I originally thought I was going to spread this out of two posts, because there’s certainly enough material across the 8 episodes that make up Fosse/Verdon (2019) to write two lengthy posts about Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon’s very entwined professional and personal lives. However, when I sat down to write a post about the costuming in this miniseries, I realized it would barely qualify for the word-and-image minimum to be considered a decent post by Frock Flick standards (yes, contrary to popular belief, we do have those).
It’s not that Fosse/Verdon isn’t an engaging piece of television — it most certainly did deserve all the awards it scooped up. And it’s not that the costumes aren’t well done — they absolutely are well done. Costumer Melissa Toth pulled together outfits that stepped right out of the 1950s through 1970s in all their polyester glory. It’s just that when we start to really dig into a frock flick usually there are at least 3 or 4 standout costumes that are worth discussing. In the case of Fosse/Verdon, there weren’t really any standouts. Everything looked perfectly on point for the period, but much of it was leotards or leisure suits, which aren’t exactly interesting, you know?
So, in case you don’t know who Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon were, here’s your very brief synopsis: Fosse was probably the biggest influence in Broadway choreography in the last 60 years. We are still very much indebted to his style and considering that every few years another show of his gets trotted out for a revival, or made into a feature length film, his influence is not likely to be leaving us anytime soon. Gwen Verdon, for her part, was also a huge influence on modern musical theater, and later when she teamed up with Fosse, helped evolve his style into what we now think of as the quintessential Fosse choreography. The two had a messy personal life from the get-go, with Fosse leaving his terminally ill wife for the vibrant Verdon who was burning up Broadway with a string of hits. Later on, their relationship ebbed and flowed in a fairly predictable pattern: Fosse continued to womanize, Verdon would kick him out, they’d reconcile over a project, lather, rinse, repeat. Even when they separated, they never divorced, and Verdon was there with Fosse when he suffered a fatal heart attack in 1987.
The iconic dance routine from Damn Yankees was recreated in Fosse/Verdon.
If you need an even briefer synopsis, I recommend watching Broadway Barbara’s Fosse Dance Tutorials on YouTube. Hell, go and watch it even if you already know all about Bob Fosse. It’s worth a chuckle.
In terms of Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams’ performances as the couple, both are fantastic, but it’s really Williams that I felt truly embodied the human side of their relationship. Indeed, she scooped up an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her performance of Gwen Verdon. Rockwell, despite not being formally trained in dance, is a natural dancer (he’s known for his dance routines in pretty much every film he’s ever been in), and he does a solid job portraying Bob Fosse, but the material didn’t really interrogate his shitty behavior. This is something that really hacks me off in biographical films about male artists in particular. For as much as I empathized with Gwen Verdon’s decision to stick with her dirtbag husband, the film never really convinced me that a relationship with Bob Fosse was worth fighting for.
Have you seen Fosse/Verdon (2019)? Tell us what you think in the comments!
After seeing this, as fun as it was, I still thin All That Jazz did a better job of showing the relationship.
One of my favorite films of all time (it doesn’t hurt that I adore Roy Scheider). :)
I’m a Verdon fan, having watched “Damn Yankees” about 7 times on television as a kid, and thought the series was pretty successful, with the reservations you mentioned. It also captured the feel of their NYC social milieu, and the costumes just melted into it, which was fine with me.
Note that Fosse, like Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor, was brought up in a hypersexualized world (he was dancing professionally in burlesque joints as a teenager; not an excuse, just a possible reason). I’ve also wondered how envious he might have been of Verdon’s charm and audiences’ love for her. Of course Fosse was a brilliant dancer, but he’s kind of bland on film–strange, considering how flamboyant he was in person.
Nicole Fosse was a consultant for the series, so that might also be why her father’s behavior with women was toned down. She also allowed the costume design team to borrow her mother’s jewelry so it could be replicated.