"The time to sing is when your emotional level is too high to just speak anymore, and the time to dance is when your emotions are just too strong just to sing about how you feel." -Bob Fosse
I believe the quote above demonstrates not only the key fundamentals of musical theatre but also the separation of entrainment from art. I think this is exactly what made Fosses career so significant, as he understood and elevated musicals from what so many people viewed as meaningless to containing dance that grounded characters and brought musical theatre to a level that could be viewed as art.
The significant portion of Fosse's life that I am going to cover begins In 1945, when Fosse moved to New York to pursue his dance career after he graduated high school, he had his first marriage to Mary Anne Niles, which lasted from 1949–51. However, immediately after the divorce between the two, he married Joan McCracken. This second marriage ended in divorce in 1959.
However, during Fosse’s second marriage in 1953, he made his first film appearance in Kiss Me Kate, the movie musical. This was a result of being spotted in a Broadway chorus role by the director and the choreographer of the film. By the names of George Abbott and Jerome Robbins. This was well received, and it launched him into being able to create his first choreographed work in 1954. The Pyjama Game, where his signature and controversial dance style and its Vaudeville influences were first visible to the public, also featuring Gwen Verdon, an individual who will become significant later in Fosse’s life.
From the point after The Pyjama Game, Bob Fosse's career skyrocketed. In 1955, his controversial music style continued to intrigue and connect with audiences in the famous musical Damn Yankees. That yet again stars Verdon. Even winning her first Tony as a result of the show. Only 2 years later, in 1997, Verdon won her second Tony Award in another show directed by Bob Fosse, New Girl in Town. Both of the aforementioned films were also directed by George Abbott, the original director who spotted Fosse in his Broadway chorus role.
The build-up to the peak in Fosse's career gained traction, with one of the most significant moments being his third film starring Gwen Verdon, the 1960 musical hit, Redhead. That won a total of five Tony Awards and a plethora of different aspects, including choreography. Later in October of that year, Fosse married Gwen Verdon, the beloved Broadway and film star. This marriage lasted for the rest of Fosse's life and resulted in the birth of their daughter, Nicole Providence Fosse, in 1963. Who in her life was featured in A Chorus Line and All That Jazz.
His prolific work continued, including his wonderfully directed and choreographed show, Sweet Charity. Yet again, starring Verdon, Fosse's now wife. He also directed the later film adaptation of Sweet Charity in 1969. Then, in February of 1972, Bob Fosse choreographed one of his most famous works, Cabaret, with music by Kander and Ebb; he even went on to direct the film starring Liza Minnelli. This film went on to win eight Academy Awards. He then went on in October 1972 to choreograph Liza with a Z, a variety show starring Liza Minnelli on NBC. This show's choreography won an Emmy Award. Making Fosse the first person to win an award in all the entertainment mediums (stage, film, and TV.), Then, in late October, he did the choreography and directed Pippin. His strong artistic vision was becoming even more clear as, during this production, arguments with other creatives such as Stephen Schwartz took place. However, clearly, it paid off, as the show won five Tonys and was historic for Broadway.
It was the highest-earning show on Broadway at the time and the first show to advertise on TV.
In 1975, Chicago was not only choreographed and directed by Fosse but also had the book developed in part by him. However, here, Fosse suffered his first heart attack during the rehearsals. At the same time, Fosse’s wife also had to undergo vocal surgery, as she allegedly swallowed confetti during a rehearsal. Despite this, he created All That Jazz and two other partially autobiographical dance films in 1979. However, in 1987, Fosse suffered from his second heart attack in a rehearsal of the Sweet Charity revival and did not survive.
So clearly, the life of Bob Fosse changed not only Broadway forever but also influenced many others, such as Michael Jackson, Fred Astaire, Beyonce, and Lady Gaga. I promise if you look at modern dance and musical theatre, you will see his signature style as jazz hands, top hats, canes, pulsed hips, and Vaudeville tone.
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