Today we celebrate the half century anniversary of Tony Award winning American musical Sweet Charity.
In January 1966, The Nederlanders turned New York City’s famed Palace Theatre into a legitimate theatrical stage for the opening of Sweet Charity conceived, staged and choreographed by Bob Fosse starring Gwen Verdon.
Gwen Verdon played the title role of Charity Hope Valentine, a taxi dancer at a dance hall called the “Fan-Dango Ballroom” in Times Square, New York City.
On the Riviera, 1951 20th Century Fox, directed by Walter Lang
Please join Verdon Fosse Legacy Wednesday, January 20, 7pm at the All That Jack (Cole) MOMA film series for a screening of On the Riviera with introduction by Nicole Fosse.
On the Riviera, 1951 starring Danny Kaye, Gene Tierney, Corinne Calvet, and Gwen Verdon. 89 min.
Though unbilled in the main credits, Cole protégée Gwen Verdon features prominently in this dance-rich Fox Technicolor movie, as she leads nominal star Danny Kaye on a world-dance tour that includes Cole’s signature version of Hindu jazz in “Rhythm of a New Romance.” Cole’s dark side surfaces in the creepy, pseudo-whimsical “Popo the Puppet.” As Busby Berkeley had done 20 years earlier, Cole completely commandeers the mise en scène from the mediocre director of record for an amazing finale, aptly titled “Happy Ending.”
Gwen Verdon & Danny Kaye in On the Riviera, 1951The choreographer Jack Cole (American, 1911–1974) stands Continue reading
Lyceum’s got Fosse’s ghostby Cindy Adams as published New York Post, Monday, April 6, 2015 page 14
The Great White Way’s attracting great white visitors. Continue reading
All this week the Fosse Master Class Series is taking on learning The Frug from Bob Fosse’s Sweet Charity at Manhattan Movement and Art….Today the morning session was graced with Fosse veterans Carolyn Kirsch and Penny Worth sitting in on the class. Just next door Donna McKecknie, Baayork Lee, and Margo Sappington were filming their signature number from Promises Promises…Turkey Lurky Time. All three ladies stopped by class for a quick run through of what Lloyd Culbreath and Valarie Pettiford had taught the “Fosse Kids” so far. Just another day of Broadway legends…..OMG!!!!!
Cast bronze circular medallion reading “Living Legend” first bestowed in April of 2000 to Gwen Verdon from the “Library of Congress” during its bicentennial celebration, having a fabric red, white, and blue neck ribbon. Housed within a custom-made mahogany square wooden box with dark blue felt interior lining.
Established during its bicentennial celebration in 2000, the Library of Congress’ “Living Legend” award is selected by Continue reading
Singer (X-Men, Jack the Giant Killer) is slated to direct the project, which is to be a feature-length film designed for the premium cable network. Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, the duo behind movies such as Hairspray and Chicago, is exec producing with Singer. Nicole Fosse, daughter of Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon, will serve as Executive Co-Producer.
The project, now untitled and in early development, will be a co-production with Sony Television.
An actor, dancer, choreographer and stage and screen director, Fosse presented a version of his life in his autobiographical 1979 feature All That Jazz. That Oscar-winning film starred Roy Scheider as a hard-living choreographer/director determined to push the envelope.
After several early film appearances in such movies as Kiss Me Kate, Fosse moved to Broadway, where he choreographed such shows as The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees. On Yankees, he met his future wife, dancer Gwen Verdon.
Fosse created his own, immediately recognized jazz dance style, full of bowler hats, jazz hands, angular hip thrusts and shrugging shoulders.
On Broadway, he went on to direct and choreograph such shows as Redhead, Sweet Charity, Pippin and Chicago.
He made his film debut as a director with the 1969 movie version of Sweet Charity, starring Shirley MacLaine. His second feature, Cabaret, won eight Oscars, including best director and best picture. In addition to All That Jazz, his other feature credits include Lenny, which starred Dustin Hoffman as comedian Lenny Bruce, and Star 80, in which Mariel Hemingway played murdered Playboy centerfold Dorothy Stratten.
On National Dance Day, July 28th 2012, the U.S. Postal Service paid tribute to four influential choreographers who changed the art of dance: Isadora Duncan, José Limón, Katherine Dunham, and Bob Fosse. Designed to look like posters advertising a performance, the stamp art captures the luminosity and mystery of a live dance performance.
Bob Fosse, celebrated for directing and choreographing musicals on both stage and screen, is shown on the set of Sweet Charity (1969). Fosse received one Oscar, three Emmys, and nine Tony awards during his career. Yet perhaps his greatest contribution was in making dance accessible to millions.
Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamps using illustrations by James McMullan, widely known for his work for Lincoln Center Theater in New York City.
The Innovative Choreographers stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.
