LITTLE BLACK BOOK
Inspired by the Life of Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss
LITTLE BLACK BOOK, a new rock musical about the life and times of Heidi Fleiss, announces the release of a concept album on the Grammy-winning Broadway Records this spring. With music, lyrics and book by Billy Recce, and starring Alice Ripley, Orfeh, Mandy Gonzalez, Jessica Vosk, Brittney Johnson, Diana DeGarmo, Vonzell Solomon, Kuhoo Verma, Samantha Pauly, Natalie Weiss and Lillias White, the album centers on the infamous Hollywood Madam of the 90’s who now resides in the middle of the deserts of Nevada with her forty parrots.
The digital album is available now on Apple (https://music.apple.com/us/album/little-black-book-world-premiere-recording/1559708733? at=10l8Nk&ct=albums_little_black_book_(world_premiere&uo=4&app=music&itscg=30200&itsct=music_box_link&ls=1), Amazon (https://amzn.to/3dQT2sW) and on BroadwayRecords.com. The cd version will be available 4/30. Pre-orders for the CD of LITTLE BLACK BOOK are available on BroadwayRecords.com and other major music retailers.
Co-conceived by Will Nunziata and Billy Recce and developed as a one-woman rock concert, Little Black Book is a sharp-tongued, raucous, and ultimately moving 90-minute ride. Through 11 pop-rock songs, the show examines a woman who was stripped of everything she worked for by a ruthless tabloid press and an unforgiving society.
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| Heidi Fleiss |
Stepping into the shoes of Heidi on the album are Tony winner Alice Ripley, Tony nominee Orfeh, In the Heights and Hamilton star Mandy Gonzalez, Wicked stars Jessica Vosk and Brittney Johnson, American Idol alums Diana DeGarmo and Vonzell Solomon, Lortel and Drama Desk Award winner Kuhoo Verma, SIX: The Musical's Samantha Pauly and Billboard artist Natalie Weiss. Tony nominee Lillias White appears as Heidi’s mentor, Madam Alex.
LITTLE BLACK BOOK is produced by Will Nunziata, Billy Recce, and Lloyd Kikoler, and Executive Produced by DGM Productions with Scott Humpal.
Before OnlyFans and dating apps, there were madams. “Heidi Fleiss developed a brand of upscale prostitution that had not been seen before,” Billy Recce explains. “She became a mother figure to sex workers, many of whom had been kicked out of their homes and families. She gave them guidance, safety, a roof over their heads, and by making them the most sought-after girls in Hollywood, she allowed them to feel pride in the work that they were doing.”
The golden days for Heidi Fleiss was in the early 90s. As an open secret in Hollywood, she and her girls attended all the hottest celebrity parties, drove the most expensive cars, and dated the richest and most powerful men in the world. Heidi welcomed publicity, granting select media interviews and flaunting her lavish lifestyle. “She brilliantly redefined and revolutionized the sex industry,” co-conceiver Will Nunziata reflects. “She was a girl with a dream who was vilified for being strong, opinionated, and business-savvy.”
“In LITTLE BLACK BOOK, we give her the opportunity to showcase her ‘boss lady’ qualities,” he continues. “The show also depicts the vulnerabilities of a woman who has the strength to forgive, survive, and ultimately heal. It offers a sympathetic reconciliation through a modern lens.”
While the media attention fed Heidi Fleiss’ business and power, it also brought her to the attention of the LAPD, making her an easy target. Within months, Heidi and her world would come crashing down around her while the rich and powerful men in her little black book would all go on unscathed.
“In many ways, Heidi Fleiss is an American Eva Peron,” says composer, lyricist, book writer and co-conceiver BIlly Recce. “So, while we wait for theatres to re-open, it only made sense to follow the lead of Andrew Lloyd Webber when he developed Evita and share our musical tribute to the Hollywood Madam with audiences, no matter where they are in the world, and offer a first taste of LITTLE BLACK BOOK through its songs.”
For more information about LITTLE BLACK BOOK, visit littleblackbookmusical.com.
