The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
#0The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 6:58pm
Just curious what some of you think was the ultimate role that the legendary Gwen Verdon created. I know there are some people here and on other boards who were lucky enough to see her in Sweet Charity and Chicago.
Claudine - Can-Can (1953) * Tony win Best Featured Actress
Lola - Damn Yankees (1955) * Tony win Best Actress
Anna - The New Girl In Town (1957) * Tony win Best Actress
Essie Whimple - Redhead (1959) * Tony win Best Actress
Charity Hope Valentine - Sweet Charity (1966)*Tony Nom Best Actress
Roxie Hart - Chicago (1975) * Tony Nom Best Actress
It would seem to me that Charity was her ultimate role - I feel it was the role she was most associated with. I also think Roxie and Lola two other roles of hers that we ususally hear about. I will say though - her voice was much stronger in her earlier roles - she showed some range in those roles. I think with Charity you could hear her voice weakened a little.
So since I have such a growing love for this woman, and I truly consider her one of the Broadway's best leading ladies ever - I was wondering what you guys felt was Gwen Verdon's Ultimate role?
Updated On: 7/7/05 at 06:58 PM
MargoChanning
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/5/04
#2re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 7:09pm
I agree that Charity was probably the ultimate Verdon role. Can-Can put her on the map. Lola made her a star, but it's actually a fairly small lead role. I'm sure she was great in Redhead and New Girl In Town, but those shows are never revived and really were just showcases for her and Fosse. Roxie was her farewell and a great role, but so much of the stage time is shared with Velma and the other characters.
Charity is fairly iconic and became very identified with her. A killer role, she was on stage most of the time and is her most memorable star turn. Also, songs like "If My Friends Could See Me Now" and "I'm A Brass Band," due in part to her performing them on Ed Sullivan and other places, became almost theme songs for her and will always be associated with her performance of them.
"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie
[http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/]
"The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney
#3re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 7:20pmI was hoping for your input on this - Margo. You've brought up some fabulous points. Do you think Can-Can, Redhead, or New Girl In Town - would ever be revived? Or are they pretty much dated at this point?
#4re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 7:25pmThis may be difficult for you Margo - but who would you say are your top 3 female performers?
#5re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 7:28pm
I'm so happy you mentioned Ed Sullivan; I remember how important he could be to the success of a show, and not only musicals; he often had straight plays do scenes; can you imagine? I remember seeing Robert Preston do a part from "All the Way Home"! As Margo mentioned in other threads, in those days, theater on Broadway was far more local, and so Sullivan brought theater to the country.
ljay--I asked Margo the same questions in aanother thread; apparently, Redhead" and "new Girl" were pretty much just vehicles for Verdon/Fosse.
Updated On: 7/7/05 at 07:28 PM
#6re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 7:30pm
agreed...and Verdon is also very strongly associated with the role of Charity! Alas, many of us were not lucky enough to have seen her performance in that show and as far as I know, there is no record of her performance in that role, other than talk show clips. Is that true?
Also, does anyone know if Verdon herself considered Charity her best/favorite role? Or was there another role she enjoyed more, whether or not the show was successful?
"My dreams, watching me said, one to the other...this life has let us down."
#7re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 7:33pmI have her singing songs from Sweet Charity - I think from a lp though
#8re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 7:33pmThe Museum of Television ad Radio in NYC has all the stuff she did from the Sullivan show. Some of these are kinescopes, and others are tape. She was on with Charity, for sure, and I believe at least one other time (Damn Yankees)?
Roxie_Hart
Understudy Joined: 9/12/04
#9re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 7:45pm
I'm going to also say Charity, and not only because that was her come-back in a sense after taking time off to have her baby, but because it was also her favorite (or so I was told by her nephew). It's so nice to see her name come up in a thread, because while I have never seen her perform live (I'm 19), I would easily call her my favorite Broadway performer.
