Gwen Verdon: A Life on Stage and Screen (23 page)

Unidentified child with Verdon in a portrait for her stage show
Children! Children!
(1972).

On May 15, 1972, she danced and sang “If My Friends Could See Me Now” from
Sweet Charity
as part of the entertainment for the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction evening at the Grand Ballroom of the Americana Hotel. On May 16 Virginia Lee Warren (the
New York Times
) confirmed Verdon’s continued support for organic food. She reported that Verdon had taken a turn behind the counter of the food store devoted to organically grown foods, Greenhouse Association. The work schedule was said to entail a commitment for each of four months of the year, of two periods of three and a half hours making a total of 21 hours annually. On May 22, Verdon pushed a motorized vacuum cleaner along 73rd Street as part of the five-day community clean-up of the West Side between 60th and 73rd Street by the Neighborhood Environmental Action Team. The team was a coalition of residents, merchants and property owners formed in January to improve the neighborhood. On May 26, Laurie Johnston of the
New York Times
reported that Verdon et al. were to make an appeal on behalf of the research libraries of the New York Public Library. More funds were needed for the Library to qualify for a Federal grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

On May 31, Verdon was part of the invited audience at Liza Minnelli’s NBC television concert directed by Fosse,
Liza with a Z
, performed at the Lyceum Theatre in New York. It was broadcast on September 10. Verdon can be seen eight times in long shots in it. Seated between Chita Rivera and Fred Werner, she wore a green dress with a green scarf, and is shown applauding each time we see her. She next appeared in the ABC variety special
The Perpetual People Puzzle
which was broadcast on June 19. In it she sang and danced her way through “Chicago” in a Kennedy airport terminal. The show was executive produced by Al Perimutter and was lambasted by John J. O’Connor in the
New York Times.

At this time it is said that Verdon involved herself in the activities of the social psychologist Karen Horney. Verdon’s frustration over the lack of substantial work also had her talking about starting an employment office for out-of-work dancers since she could sympathize with them. At Verdon’s urging, Fosse joined her and Nicole for the summer in the Hamptons. After a year of unhappiness over the separation she had decided to become a marital pioneer. Always generous, Verdon now acknowledged what could be considered as a form of second marriage. One source says that Fosse only attended on weekends since he was too busy working during the week. The gathering together as a family for croquet, ping-pong and dinner may have been a lie but he did it for his daughter because he wanted to be a good father. Fosse considered it a date with Nicole since she lived with Verdon, and the difference between the two he considered was vast because the women had a day-to-day interdependence. Observers noted Verdon’s behavior when Fosse was with her, as if she was in denial about where he was for the rest of the week. She lined up social events like lunches and barbeques for him, perhaps so that they would not have to be alone. The sad truth seemed to be that the couple didn’t have much else to talk about except their daughter. Verdon would present as the hostess at the charcoal grill, the Broadway star with a cookout apron over her jeans, a figure from a magazine story about stars at home. Fosse humored her by acting the role of weekend husband and father but the difference was that he made no secret of his girlfriends in the city. Verdon said that Nicole repeatedly asked her why she (Verdon) didn’t mind these women and Fosse being in other relationships. She told her daughter that it was better for him than being lonely, and since he had so many dark clouds over his head, they should let him have a few days of sunshine. Fosse’s growing circle of writer friends, like E.L. Doctorow and Peter Mass, who also lived in the Hamptons, joined the couple. Observers wondered if the charade was intended to fill the need to sentimentalize the couple as glamorous and celebrated show business legends.

Despite appearances, Fosse still supposedly retained a resentment of his wife, and perversely used it in his next stage show,
Pippin
. It opened in Washington on September 20, 1972; the character of Fastrada was the title character’s evil stepmother, and modelled on Verdon. She was played by Verdon lookalike Leland Palmer, who would later play the Verdon character in the film
All That Jazz
, and here she wore a red wig. Cast members felt that Fosse did this to give his wife a kick in the pants and there were rumors that Verdon would go to Washington to see the show.

On August 15, 1972, the
New York Times
reported that Verdon had recently played softball at East Hampton, Long Island, as part of a benefit game for Democratic presidential campaigner Senator George McGovern. On August 20 she was one of 75 guests at the Amagansett House of Plimpton which held a fund-raising party organized by Mrs. Victor Rabinowitz for the Attica Defense Committee. The inmates faced indictment for a 1971 uprising in the prison.

Verdon made her only guest appearance on the ABC anthology comedy series
Love, American Style
in the episode vignette “Love and the New Act” (September 29, 1972). She played Estelle Mayberry in the vignette written by Peggy Elliott and directed by James Sheldon. On October 12 Verdon was among the entertainment line-up at the supper party held after the premiere of the film
Lady Sings the Blues
. The event was also a benefit for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Project Rebound. On October 27 she sang a medley with Chita Rivera and Cass Elliot at a Madison Square Garden benefit for George McGovern called “Star-Spangled Women for McGovern-Shriver.” The three sang “Heart” but with words changed to reflect the evening’s agenda. The musical director was Bobby Rosengarten. On December 4 Verdon helped at an auction at the Dalton School to raise money for a scholarship fund.

On December 6, 1972, the
New York Times
reported that she was to finally star in a musical revival of
Chicago
. The show was to be produced in the next year’s Broadway season by Robert Fryer and James Cresson in association with Martin Richards. Fosse was to direct and choreograph. Songs would be by John Kander and Fred Ebb. Verdon was to play Roxie Hart, the heroine of the Maurine Watkins play, and Fosse, Kander and Ebb were said to be currently at work on an original treatment of the three-act comedy. Rehearsals were scheduled for the next fall for an opening in the winter. On January 28, 1973, the
Times
wrote more about the show. It said the rights were obtained after the death of Watkins, when her estate was controlled by her mother; the deal was brokered with the help of Watkins’ agent, Sheldon Abend. Another source claims that the deal could only be made after both Watkins
and
her mother died and the rights were transferred to Abend. Yet another source said that Verdon herself bought the rights to the play.

