Fosse
Encyclopedia
Fosse is a three-act musical
revue
showcasing the choreography
of Bob Fosse
. After 21 previews, the original Broadway
production, conceived and directed by Richard Maltby, Jr.
and Ann Reinking
and choreographed by Reinking and Chet Walker, opened on January 14, 1999 at the Broadhurst Theatre
, where it ran for 1093 performances.
In 2002, Fosse, featuring Reinking and Ben Vereen
, was aired as part of the Great Performances
series on PBS
television. A London production opened at the West End
Prince of Wales Theatre
on February 8, 2000 and closed January 6, 2001.
The musical did not recreate the musical numbers as originally presented but instead had primarily black-and-white costumes (including the all-important hats), set against a simple setting. Reviewer Ben Brantley
describes the show as a "bookless three-act show, which has no identifying narrative or standard chronology... [with] particular physical vocabulary...the pigeon-toed stance, the cocked wrists, the twitching bums, the inwardly turned knees, accessorized with the essential white gloves and black bowlers."
Act II
Act III
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
showcasing the choreography
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
of Bob Fosse
Bob Fosse
Robert Louis “Bob” Fosse was an American actor, dancer, musical theater choreographer, director, screenwriter, film editor and film director. He won an unprecedented eight Tony Awards for choreography, as well as one for direction...
. After 21 previews, the original 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...
production, conceived and directed by Richard Maltby, Jr.
Richard Maltby, Jr.
Richard Eldridge Maltby, Jr. is an American theatre director and producer, lyricist, and screenwriter. He is also well known as a constructor of cryptic crossword puzzles. He has done this for Harper's Magazine, sometimes in collaboration with E. R...
and Ann Reinking
Ann Reinking
Ann Reinking is an American actress, dancer, and choreographer. She has worked extensively in musical theatre, both as a dancer and choreographer, as well as appearing in film.-Biography:...
and choreographed by Reinking and Chet Walker, opened on January 14, 1999 at the Broadhurst Theatre
Broadhurst Theatre
The Broadhurst Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 235 West 44th Street in midtown Manhattan.It was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp, a well-known theatre designer who had been working directly with the Shubert brothers; the Broadhurst opened 27 September 1917...
, where it ran for 1093 performances.
In 2002, Fosse, featuring Reinking and Ben Vereen
Ben Vereen
Ben Vereen is an American actor, dancer, and singer who has appeared in numerous Broadway theatre shows. Vereen graduated from Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts.- Early years :...
, was aired as part of the Great Performances
Great Performances
Great Performances, a television series devoted to the performing arts, has been telecast on Public Broadcasting Service public television since 1972...
series on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
television. A London production opened at the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
Prince of Wales Theatre
Prince of Wales Theatre
The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre on Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in the City of Westminster. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner...
on February 8, 2000 and closed January 6, 2001.
The musical did not recreate the musical numbers as originally presented but instead had primarily black-and-white costumes (including the all-important hats), set against a simple setting. Reviewer Ben Brantley
Ben Brantley
Benjamin D. "Ben" Brantley is an American journalist and the chief theater critic of The New York Times.-Life and career:...
describes the show as a "bookless three-act show, which has no identifying narrative or standard chronology... [with] particular physical vocabulary...the pigeon-toed stance, the cocked wrists, the twitching bums, the inwardly turned knees, accessorized with the essential white gloves and black bowlers."
Musical numbers
Act I- "Life is Just a Bowl of CherriesLife Is Just a Bowl of Cherries"Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries" is a popular song with music by Ray Henderson and lyrics by Buddy G. DeSylva and Lew Brown, published in 1931. The song was revived in 1953 by singer Jaye P...
" (from Big Deal) - "Fosse's World"
- "Bye Bye BlackbirdBye Bye Blackbird"Bye, Bye, Blackbird" is a song published in 1926 by the American composer Ray Henderson and lyricist Mort Dixon. It is considered a popular standard and was first recorded by Gene Austin in 1926.- Song information :...
