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It’s the weekend!
Today would have been the 99th birthday of dancer Gwen Verdon, best known for her collaborations with choreographer and second husband, Bob Fosse.
The thing to understand about Fosse is that he was an incredible perfectionist and although his dancing was very slouchy, jazzy and casual, it was incredibly precise — like, every single movement, down to the pinkies was choreographed. Verdon, really, was one of the few who were able to perfectly execute his vision. This was particularly impressive given the fact that she suffered from rickets as a child and nicknamed “Gimpy” by the other children.
It remains one of the great crimes against humanity that she did not reprise her Broadway role as Charity Hope Valentine in the movie version of Sweet Charity, which ended up starring Shirley Maclaine (love her, obviously, but it was Verdon’s role).
Anyway! To celebrate this day, I am bestowing upon you several of Verdon’s best performances, or at least my favorites.
This one from Damn Yankees, which Verdon actually did get to do the movie version of, is a duet with Fosse (the only dance the two ever did together in a movie) and honestly one of the most complex numbers in the musical theater canon. Even their eyeballs are choreographed.
Fosse and Verdon actually met doing the original Broadway production of the show together, in which Verdon originated the role of Lola.
Verdon also originated the role of Roxie Hart in Chicago — here she is doing “All That Jazz” with the always fabulous Chita Rivera.
And here she is performing “Mexican Breakfast” on The Ed Sullivan Show — better known to modern audiences as the “Single Ladies” dance.
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