Legends (play)
Encyclopedia
Legends is a comedic
play written by James Kirkwood, Jr.
It toured the United States with Mary Martin
and Carol Channing
in 1986, but never had a production on Broadway
. The play concerns two aging rival film stars. Kirkwood wrote about the tour's adventures in his memoir, Diary of a Mad Playwright.
Martin and Channing started the US tour in January 1986 in Dallas, Texas
and ended in Miami, Florida
in January 1987, having played more than 300 performances. Although the producers of the show had hoped that it would open on Broadway, that did not happen. Martin left the production when her second-act speech about breast cancer was cut.
Joan Collins and Linda Evans tour
Joan Collins
toured North America with former Dynasty
co-star Linda Evans
. The tour started in September 2006 in Toronto
and concluded in New Haven, Connecticut
in May 2007 after a 30-week, multi-city tour.
Lypsinka in New York
John Epperson
, better known as "Lypsinka" has adapted the play for two men in drag
, and presented a one-night only staged reading on March 23, 2009 in New York City. The reading, which featured Charles Busch
, was a benefit for Friends in Deed - The Crisis Center for Life-Threatening Illness. In June 2010, Epperson brought the show to the Studio Theatre in Washington, DC, where he co-starred with James Lecesne.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
play written by James Kirkwood, Jr.
James Kirkwood, Jr.
James Kirkwood, Jr. was an American playwright, author and actor. In 1976 he received the Tony Award, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the Broadway hit A Chorus Line.-Biography:Kirkwood was born in Los Angeles, California. His father...
It toured the United States with Mary Martin
Mary Martin
Mary Virginia Martin was an American actress and singer. She originated many roles over her career including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Maria in The Sound of Music. She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1989...
and Carol Channing
Carol Channing
Carol Elaine Channing is an American singer, actress, and comedienne. She is the recipient of three Tony Awards , a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination...
in 1986, but never had a production on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. The play concerns two aging rival film stars. Kirkwood wrote about the tour's adventures in his memoir, Diary of a Mad Playwright.
Production history
Mary Martin and Carol Channing US tourMartin and Channing started the US tour in January 1986 in Dallas, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and ended in Miami, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in January 1987, having played more than 300 performances. Although the producers of the show had hoped that it would open on Broadway, that did not happen. Martin left the production when her second-act speech about breast cancer was cut.
Joan Collins and Linda Evans tour
Joan Collins
Joan Collins
Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
toured North America with former Dynasty
Dynasty (TV series)
Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...
co-star Linda Evans
Linda Evans
Linda Evans is an American actress. She is known primarily for her roles on television, and rose to fame playing Audra Barkley in the 1960s Western TV series, The Big Valley...
. The tour started in September 2006 in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and concluded in New Haven, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
in May 2007 after a 30-week, multi-city tour.
Lypsinka in New York
John Epperson
John Epperson
John Epperson is an American drag artist, actor, pianist, vocalist and writer who is mainly known for creating his stage character Lypsinka. As Lypsinka he is lip-synching to meticulously edited show-length soundtracks culled from snippets of outrageous 20th-century female performances in movies...
, better known as "Lypsinka" has adapted the play for two men in drag
Drag (clothing)
Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early...
, and presented a one-night only staged reading on March 23, 2009 in New York City. The reading, which featured Charles Busch
Charles Busch
Charles Louis Busch is an American actor, screenwriter, playwright and female impersonator, known for his appearances on stage in his own camp style plays and in film and television. He wrote The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, which was a success on Broadway.-Early life:Busch was born in 1954 and...
, was a benefit for Friends in Deed - The Crisis Center for Life-Threatening Illness. In June 2010, Epperson brought the show to the Studio Theatre in Washington, DC, where he co-starred with James Lecesne.