" (from Liza with a ZLiza with a ZLiza with a ‘Z’. A Concert for Television is a 1972 concert film, made for television and starring Liza Minnelli. The film was produced by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse. As well as producing, Fosse also directed and choreographed the concert, and Ebb wrote and arranged the music with his song-writing...
) - "From the Edge" (from Dancin'Dancin'Dancin' is a musical revue first produced in 1978, directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, who won a Tony Award for the choreography. The show is a tribute to the art of dance, and the music is a collection of mostly American songs, many with a dance theme from a wide variety of styles, from...
) - "Percussion 4" (from Dancin')
- "Big SpenderBig Spender"Big Spender" is a song written by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields for the musical Sweet Charity, first performed in 1966. It is sung, in the musical, by the dance hostess "girls"; it was choreographed by Bob Fosse for the Broadway musical and the film...
" (from Sweet CharitySweet CharitySweet Charity is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon. It is based on Federico Fellini's screenplay for Nights of Cabiria...
) - "Crunchy Granola Suite" (from Dancin)
- "From This Moment OnFrom This Moment On (Cole Porter song)"From This Moment On" is a 1951 popular song written by Cole Porter, for his musical Out of This World, where it was dropped, but included in MGM's Kiss Me Kate of 1953...
" (from Kiss Me, KateKiss Me, KateKiss Me, Kate is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It is structured as a play within a play, where the interior play is a musical version of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The original production starred Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, Lisa Kirk and Harold Lang.Kiss...
) - "Transition" (inspired by RedheadRedhead (musical)Redhead is a musical with music composed by Albert Hague and lyrics by Dorothy Fields, who with her brother, Herbert, along with Sidney Sheldon and David Shaw wrote the book/libretto...
) - "I Wanna Be a Dancin' Man" (from Dancin)
Act II
- "Shoeless Joe Ballet" (from Damn YankeesDamn YankeesDamn Yankees is a musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during a time when the New York Yankees dominated Major League...
) - "Dancing in the Dark"
- "Steam HeatSteam Heat"Steam Heat" is a show tune from the 1954 musical The Pajama Game, written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross.The best-known recording was done by Patti Page...
" (from The Pajama GameThe Pajama GameThe Pajama Game is a musical based on the novel 7½ Cents by Richard Bissell. It features a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story deals with labor troubles in a pajama factory, where worker demands for a seven-and-a-half cents raise are going unheeded...
) - "I Gotcha" (from Liza With a Z)
- "Rich Man's Frug" (from Sweet Charity)
- "Transition: Silky Thoughts"
- "Cool Hand Luke" (from a 1968 Bob HopeBob HopeBob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
television) - "Dancin' Dan (Me and My Shadow)" (from Dancin)
- "Nowadays/The Hot Honey Rag" (from ChicagoChicago (musical)Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
)
Act III
- "Glory" (from PippinPippin (musical)Pippin is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Roger O. Hirson. Bob Fosse, who directed the original Broadway production, also contributed to the libretto...
) - "Manson Trio" (from Pippin)
- "Mein Herr" (from CabaretCabaret (musical)Cabaret is a musical based on a book written by Christopher Isherwood, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The 1966 Broadway production became a hit and spawned a 1972 film as well as numerous subsequent productions....
) - "Take Off with Us/Three Pas de Deux" (from All That JazzAll That JazzAll That Jazz is a 1979 American musical film directed by Bob Fosse. The screenplay by Robert Alan Aurthur and Fosse is a semi-autobiographical fantasy based on aspects of Fosse's life and career as dancer, choreographer and director. The film was inspired by Bob Fosse's manic effort to edit his...
) - "Razzle Dazzle" (from Chicago)
- "Who's Sorry Now?Who's Sorry Now?"Who's Sorry Now?" is a popular song with music written by Ted Snyder and lyrics by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. It was published in 1923."Who's Sorry Now?" was featured in the Marx Brothers film A Night in Casablanca , directed by Archie Mayo and released by United Artists.The song has been...
