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Bob Fosse
Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American choreographer, dancer, filmmaker, and stage director. Known for his work on stage and screen, he is arguably the most influential figure in the field of jazz dance in the twentieth century. He received List of awards and nominations received by Bob Fosse, numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, nine Tony Awards, and the Palme d'Or. Fosse started his career acting in the musical productions of ''Call Me Mister'' (1947), ''Billion Dollar Baby'' (1951), and ''Pal Joey (musical), Pal Joey'' (1952). He transitioned into directing and choreographing musical works, winning Tony Awards for Tony Award for Best Choreography, choreographing ''The Pajama Game'' (1954), ''Damn Yankees'' (1955), ''Redhead (musical), Redhead'' (1959), ''Little Me (musical), Little Me'' (1963), ''Sweet Charity'' (1966), ''Pippin (musical), Pippin'' (1972), ''Dancin''' (1978), and ''Big ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pal Joey (musical)
''Pal Joey'' is a 1940 musical with a book by John O'Hara and music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. The musical is based on a character and situations O'Hara created in a series of short stories published in ''The New Yorker'', which he later published in novel form. The title character, Joey Evans, is a manipulative small-time nightclub performer whose ambitions lead him into an affair with the wealthy, middle-aged and married Vera Simpson. It includes two songs that have become standards: " I Could Write a Book" and " Bewitched (Bothered And Bewildered)". The original 1940 Broadway production was directed by George Abbott and starred Vivienne Segal and Gene Kelly. Though it received mixed reviews, the show ran for 10 months, the third-longest run of any Rodgers and Hart musical. There have been several revivals since, including a 2008–09 Broadway run, and a 1957 film adaptation starring Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth and Kim Novak. Background Author John ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Redhead (musical)
''Redhead'' is a musical with music composed by Albert Hague and lyrics by Dorothy Fields, who with her brother, Herbert, along with Sidney Sheldon and David Shaw wrote the book/libretto. Set in London in the 1880s, around the time of Jack the Ripper, the musical is a murder mystery in the setting of a wax museum. Background Herbert and Dorothy Fields wrote the musical, then titled ''The Works'' for Beatrice Lillie. When Sidney Sheldon joined the writing team, it was rewritten for Gwen Verdon, who just had two smash hits on Broadway (''Damn Yankees'' and '' New Girl in Town''). Verdon took the lead on the condition that Bob Fosse would be the director as well as choreographer, making this his debut as a director. According to Stanley Green, Verdon was at the time contracted with producers Robert Fryer and Lawrence Carr to appear in a musical written by David Shaw. The producers resolved this conflict by producing ''Redhead'' and bringing Shaw in as one of the writers. '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Academy Award For Best Director
The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award of Merit for Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibited outstanding directing while working in the film industry. The 1st Academy Awards ceremony was held in 1929 with the award being split into "Dramatic" and "Comedy" categories; Frank Borzage and Lewis Milestone won for ''7th Heaven (1927 film), 7th Heaven'' and ''Two Arabian Knights'', respectively. However, these categories were merged for all subsequent ceremonies. Nominees are determined by single transferable vote within the directors branch of AMPAS; winners are selected by a plurality (voting), plurality vote from the entire eligible voting members of the academy. For the first eleven years of the Academy Awards, directors were allowed to be nominated for multiple films in the same year. However, after the nomination of Michael Cu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sweet Charity (film)
''Sweet Charity'' is a 1969 American musical comedy-drama film directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse in his film directorial debut. It is adapted by Peter Stone from the 1966 stage musical of the same namealso directed and choreographed by Fossein turn based on the 1957 Federico Fellini film ''Nights of Cabiria.'' It stars Shirley MacLaine in the title role, a taxi dancer at a Times Square dance hall. The cast also features John McMartin, Chita Rivera, Paula Kelly, Stubby Kaye, Ricardo Montalbán, Sammy Davis Jr., and Barbara Bouchet. Ben Vereen, in his film debut, appears as a dancer. The film was released by Universal Pictures on April 1, 1969. It received a mixed critical reception, but received three Academy Award nominations - Best Score, Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. MacLaine was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her performance. Retrospective reviews have been more positive. Plot Charity Hope Valentine works as a taxi dancer along with her fri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kiss Me, Kate
''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and a book by Bella and Samuel Spewack. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off-stage between Fred Graham, the show's director, producer, and star, and his leading lady, his ex-wife Lilli Vanessi. A secondary romance concerns Lois Lane, the actress playing Bianca, and her gambler boyfriend, Bill, who runs afoul of some gangsters. The original production starred Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, Lisa Kirk and Harold Lang. ''Kiss Me, Kate'' was Porter's response to Rodgers and Hammerstein's ''Oklahoma!'' and other integrated musicals; it was the first show he wrote in which the music and lyrics were firmly connected to the script. The musical premiered in 1948 and proved to be Porter's only show to run for more than 1,000 performances on Broadway. In 1949, it won the first Tony Award for Best Musical. Conception P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chicago (musical)
''Chicago'' is a 1975 American musical with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. Set in Chicago in the Jazz Age, the musical is based on a Chicago (play), 1926 play of the same title by Maurine Dallas Watkins about actual criminals and crimes on which she reported. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal". The world premiere of the musical was a Broadway tryout from April 8, 1975, to May 3, 1975, at the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia. The original Broadway theatre, Broadway production opened on June 3, 1975 at the 46th Street Theatre and ran for 936 performances, until August 27, 1977. Fosse directed and choreographed the original production, and his style is strongly identified with the show. It debuted in the West End theatre, West End in 1979, where it ran for 600 performances. ''Chicago'' was revived on Broadway in 1996, and a year later in the West End. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (musical)