(And -- shameless plug -- I also maintain what has been the ONLY GV site on the web at www.angelfire.com/musicals/gwenverdon if anyone is interested in checking it out. It's rough right now because, quite frankly, I started it when I was 14 and didn't have the money to buy my own webspace, so I'm in the process of doing that so that I can refine it. Also, the guestbook has been spammed ridiculous amounts of times so I'm working on taking that off of there as well.)
Ashley
wildcat
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/04
#10re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 8:41pm
Verdon has said in interviews that REDHEAD was her favourite show, particularly as it was Fosse's first opportunity to direct. And, judging from Margery Beddow's fascinating book on Fosse's choreography, REDHEAD was the greatest showcase for Verdon's dancing talents that she ever had.
But, never having seen REDHEAD, I'll vote for CHARITY.
#12re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 8:56pm
As you know, I love Gwen Verdon.
Her dancing in 'Damn Yankees' is amazing by today's standards and those Ed Sullivan clips of 'Sweet Charity' made me jump out of my seat when I saw them about three weeks ago.
Plus, I got to meet her. :)
Edit: Now know more than ever I need to get these eyes checked soon!
" ...the happiness in the tune convinces me that I'm not afraid."
Updated On: 7/8/05 at 08:56 PM
#13re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 10:52pm
I saw this on "Roxie Harts" site..
"For those of you who have seen the musical "Sweet Charity", you know about the costumes that the Fandango Ballroom girls wear, and how they are often adorned with sequins or feathers, and how many of them had bowas. During the out of town rehearsals for "Sweet Charity", Gwen's voice began to grow increasingly scratchy whenever she would sing. However, she continued to practice hard and sing until she had no voice at all. She went to the doctor, and lo and behold, there was a feather from one of the bowas wrapped around her vocal chords."
Does anyone know if Gwen's voice recovered from that? Or is that the reason it got some raspy from Charity on?? Because in her earlier shows her voice was more smooth.
Roxie_Hart
Understudy Joined: 9/12/04
#14re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 10:55pmThat along with the fact that she had polyps removed from her throat several times are what started giving it that extra raspy, grainy quality.
Ashley
#15re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 11:08pm
This kind've makes me sad. Because Gwen's voice was strong, and somewhat belty before Sweet Charity. I still love her singing as Charity and Roxie on recording though.. 
Roxie_Hart
Understudy Joined: 9/12/04
#16re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 11:12pmYeah, it's just that you can really start to tell about all the vocal wear and tear during Charity and then it worsens during Chicago. BUT, I think it works well for the characters, especially for Chicago. Velma is supposed to be the talent, not Roxie.
Ashley
#17re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 11:15pm
I agree. I think it works well for the characters too. Especially for Chicago - as you mentioned.
I can't help to wonder though - how the singing parts for her would've been written if her voice didn't get like that. A beltier Charity would've been interesting.
Roxie_Hart
Understudy Joined: 9/12/04
#18re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 11:18pm
A beltier Charity would have been interesting
Definitely! But I wonder if it would have served the character well. I guess I just always think of Charity not having the best singing voice (but always a strong interpretation) as part of the character's vulnerability...
Ashley
#19re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/7/05 at 11:20pm
That is true. I think Gwen's raspy singing sounded perfect for Charity. She sounds so vulnerable when she is singing Charity, I love it.
But Gwen's "Whatever Lola Wants", oh man - I love her version.
#20re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/8/05 at 1:25am
What gets me is she was RATHER beautiful back during Charity time...then to see her in movies made nearer to her death...WHAT a change.
I think about all the people I like today and wonder how they will look then.
MargoChanning
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/5/04
#21re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/8/05 at 2:09am
OK, I just got home from a show (and drinks afterwards). Glad this thread is still going
The feather boas in Charity and Chicago were nearly the death knell of Verdon's voice. Not only did a feather get caught around her vocal chords during Charity, but when it happened again during Chicago early in the run, it was so serious she had to have vocal surgery and leave the show (I don't remember reading about her having polyps, but it is CERTAINLY possible that that was also the case).
Thankfully, Liza Minnelli (who was at the height of her popularity at the time) agreed to step in and replace Verdon until she could return as a favor to Fosse (who directed her "Liza with a Z" special) and Kander and Ebb (her best friends). Not only did it save the show from a premature closure, it suddenly turned it into a hot ticket overnight and is the reason that it ran for two years.
