In this television series, there is a fascinating approach to the partnership of Gwen Verdon and Bob Fosse in the competitive world of dance. The program skips around in time through the memories of Fosse, as he reflects on his career.
The filmmakers have chosen to start with the Fosse-Verdon collaboration on the film version of "Sweet Charity." The film bombed at the box office, but many believe it was an overlooked gem. The program makes it clear that Verdon was bypassed for the lead in the film due to the casting of movie star Shirley MacLaine. Verdon starred in the role on Broadway, but the disappointment does not seem to register in Gwen. If she felt hurt by the casting decision, it is not apparent in the program. The careful set-ups and compositional choices of Fosse are highlighted in the lengthy opening scene, and it is clear that Verdon is contributing to the artistry of the choreography.
The conceit of the film is to count down the years remaining in the pressure-packed life of the hard-driving perfectionist dancer-choreographer-director Fosse, starting with nineteen. The implication is the series will be charting the final two decades of Fosse's career. A flashback sequence suggests that little Bobby may have been an abused child in the way that he was pushed in his early training. Of course, that dictatorial manner would eventually become the signature style of Fosse himself as a perfectionist.
We follow the chain-smoking Fosse to Munich and the filming of "Cabaret." We observe his initiative and pushiness in bypassing Cy Feuer and courting the producer Manny Woolf to land the job of director. A good Liza Minnelli look-alike appears in the rehearsals for "Mein Herr." Fosse scours the streets of Munich for prostitutes to provide a realistic ambience for the Kit Kat Klub.
The autobiographical "All That Jazz" featured an excellent Roy Scheider in a film directed by Fosse himself. Sam Rockwell looks more like Fosse, but his performance lacks Scheider's bite. This is important because the dark side of Fosse shows up in his dazzling, sleazy choreography. Michelle Williams is a good study of Verdon. But does she have the dancing chops necessary to sustain her role through an entire series?
The callousness of Fosse is apparent as he casually dismisses performers, and he is the dirty old man, constantly leering and on the lookout not only for fresh new dancing talent, but for opportunities for philandering. This is not your spokesperson for the #MeToo movement.
The programs are successful in depicting the often stormy relationship of Fosse and Verdon. In one of the most memorable moments in Episode 2, Verdon is beginning her intimate relationship with Fosse at a time when Fosse's wife, Joan McCracken, is terminally ill. A brilliant dancer in her own right as part of the ground-breaking musical "Oklahoma!", McCracken was the single most important influence on Fosse's career, persuading him to give up his misbegotten pipe dream of becoming the next Fred Astaire and encouraging him to focus on choreography and directing. In Verdon's contemplation of her conundrum of sleeping with a married man, Williams delivers a priceless reading of the line, "I can't take away a dying woman's husband," as she then proceeds to do exactly that!
The filmmakers have chosen to start with the Fosse-Verdon collaboration on the film version of "Sweet Charity." The film bombed at the box office, but many believe it was an overlooked gem. The program makes it clear that Verdon was bypassed for the lead in the film due to the casting of movie star Shirley MacLaine. Verdon starred in the role on Broadway, but the disappointment does not seem to register in Gwen. If she felt hurt by the casting decision, it is not apparent in the program. The careful set-ups and compositional choices of Fosse are highlighted in the lengthy opening scene, and it is clear that Verdon is contributing to the artistry of the choreography.
The conceit of the film is to count down the years remaining in the pressure-packed life of the hard-driving perfectionist dancer-choreographer-director Fosse, starting with nineteen. The implication is the series will be charting the final two decades of Fosse's career. A flashback sequence suggests that little Bobby may have been an abused child in the way that he was pushed in his early training. Of course, that dictatorial manner would eventually become the signature style of Fosse himself as a perfectionist.
We follow the chain-smoking Fosse to Munich and the filming of "Cabaret." We observe his initiative and pushiness in bypassing Cy Feuer and courting the producer Manny Woolf to land the job of director. A good Liza Minnelli look-alike appears in the rehearsals for "Mein Herr." Fosse scours the streets of Munich for prostitutes to provide a realistic ambience for the Kit Kat Klub.
The autobiographical "All That Jazz" featured an excellent Roy Scheider in a film directed by Fosse himself. Sam Rockwell looks more like Fosse, but his performance lacks Scheider's bite. This is important because the dark side of Fosse shows up in his dazzling, sleazy choreography. Michelle Williams is a good study of Verdon. But does she have the dancing chops necessary to sustain her role through an entire series?
The callousness of Fosse is apparent as he casually dismisses performers, and he is the dirty old man, constantly leering and on the lookout not only for fresh new dancing talent, but for opportunities for philandering. This is not your spokesperson for the #MeToo movement.
The programs are successful in depicting the often stormy relationship of Fosse and Verdon. In one of the most memorable moments in Episode 2, Verdon is beginning her intimate relationship with Fosse at a time when Fosse's wife, Joan McCracken, is terminally ill. A brilliant dancer in her own right as part of the ground-breaking musical "Oklahoma!", McCracken was the single most important influence on Fosse's career, persuading him to give up his misbegotten pipe dream of becoming the next Fred Astaire and encouraging him to focus on choreography and directing. In Verdon's contemplation of her conundrum of sleeping with a married man, Williams delivers a priceless reading of the line, "I can't take away a dying woman's husband," as she then proceeds to do exactly that!