FEINSTEIN’S/54 BELOW, Broadway’s Supper Club, presents the Original Broadway cast in Legs Diamond 30th Anniversary Reunion Concert on Sunday, December 3 at 7:00 pm and 9:30 pm. The concert is being produced and directed by original cast member Jonathan Cerullo and associate producer Carol Baxter.
For the first time in NYC since its opening in 1989, come experience one of Broadway’s biggest and brightest flops, Legs Diamond! With original cast members, their stories, and the beautiful score conceived and written by Grammy and Academy Award winner Peter Allen, the evening is sure to delight!
After a 6-week workshop, Legs Diamond went straight to Broadway. The show had a record-breaking 72 previews in which critics relentlessly reported the endless production problems. Without reserve, these reviewers plunged their knives deep, killing the show well before it opened at the Mark Hellinger Theater on December 26, 1988. After another 62 performances, Legs Diamond closed on February 19, 1989. This would mark not only the end of the show but the end of the beautiful Mark Hellinger as a theater. The theater became the Times Square Church.
Despite its short run, Legs Diamond was highly acclaimed, garnishing three Tony Award nominations, including Costuming by the legendary Willa Kim for her glorious 20’s designs, Choreography by the brilliant Alan Johnson, and a nomination for the divine Julie Wilson for her show-stopping number “The Music Went Out of My Life.” Set in a speakeasy during the Prohibition Jazz age, Legs Diamond presented for the first time ever on a Broadway stage fully automated and with computerized scenery. This unique show featured dancers oozing out of a piano, with Brenda Braxton emerging to reveal the forbidden speakeasy, showgirls dripping in diamonds and lounging in giant champagne glasses, and the Gangland Ballet.
Peter Allen played “Legs” Diamond, a noted real-life gangster. The plot was filled with scenes of unrequited love and jealousy by the women who competed for Legs Diamond’s heart, played by Julie Wilson, Randall Edwards, and Brenda Braxton. Unfortunately, Christine Andreas and Bob Stillman (Leg’s wife and brother) whose voices and songs brought tears to cast members in rehearsals fell victim to the many cuts during previews. Their characters never made it to opening night. We are so excited to share these rare jewels with you during our celebratory concert!
Please join us at Feinstein’s/54 Below for this once in a lifetime celebration. The 30th Anniversary of Grammy and Academy Award-winning Peter Allen’s Legs Diamond, conceived with music and lyrics by Peter Allen and book by Harvey Fierstein and Charles Suppon.
Spend an evening with the original cast members who will perform numbers from the show, such as “When I Get My Name in Lights,” “Sure Thing Baby,” “Only an Older Woman,” “The Man Nobody Could Love,” “All I Wanted Was the Dream,” “The Music Went Out of My Life,” and “Say it Isn’t So;” and will also share backstage anecdotes and their personal memories of working with the incomparable and charming Peter Allen.
Original Broadway cast in Legs Diamond 30th Anniversary Reunion Concert plays Feinstein’s/54 Below (254 West 54th Street) on Sunday, December 3 at 7:00 pm and 9:30 pm. There is a $35.00 – $45.00, as well as a $75.00 Premium ticket, and $25.00 food and beverage minimum. Tickets and information are available at www.54Below.com. Tickets on the day of performance after 4:00 are only available by calling