" (from All that Jazz) - "There's Gonna Be Some Changes Made" (from All that Jazz)
- "Mr. BojanglesMr. Bojangles (song)Mr. Bojangles is the title of a song originally written and recorded by American country music artist Jerry Jeff Walker for his 1968 album of the same title...
" (from Dancin) - "Life is Just a Bowl of CherriesLife Is Just a Bowl of Cherries"Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries" is a popular song with music by Ray Henderson and lyrics by Buddy G. DeSylva and Lew Brown, published in 1931. The song was revived in 1953 by singer Jaye P...
" (Reprise) - "Sing, Sing, SingSing, Sing, Sing"Sing, Sing, Sing " is a 1936 song, written by Louis Prima and first recorded by him with the New Orleans Gang and released in March 1936 as a 78 as Brunswick 7628 . It is strongly identified with the big band and swing eras. It was covered by Fletcher Henderson and most famously Benny Goodman...
" (from Dancin) - Curtain Call: "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the BarBeat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar"Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" is a song written in 1940 by Don Raye, with credit given to Ray McKinley. It follows the American boogie-woogie tradition of syncopated piano music. The song was first recorded in 1940 by the Will Bradley orchestra, with Freddie Slack on piano...
" (from Big Deal)
Principal cast
- Ann ReinkingAnn ReinkingAnn Reinking is an American actress, dancer, and choreographer. She has worked extensively in musical theatre, both as a dancer and choreographer, as well as appearing in film.-Biography:...
(replacement) - Bebe NeuwirthBebe NeuwirthBeatrice "Bebe" Neuwirth is an American actress, singer and dancer. She has worked in television and is known for her portrayal of Dr. Lilith Sternin, Dr. Frasier Crane's wife , on both the TV sitcom Cheers , and its spin-off Frasier...
(replacement) - Ben VereenBen VereenBen Vereen is an American actor, dancer, and singer who has appeared in numerous Broadway theatre shows. Vereen graduated from Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts.- Early years :...
(replacement) - Desmond RichardsonDesmond RichardsonDesmond Richardson is co-founder and co-artistic director of Complexions Contemporary Ballet. He has mastered a wide range of dance forms including classical, modern, and contemporary.- Life and career :...
- Elizabeth ParkinsonElizabeth ParkinsonElizabeth Parkinson is an American stage actress and dancer. She is best known for playing Brenda in the original production of the musical Movin' Out. For this performance she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for...
- Holly CruikshankHolly CruikshankHolly Cruikshank is an American dancer, born June 18, 1973, in Fountain Hills, Arizona. She is best known for her role as Brenda in the Billy Joel/Twyla Tharp musical Movin' Out, but she has also danced lead roles in two other Tony-award winning Broadway musicals: Fosse and Contact...
- Scott WiseScott Wise-Life and career:Although a life-trained dancer, Wise first became seriously interested in dance as a career while studying to become an accountant. He performed with the Joffrey II, then moved into musical theater in the early 1980s after auditioning for A Chorus Line "as a dare more than...
- Valarie PettifordValarie PettifordValarie Pettiford is an American stage and television actress, dancer, and jazz singer. She received a Tony nomination for her role in the broadway production Fosse. She is also known for her role as "Big Dee Dee" Thorne on the UPN sitcom Half & Half.-Stage:Pettiford began her career as a dancer...
- Jane Lanier
- Meg Gillentine
Awards and nominations
- Tony AwardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Musical (winner) - Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Desmond Richardson and Scott Wise, nominees)
- Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Valarie Pettiford, nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Costume Design (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Lighting Design (winner)
- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Orchestrations (winner)
- Drama Desk AwardDrama Desk AwardThe Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Jane Lanier, nominee) - Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical (nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical Revue (winner)
- Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical (winner)