagined as a man who, in his heart, had always wanted to be on Broadway. Set in a speakeasy during the Prohibition Jazz Age, Legs Diamond was among the first Broadway productions to use a fully automated set with computerized scenery.
The musical opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre December 26, 1988, after toiling through 72 previews, where production problems and technical issues were reported endlessly in the media. The musical played 64 performances after opening before being forced to close on February 19, 1989. This would mark not only the end of the show but also the end of the Mark Hellinger Theatre, which became the Times Square Church.
Despite its short run, Legs Diamond received three Tony nominations, including Best Costume Design for Willa Kim for her 1920s designs, Best Choreography for Alan Johnson, and Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Julie Wilson.
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