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LEGS DIAMOND A Musical in 2 Acts, 21 Scenes. Book by Harvey Fierstein, Charles Suppon. Based on the Warner Brothers film "The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond" (screenplay by Joseph Landon). Music and lyrics by Peter Allen. Opened 26 December 1988 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre, New York and closed 19 February 1989 (64 perfs) Synopsis The Almost Totally Fictitious Musical History of Legs Diamond ACT I High above the stage standing in front of a huge, glittering electric sign that glorifies his name, Jack "Legs" Diamond tells us his story. After having done time in a Pennsylvania prison for a small-time hood named Arnold Rothstein, Jack arrives in New York and looks up his former on and off-stage dancing partner, Flo, at her nightspot, the Hotsy Totsy Club and Grill. He goes to the club, but before he has a chance to surprise her, Flo is onstage entertaining her elite clientele. Seizing the opportunity to display his talents, Jack interrupts her floor show with one of his own. After his number a none-too-pleased Flo takes Jack into the back room and gives him two things: advice and money. He ignores the first and pockets the second. What he really wants is a spot in the show. Flo tells him "on the level" that the club isn't hers. It's Arnold Rothstein's. No longer a small-time hood, Rothstein is big time in New York. Jack figures that the least Rothstein can do is give him a spot in the show. Outside Rothstein's office, his henchmen Bones and Moran let Jack know that A.R. (what his intimates call him) isn't interested in doing Jack any favours. A.R. himself appears and lets Jack know that he considers the favour returned by not having had Jack killed. However, Kiki Roberts, A.R.'s doll-of-the-moment, escapes the watchful eye of her constant bodyguard Augie to give Jack a pass to see her act at A.R.'s Club Tropicabana. At the club, Kiki reveals much of her here-to-fore hidden "potential'." After the show, she and Jack explore their "mutual interests:" He wants a spot in the show and she wants him to dress the part. He'd love to, but at the moment he's low on cash. The solution is simple: Since Kiki knows where A.R. has charge accounts, they'll go shopping and charge everything to him. Alone, Jack wonders if he's right to use people to get ahead. He quickly concludes that in this world you have to take the things you're not given. At the Horsy Totsy a few weeks later Flo has the girls show A.R. a special Christmas number. Augie bursts in and gives A.R. an accounting of what "The Shopper" has taken from him. Police Lieutenant Devane, a crooked cop on A. R.'s payroll, presents him with an early Christmas present - "The Shopper" a.k.a. Jack accompanied by Kiki. A.R. is about to have Jack killed when Flo enters with enough money to cover "The Shopper's" damages. Jack is grateful, very grateful to her for coming to his rescue. Flo doesn't fall for Jack's "gratitude." Instead she tells him he can work off the loan by dancing in her taxi line. One night, watching Jack dance with any number of women, A.R. nicknames him "Legs" - and the name sticks. Later, when Jack is changing into his street clothes, he and Kiki hatch a plan to get ahead in the world and at the same time get back at A. R. Seeing that Diamond has cut into his operations, A.R. decides to eliminate him. Moran wants to do the honours but A.R. hires outside help "The Boys from Bay Ridge"! At the New Year's Eve party A.R. is throwing in his honour, Jack celebrates what has been the best year of his life. As the clock strikes midnight "The Boys from Bay Ridge" take aim, but before they can shoot, Bones appears with a gun and shoots Legs dead. As his lifeless body falls into the crowd, a newspaper headline heralding "Last Legs?" appears and the curtain falls.

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