''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' is a 1961 musical by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert, based on Shepherd Mead's 1952 book of the same name. The story concerns young, ambitious J. Pierrepont Finch, who, with the help of the book ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', rises from window washer to chairman of the board of the World Wide Wicket Company. The musical, starring Robert Morse and Rudy Vallée, opened at the 46th Street Theatre on Broadway in October 1961, running for 1,417 performances. The show won seven Tony Awards, the New York Drama Critics' Circle award, and the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. In 1967, a film based on the musical was released by United Artists, with Morse, Vallee, Sammy Smith, and Ruth Kobart re-creating their stage roles. A 1995 revival was mounted at the same theatre as the original production (now named the Richard Rodgers Theatre). It ran for 548 performances an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New Girl In Town
''New Girl in Town'' is a musical with a book by George Abbott and music and lyrics by Bob Merrill based on Eugene O'Neill's 1921 play ''Anna Christie'', about a prostitute who tries to live down her past. ''New Girl'', unlike O'Neill's play, focuses on the jealousy of the character Marthy and on love's ability to conquer all. The musical ends far more hopefully than the play. Background The Broadway production opened on May 4, 1957 at the 46th Street Theatre, where it ran for 431 performances. The show was written as a star vehicle for Gwen Verdon, who had just had a hit with ''Damn Yankees'' and won raves for her portrayal of Anna, a role that showed off her acting, singing and dancing abilities to maximum effect. Composer Bob Merrill was at the beginning of a string of 1960s successes. ''New Girl in Town,'' produced by Frederick Brisson, Robert E. Griffith and Hal Prince, was well received by both critics and audiences. Verdon and co-star Thelma Ritter shared the Tony Awar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bells Are Ringing (musical)
''Bells Are Ringing'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Jule Styne. The story revolves around Ella, who works at an answering service, and the characters that she meets there. The main character was based on Mary Printz, who worked for Green's answering service. Three of the show's tunes, "Long Before I Knew You", " Just in Time", and " The Party's Over", became standards. Judy Holliday reprised her Broadway starring role in the 1960 film of the same name, also starring Dean Martin. Productions The original Broadway production, directed by Jerome Robbins and choreographed by Robbins and Bob Fosse, opened on November 29, 1956, at the Shubert Theatre, where it ran for slightly more than two years before transferring to the Alvin Theatre, for a total run of 924 performances. It starred Judy Holliday as Ella and Sydney Chaplin as Jeff Moss. It also featured Jean Stapleton as Sue Summers, Eddie Lawrence as Sandor, George S. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tony Award For Best Direction Of A Musical
The Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical has been given since 1960. Before 1960 there was only one award for both play direction and musical direction, then in 1960 the award was split into two categories: ''Dramatic'' and ''Musical''. Winners and nominees 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Multiple wins ;8 Wins * Harold Prince ;3 Wins * Gower Champion * Tommy Tune ;2 Wins * George Abbott * Michael Arden * Michael Bennett * Wilford Leach * Des McAnuff * Trevor Nunn * Jerome Robbins Multiple nominations ;16 Nominations * Harold Prince ;8 Nominations * Gower Champion ;7 Nominations * Scott Ellis ;6 Nominations * Bob Fosse * James Lapine * Casey Nicholaw * Trevor Nunn * Tommy Tune ;5 Nominations * Michael Bennett * Michael Greif * Des McAnuff * Jack O'Brien * Jerry Zaks ;4 Nominations * Michael Arden * Richard Maltby Jr. * Kathleen Marshall * Michael Mayer * Diane Paulus * Bartlett Sher * Susan Stroman ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Big Deal (musical)
''Big Deal'' is a musical with a book by Bob Fosse using songs from various composers such as Ray Henderson, Eubie Blake, and Jerome Kern. It was based on the 1958 film '' Big Deal on Madonna Street'' by Mario Monicelli. The musical received five Tony Award nominations, with Fosse winning for Choreography. The production was Fosse's final work, as he died the next year. Production and background After shopping the project around to various composers (including Stephen Sondheim and Peter Allen (musician), Peter Allen), Fosse eventually settled on using popular songs of the 1920s and 30s. Fosse said that by using existing songs: "I can pick the perfect songs that will say the right things, and they're known. We'll have the greatest score in the world because they're all hit songs." Fosse said of the main character, Charley: "That's my part! A swaggering bumbler who thinks he's a ladies' man, and he's not." ''Big Deal'' opened on Broadway theatre, Broadway at the Broadway Theatre (5 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dancin'
''Dancin'' is a musical revue created, directed, and choreographed by Bob Fosse and originally produced on Broadway in 1978. The plotless, dance-driven revue is a tribute to the art of dance, and the music is a collection of mostly American songs, many with a dance theme, from a wide variety of styles, from operetta to jazz to classical to marches to pop. The original production received seven 1978 Tony Award nominations, with Fosse winning for best choreography. The show received its first-ever Broadway revival in 2023, under the helm of original cast member Wayne Cilento. Concept and Development In summer 1977, with the development of his film '' All That Jazz'' on hold, Fosse decided to eschew collaborators and create a new musical without a story or script, constructed entirely from pre-existing songs, using his choreography as the "words". Fosse witnessed Michael Bennett's tremendous success with the dance-focused musical '' A Chorus Line'', but observed that it a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
