And so, at this point in the show, having moved into the second act, Fiorello LaGuardia has announced his uphill candidacy for mayor. The challenge is that it's against the very powerful and crooked Tammany Hall Machine, which backs the current mayor -- the wildly popular, flamboyant and with his own criminal ties, James "Gentleman Jimmy" Walker.
As a contrast to the straight-forward, grassroots LaGuardia campaign, the Walker organization is full of flash and sizzle. And we see here one of their events with a big Broadway star of the day, Mitzi Travers, siging he lively campaign song "Gentleman Jimmy," performed in the NYU production by Bethany Fagan.