Verdon was part of the cast of the CBS special
Ed Sullivan’s Broadway
which was held at the Ed Sullivan Theatre and broadcast on March 16, 1973. Verdon was first seen under the opening credits coming out of Sardi’s wearing a high-collared mink jacket. She mugged for the camera, waving for a taxi, getting into one and waving goodbye to the camera as the car drives away. Verdon was then introduced with the other cast members, wearing a black blouse with tie, floor-length black skirt and blue feathered vest. Sullivan read from a column he had written (dated May 8, 1954) about the opening night of
Can-Can
, although the show opened on that day in 1953. The column said that along with the new Cole Porter score, the new smash brought a new powerhouse talent to town packaged inside a red-haired blue-eyed dancing lady named Gwen Verdon. He promised the next time she came to Broadway in a show, her name would ride high above the title, which is exactly what happened a year later when the 46th Street Theatre marquee proclaimed
Gwen Verdon in
Damn Yankees
.

The number she performs is “Who’s Got the Pain” and she does it with Harvey Evans. The number’s staging varies from that seen in the film version of
Damn Yankees
since it begins with the dancers sitting slouched in chairs. They wear black outfits with brown leather vests and black hats. Regrettably, the set is a pattern of upstaging chairs and arched frames with a mirrored-wall. Verdon and Evans score a laugh in the way they end the number after leaving the set and returning to poke their heads out from the wings, smiling and waving their hats. She also joined the cast in a medley tribute to the Broadway shows produced by Hal Prince. Dressed in a dark green dress with tie and sparkly dark green jacket, Verdon sang “Whatever Lola Wants” and danced with Evans. She also joined Julie Harris and Evans to sing “Side by Side” and later stood with Ethel Merman and Jack Cassidy as the cast and chorus sang “To Life” from
Fiddler on the Roof
for the closing of the medley. The show was reviewed by Howard Thompson in the
New York Times
, who wrote that Verdon “does nicely” by her
Damn Yankees
number.

Verdon was a performer and presenter at the 1973 Tony Awards which were held on March 25 at the Imperial Theatre and broadcast live by ABC. The show had the theme “The Wide World of Broadway” and included broadcasts from other venues in London, Vienna, Zagreb, Milan, Paris, Tokyo, and a high school in Wichita Falls, Texas. Verdon appeared in the opening number, first seen in a silver pants suit sitting on steps. She is joined by Paula Kelly, Helen Gallagher and Donna McKechnie wearing the same outfit and the four women move to the stage and sing and dance to a song about the show’s theme. The women put bottle hats on their heads to do “The Bottle Dance” from
Fiddler on the Roof
, then discard them to dance to “America” from
West Side Story
, and “The Rain in Spain” from
My Fair Lady
, “The Flesh Failures (Let the Sunshine In)” from
Hair
, and an unidentified song from
Gypsy
. The latter gives Verdon a brief solo moment to dance where she also does a cartwheel.

She returns in her opening number costume with Alan King to present the award for Best Actor in a Play to Alan Bates for
Butley
. Verdon accepts the award on Bates’ behalf (he was unable to attend because he was performing the play in Los Angeles). She errs in calling Bates “Mr. Butley” and is corrected by King. Verdon appears to be sitting next to Fosse in the audience when Ben Vereen passes to thank them after he is announced as the Best Actor in a Musical for
Pippin
. However, she is not seen sitting next to Fosse when he is announced as the Best Director of a Musical for
Pippin
. This may be because she returns for the finale of the show, a reprise of the opening number. Verdon is seen in the back row of the cast as they sing the song. Under the show’s end credits she is also seen kissing and talking to Stephen Sondheim, and hugging and talking to Ben Vereen.

Harvey Evans and Verdon perform “Who’s Got the Pain” on the television special
Ed Sullivan’s Broadway
.

The
Times
reviewer John J. O’Connor criticized the fact the opening number used a pre-recorded soundtrack. He said it was well performed by the four ladies but it violated the idea of the “aliveness” of theater and the immediacy of a stage production that television can capture.

On March 27, 1973, Fosse won the Best Director Academy Award at the ceremony held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. One of the people he thanked in his acceptance speech was Verdon. He described her as a dear friend. She was not at the ceremony but at her East Hampton house. Fosse called Nicole to ask her what she thought of the show. Verdon told him that when he won the award, Nicole screamed so loud that she thought she had broken something in her throat.

In the
New York Times
on April 1, 1973, it was reported that Verdon was to teach a modern dance course for 100 physical education teachers for one night a week in New Jersey schools. The course was jointly sponsored by the New Jersey Association of Health, Physical Education and Recreation and the state’s Department of Education. With her associate Siegfried Gerstung, Verdon guided the teachers through a strenuous two and a half hours of rhythmics geared to show the interaction between all types of physical education and the dance. She commented that she always wanted to teach but lacked the necessary educational credits to instruct public school children. Verdon’s recourse, to teach the teachers of children, left her somewhat pessimistic about the knowledge that the average physical education teacher had about their body. It saddened her that so many of the teachers had not been schooled in body movement because in Europe teachers were better prepared. Verdon found that her pupils were both unskilled and unusually inhibited, and hence taught to their own limitations. The article had her photographed giving direction to Bethany Chapple, Bayonne High School’s 280-pound, six-foot-four football coach, one of the ten men taking the course.