Bibliograph

Big deal, Bob Fosse and dance in the American musical, Kevin Winkler

Type

Label

Big deal, Bob Fosse and dance in the American musical, Kevin Winkler

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references and index

resource.biographical

individual biography

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Big deal

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

1000584888

Responsibility statement

Kevin Winkler

Series statement

Broadway legacies

Sub title

Bob Fosse and dance in the American musical

Summary

Bob Fosse (1927-87) is recognized as one of the most significant figures in American musical theater. With his first Broadway musical, The Pajama Game in 1954, the "Fosse style" was already fully developed, with hunched shoulders, turned in stance, and stuttering, staccato jazz movements. Fosse moved decisively into the role of director with Redhead in 1959 and was a key figure in the rise of the director-choreographer. He became the only star director of musicals of his era - a group that included Jerome Robbins, Gower Champion, Michael Kidd, and Harold Prince - to equal his Broadway success in films. Following his unprecedented triple crown of awards in 1973 (an Oscar® for Cabaret, Emmy® for Liza With a Z, and Tony® for Pippin), Fosse assumed control of virtually every element of his projects. But when at last he had achieved complete autonomy, his final projects, the film Star 80 and the musical Big Deal, both written and directed by Fosse, were rejected by audiences and critics. A fascinating look at the evolution of Fosse as choreographer and director, Big Deal considers Fosse's career in the context of changes in the Broadway musical theater over four decades. It traces his early dance years and the importance of early mentors George Abbott and Jerome Robbins on his work. It examines how each of the important women in his adult life - all dancers - impacted his career and influenced his dance aesthetic. Finally, the book investigates how his evolution as both artist and individual mirrored the social and political climate of his era and allowed him to comfortably ride a wave of cultural changes. -- from dust jacket

Table Of Contents

Boy dancer -- Apprenticeship -- Uncle Sam rag -- Comic relief -- Rhythm of life -- Willkommen -- An anecdotic revue -- Keep it hot -- Dancin' solo -- Dance of death -- Control

Classification