Fosse/Verdon

Fosse/Verdon is an American biographical miniseries starring Sam Rockwell as director–choreographer Bob Fosse, and Michelle Williams as actress and dancer Gwen Verdon. The series, which tells the story of the couple's troubled personal and professional relationship, is based on the biography Fosse by Sam Wasson. it premiered on April 9, 2019, on FX.

Fosse/Verdon tells the story of "the romantic and creative partnership between Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon. He was a filmmaker and one of theater's most influential choreographers and directors; she was the greatest Broadway dancer of all time. Together, they changed the face of American entertainment — at a perilous cost.

Bob Fosse memorabilia HERE

Gwen Verdon memorabilia HERE

Production

Development

The rights to produce a series based on Sam Wasson's biography Fosse were sold to FX by executive producer George Stelzner, who pursued Lin-Manuel Miranda and Thomas Kail to join the project. On July 5, 2018, FX announced an eight-episode order for a limited series to be called Fosse/Verdon, with Sam Rockwell playing the role of Bob Fosse and Michelle Williams playing the role of Gwen Verdon. Tony Award-winner Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen) is the showrunner and wrote the pilot, which was directed by Thomas Kail. Executive producers include Miranda, Kail, Levenson, Rockwell, Williams, and Stelzner. Nicole Fosse, Fosse and Verdon's daughter, was a co-executive producer, and choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler was a co-producer. Production companies included Fox 21 Television Studios, FX Productions, Kail's Old 320 Sycamore, and Stelzner's West Egg Studios. On October 25, 2018, it was reported that Kail would direct at least four of the series' eight episodes.[8] A day later, it was announced that Joel Fields joined the production as an additional writer and executive producer.[9] On January 23, 2019, the premiere date of April 9, 2019 was announced.[10]

Bob Fosse & Gwen Verdon "Who's Got the Pain" Damn Yankees 1958

Casting

Alongside the series order announcement, it was confirmed that Rockwell and Williams had been cast in the lead roles.[1] On November 19, 2018, it was announced Margaret Qualley and Norbert Leo Butz had been cast in series regular roles and that Aya Cash, Nate Corddry, Susan Misner, Bianca Marroquín, Kelli Barrett, Evan Handler, Rick Holmes, Paul Reiser, Ethan Slater, Byron Jennings, and Laura Osnes had joined the cast cast in a recurring capacity.[11]

Filming

Principal photography for the series commenced in November 2018 in New York City, and lasted until March 2019.[8][12]

Reception

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 81% based on 54 reviews, and an average rating of 7.25/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams give viewers plenty of razzle and dazzle in Fosse/Verdon -- a straightforward miniseries that is hampered by rote biographical tropes, but still shimmies with the requisite glitz, grit, and all that jazz audiences crave."[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 68 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[15]

Cast

Main

Sam Rockwell as Bob Fosse
Michelle Williams as Gwen Verdon
Margaret Qualley as Ann Reinking
Norbert Leo Butz as Paddy Chayefsky

Recurring

Aya Cash as Joan Simon
Nate Corddry as Neil Simon
Susan Misner as Joan McCracken
Bianca Marroquín as Chita Rivera
Kelli Barrett as Liza Minnelli
Evan Handler as Hal Prince
Rick Holmes as Fred Weaver
Paul Reiser as Cy Feuer
Ethan Slater as Joel Grey
Byron Jennings as George Abbott
Laura Osnes as Shirley MacLaine
Juliet Brett as Nicole Fosse
Brandon Uranowitz as Dustin Hoffman
Tyler Hanes as Jerry Orbach

References

1. Goldberg, Lesley (July 24, 2018). "Lin-Manuel Miranda, Michelle Williams, Sam Rockwell Team for Fosse-Verdon Series at FX". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
2. "Fosse/Verdon Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
3. Metcalf, Mitch (April 10, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.9.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
4. "(#102) "Who's Got the Pain?"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
5. "(#103) "Me and My Baby"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
6. "(#104) "Glory"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
7. "(#105) "Where Am I Going?"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
8. Evans, Suzy (October 25, 2018). "Steven Levenson and Mike Faist on Teaming Up Again for 'Days of Rage'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
9. Sandberg, Bryn Elise (October 26, 2018). "'The Americans' Producer Joel Fields Joins FX's Fosse-Verdon Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
10. Evans, Greg (January 23, 2019). "FX Sets Premiere Date For 'Fosse/Verdon' Starring Sam Rockwell, Michelle Williams". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
11. Petski, Denise (November 19, 2018). "'Fosse/Verdon' FX Limited Series Rounds Out Cast; Norbert Leo Butz & Margaret Qualley Set As Series Regulars". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
12. Welch, Rebecca (November 14, 2018). "Chris Evans' Next Adventure Is Casting Now". Backstage. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
13. Porter, Rick (January 6, 2019). "Sam Rockwell-Michelle Williams FX Series 'Fosse/Verdon' Unveils First Teaser". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
14. "Fosse/Verdon: Miniseries - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
15. "Fosse/Verdon Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 9, 2019.