I remember reading how much she loved "Redhead." It's such a shame that none of us will ever know what her performance in that show was like, given that no film footage of even clips of it exist (as far as I know). I've heard that her dance performance in that may have been her greatest work ever, but unfortunately it's lost to the ages now.
She did re-create some of the choreography of it for "Fosse" but one wishes that someone at some point had sat down with her with a video camera or something (she'd have made an amazing subject for a documentary) and had her recreate all of the choreography of the entire show (apparently her memory for choreography was such that she could remember every single step and move and detail of all of the staging and dances of every show she'd been involved in going back to Jack Cole -- she was always the dance captain for all of the shows she did with Fosse .... as well as a few she wasn't even in).
As far as Redhead, New Girl In Town and Can-Can being revived, I've written about (on another thread) that even those who remember New Girl (Hal Prince specifically) say it had a decent score that didn't really fit the book and that the book itself (by George Abbott) so simplified the O'Neill play it was based on (Anna Christie) to the point that Prince calls it a "dumbell musical." Redhead has a mediocre score and book -- what made it electrifying apparently was Fosse's work for Verdon ..... which is now lost. Can-Can was revived in the early 80s with ballet choreographer Roland Petit replacing the original Michael Kidd dances and Pamela Sousa in the Verdon role -- it ran for exactly 5 performances. None of these shows could or will ever be revived on Broadway.
And Roxie_Hart -- nice website
"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie
[http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/]
"The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney
#22re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/8/05 at 8:59amMy personal favorite is Anna (New Girl in Town). I don't expect anybody to agree with me.
#23re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/8/05 at 12:33pm
I've had the extreme honor of working with Gwen. I know for a fact that REDHEAD was her favourite role. Hands down. As far as the choreography being lost, well it most certainly is not. In the original workshop of what would eventually become FOSSE there were several numbers from REDHEAD including "Erbie Fitch's Twitch," "Dream Dance," "Chase," and my favourite "The Pickpocket Tango." Also numbers from NEW GIRL IN TOWN were in it is well. This was all recorded for the shear fact that it needs to be preserved for posterity's sake. I know that some people feel that these shows won't be revived but I disagree. Goodspeed actually did a rather successful REDHEAD several seasons ago.
http://www.goodspeed.org/past_productions/1998/redhead.htm
I've had Gwen demonstrate some of the movement to me so I can say from first hand account how wonderful she was in this role and I wish that I could have seen her do it on Broadway.
As far as her voice is concerned, what would she be without that rasp? I think of it as her signature, kinda like Tina Turner. And for her looks, well I think she was just as beautiful in her later years as she was when she was young. I can only pray that I age as wonderfully as she did without plastic surgery.
As for REDHEAD, NEW GIRL IN TOWN and CANCAN be revived, never say never. Yes, the revival of CANCAN sucked the big one but let's not forget the very popular tour with Chita and The Rockettes. Had that transferred to the Great White Way I think it would have done very well indeed. It's all bout timing and I have no doubt that there will be a time and place on Broadway again when these wonderful works will be brought back.
Gwen was a star. She could act, sing and dance. She had a delightful personality and was the biggest advocate and supporter for her last husbands work. She has passed the torch to Annie and I just hope that it continues to get passed from generation to generation.
"For me, THEATRE is an anticipation, an artistic rush, an emotional banquet, a jubilant appreciation, and an exit hopeful of clearer thought and better worlds."
~ an anonymous traveler with Robert Burns
Updated On: 7/8/05 at 12:33 PM
#24re: The Ultimate Gwen Verdon Role?
Posted: 7/8/05 at 5:27pm
Wonderboy,
Thanks for the fantastic info! You were indeed lucky to have been able to work with her and watch her re-create some of her dance moves from long lost shows. Thanks for sharing the experiences with us.
I am properly jealous.
"My dreams, watching me said, one to the other...this life has let us down."
Videos