Fosse/Verdon, Gotta Dance!, and Ahmad Simmons

I’ve been on a Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon kick lately. I tried watching Fosse/Verdon when it first came out on DVD, but it didn’t have subtitles! So it wasn’t until a couple weeks ago that I finally got a chance to start watching it with subtitles.

I was reminded of the show after seeing Gotta Dance! Off-Broadway in New York several weeks ago. Every single number was incredible, and I even walked out of the theater with some unexpected favorites.

One that stood out for me was the Manson Trio section of Glory, from Pippin. Ahmad Simmons’ Leading Player made me appreciate Fosse’s choreography in a whole new way. In truth, despite being a Fosse fan, I still found myself thinking during that number “Oh, this is Fosse’s choreography! I get it now!” Fosse’s choreography is extremely difficult to pull off: Make the moves too wide/broad, and you lose the precision and specificity of what makes Fosse, Fosse; make them too small, and their impact is lost. Mr. Simmons balanced that perfectly. Every punch was calculated, but landed exactly how it should have. His use of facial expressions also gave the choreography a personality that I haven’t seen in other versions. At the performance I went to, his changing expressions punctuating certain moments made the audience laugh. It was perfect in the context of Glory: As the trio dances, the violent war is silently playing out behind them. Dark humor is the trademark of a lot of war content (see: Stalag 17, Jojo Rabbit,  Catch-22), and Mr. Simmons’ interpretation of the Manson Trio conveys this better than any other version. On one hand, he alleviates the seriousness of the situation, but on the other hand, he also reminds us of our own humanity (or is it lack thereof?) as we remember we’re laughing in the middle of a tragedy.

Anyways, during the intermission, I was reading Mr. Simmons’ biography in the playbill and saw that he was in Fosse/Verdon. My first thought was “of course he was!” How could he not have been? It would have been such a missed opportunity to not have cast him. I’m sure glad they did!

So when I got home, I found Fosse/Verdon with subtitles. (I normally prefer physical media, but sometimes streaming services do come in handy!) The first thing I did was find Mr. Simmons’ version of the Manson Trio. I was a bit disappointed that the scene is interspersed with dialogue between Bob and Gwen and frequently cuts away from the dancing. I would love another chance to watch his version again straight through. If anyone is aware of a video out there of them rehearsing it, I’d love to see it!

I did go back and start the show from the beginning, and I’m loving it so far. Each episode focuses on a specific musical (Cabaret, Damn Yankees, Chicago etc.), paralleling Fosse’s and Verdon’s life and work. It’s a bit depressing, given the nature of their personal lives, but it’s also a celebration of their work together and their incredible achievements.

I’m letting myself take it slow and enjoy the show without binging it all at once. I honestly haven’t even gotten to episode 4 yet (titled “Glory,” after the number in Pippin), but I’ve watched the end of that one several times already. Sadly, Gotta Dance! closed early, but you can see Ahmad Simmons' wonderful performances in this episode. And I'm hopeful that we'll see the wonderful company of Gotta Dance! in another iteration of this show again soon.