Gwen Verdon: the greatest show dancer of them all
There’s a new TV series out entitled “Fosse/Verdon,” that follows the lives and times of Broadway choreographer/director/dancer Bob Fosse and Broadway dancer (and choreographic collaborator) Gwen Verdon, who were husband and wife and had a tumultuous relationship. It’s not as though Fosse’s infidelities were previously much of a secret, either; he mined the same material (his life) in his own 1979 film “All That Jazz.”
Ah, but that was forty years ago, and a new generation (or two) has come up since then, who might be interested in this legendary pair. From what I’ve seen of the few very short clips from the show (episodes of which I’ll probably start watching, because I’m very curious), the cast does a valiant job of impersonating highly idiosyncratic and essentially unique personalities. It helps if you don’t remember the originals, particularly Verdon, who was one of my favorite and perhaps my very favorite dancer-singer-actress of all time.
Watching a short promo video for the show (embedding it doesn’t work, so you’ll have to click on the link), I see that Michelle Williams tries really hard as Verdon and probably does as well as any person possibly could do. But no one, no one, can be Verdon, whose way of movement was unique. Every corpuscle and cell of Verdon’s body danced, particularly her upper body, every muscle moving in a way that seemed simultaneously sinuous, sexy, happy, enormously entertaining, and tongue-in-cheek at the same time. I’ve never seen anything like it. She may have been the most charming person who ever lived, at least on stage.
Unfortunately there aren’t too many clips of her dancing. This one is of her famous “Whatever Lola Wants” number in the film “Damn Yankees,” but unfortunately the clip is distorted and she looks somewhat thinner than in real life. In real life she was slender but perfect; here she borders on skinny, which Verdon never was. It perfectly showcases her combination of sex and self-mockery (and Tab Hunter is not supposed to be gay in this scene, by the way; he’s supposed to be resistant because he’s actually married and wants to remain faithful to his wife)
Here’s a clip of Verdon I’d never seen before. It demonstrates her absolutely extraordinary versatility. Here she does an English vaudeville turn, singing a tongue-twister song effortlessly (complete with British accent) while dancing in a comic vaudeville style, acting too, and then increasing the already-fast speed in the last minute, all the while clad in a baggy suit that doesn’t show her famous body but doesn’t stop her from being her fabulously attractive self. Enjoy!
I bet they don’t try to recreate that number in Fosse/Verdon. If they do and manage to do it at all well, my hat is off (to coin a Fosse-appropriate metaphor) to them.
ADDENDUM:
I have to add this clip. It was Gwen dancing with Debbie Allen on the TV show “Fame.” This episode was apparently filmed in 1982, so since Verdon was born in 1925, she would have been 57 years old in this clip. As far as I’m concerned, she dances rings around the much younger (32) Allen in terms of style and fluidity:
Whatever
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xf8-08RkS8
Whatever
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKQ5pS2y_o4
Thanks for posting these, Neo! That number from, “Damn Yankees” is one of my favorites! I really like the musical on its own, but had always seen that number played straight; sultry and seductive. Verdon’s version broke me up the first time when I saw it, and I’ve watched a dozen times since discovering it. The first time I saw it I showed it to Mrs. Firefly, who also likes the musical, and like me, she was shocked. When I saw it I was reminded of her (also a ginger) and without even mentioning it she noticed right away. She dances around like that all the time. Mrs. Firefly is one of those people who is gorgeous, but doesn’t know it, so she’s uncomfortable in situations where her beauty is on display and uses humor to feel comfortable. She also has a great sense of humor. So, not only is it a great performance, but it holds a special place for me because of the connection with my wife.
Loved the vaudeville clip; what was the show it came from?
I fear that Ms. Allen was somewhat handicapped in the visual department by her costume, which might have come from a tag sale by Mr. Tumnus.
Thanks Neo. Isn’t she Wonderful!
Fabulous post! Thanks…
Thanks for adding the “Fame” clip. I have no dance expertise but, when Verdon is side by side with the other dancer, even I can see what you mean about the extraordinary way she moved. Compared with the other dancer, even at 57, Verdon’s lightness and fluidity and easy grace is unmistakable.
Wonderful!
Today – Sass.
Not so long ago – Class.
(Perhaps why the Dems hate Trump so much – he’s got far far far more Sass yet they don’t show any better class, tho they claim both.)
Every corpuscle and cell of Verdon’s body danced, particularly her upper body, every muscle moving in a way that seemed simultaneously sinuous, sexy, happy, enormously entertaining, and tongue-in-cheek at the same time. I’ve never seen anything like it. She may have been the most charming person who ever lived, at least on stage.
As I was watching, the sexy-happy dancing was exiting, thrilling, sexy, happy. It does seems she loved dancing, and her love of it shows. Something I think may gay performers seem to have, a love of themselves plus a love of showing themselves off. Often fantastic.
Ack, typo alert. ARE unmistakable.
WRT the last piece” Verdon is good…..but is there a set up? The other dancer doesn’t get the good moves; only the difficult ones. Or she makes them look difficult.
Verdon looks at the other dancer and smiles while dancing, which gives the appearance of casual, unstudied, spontaneous excellence.
As neo has said wrt ballet, there are great dance moves and there are great athletic moves and the two are not the same.
Looks to me as if the two categories were not divided equally.
Not to say she wasn’t an excellent dancer, but this piece seemed….unfair.
Richard Aubrey:
Each dancer got the moves suited to her strengths and her style. Debbie Allen was a sharp, aggressive, percussive type of dancer, and this showcased that. She wasn’t fluid or graceful. If you look for other videos of her that’s what you’ll see. If Allen had been doing Verdon’s moves, it wouldn’t have looked like much, because it requires a certain style to pull it off. Verdon was the exemplar of her own particular style. The simplest things looked easy and great when she did them, and the complex things looked easy and great when she did them.
“All That Jazz”
Great movie. Along with Equus, A Little Romance, and The Silent Partner, one of the more underappreciated films of the 70s.
The “Fosse/Verdon” series is well done and powerful, and it also elicits a strong sense of sorrow in both me and my wife. So much so that we always have to clear our heads by following up with a ballet DVD.
Superior talent and creativity! They both gave the world fabulous entertainment and joy. But their personal stories are fraught with pain, as are practically all the great artists through history.
“But their personal stories are fraught with pain, as are practically all the great artists through history.”
I’m not convinced of the accuracy of the tortured artist archetype. Bach had a pretty normal life.
Loved “All that Jazz.” Roy Schneider is under appreciated.
No reflection on Debbie Allen’s talents as a dancer, but she tends to go over-the-top in her movements. Gwen is right, simplicity is the key. Make the audience focus on the little movements, and put in some stillness, some pauses to the action.
Miss Verdon’s got lots more verve!
And boy, does she sell the number.
And did you see that high kick! –Why, nothin’ to it. 🙂
Many thanks, especially for the last one.