Slow down, you move too fast

We have a centenary to celebrate today, dear reader - that of one of the greatest Broadway dancers and choreographers of the latter half of the 20th century, former Mrs Bob Fosse, Gwen Verdon!

She - in collaboration with Bob - was the powerhouse behind some of the greatest and most memorable musicals, including Sweet Charity, Chicago (in both of which she starred on Broadway), Cabaret, Damn Yankees and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (for which she coached Marilyn and Jane to create two of the silver screen's greatest vamps)!

On this Tacky Music Monday, however, by way of a tribute - here she is in a most bizarre routine indeed:

Gwen Verdon - Feelin' Groovy

Have a good week, dears.

Gwyneth Evelyn “Gwen” Verdon (13th January 1925 – 18th October 2000)

Recline yourself, resign yourself

Exactly what I feel about Mondays...

Yup. Here we go again...

To ease the old ennui on this Tacky Music Monday, let us marvel at the va-va-voom that was Miss Gwen Verdon, trying desperately to get her mitts on the (unsurprisingly uninterested) Tab Hunter...

Gwen Verdon - Whatever Lola Wants

Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets? Unlikely...

Have a good week, dear reader!

Got up and got out

And so, farewell then, Miss Paula Kelly.

Who? I hear some people ask...



Miss Kelly may not have been a huge household name - indeed, much of her on-screen career was spent in supporting roles in Blacksploitation movies and US telly shows such as Police Woman - but it is for one memorable screen appearance we love her the most: that of the sassy "Helene" in Sweet Charity, more than holding her own alongside the estimable talents of Shirley MacLaine and Chita Rivera in my favourite movie musical number, ever!

Chita Rivera, Paula Kelly & Shirley MacLaine - There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This

Here's the lady herself in a bizarre clip from the Oscars [yes, them again!], in the company of the great Miss Bergman and Mr Poitier...

Ingrid Bergman, Sidney Poitier, Paula Kelly and the UCLA Marching Band - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

...and again, with Miss Verdon, Miss McKechnie and Miss Gallagher at the 1973 Tony Awards [did they only ever drag her out for awards ceremonies?]:

Gwen Verdon, Donna McKechnie, Paula Kelly, Helen Gallagher - Dance Medley

A sad loss.

RIP, Paula Kelly (21st October 1943 – 9th February 2020)

I've seen the lights of gay Broadway, or is it Belfast?

A widely misunderstood fact about the United Kingdom (especially overseas) is that it is not just another name for Great Britain. The latter is the island that includes England, Scotland and Wales; add on Northern Ireland and you get the UK. Tiny as this conglomerate is, each bit of it has separate legislature - and today, despite the fact that in England and Wales the law came into force on 13 March 2014, and in Scotland in December 2014, equal marriage was only legally recognised in Northern Ireland TODAY! About bloody time, too.

Partly by way of celebration, partly because it would have been Miss Gwen Verdon's 95th birthday today, but mainly because we all need a bit of "va-va-voom" to get ourselves in the right frame of mind to get up and out and into work - on this Tacky Music Monday, here's the divine Miss V in a supporting role to our eternal Patron Saint Miss Mitzi Gaynor!

Mitzi Gaynor and Gwen Verdon - Beale Street Blues [from The I Don't Care Girl, 1953]

I've seen the lights of gay Broadway
Old Market Street down by the Frisco Bay
I've strolled the Prado, I've gambled on the Bourse;
The seven wonders of the world I've seen
And many are the places I have been
Take my advice, folks, and see Beale Street first!

You'll see pretty browns in beautiful gowns
You'll see tailor-mades and hand-me-downs
You'll meet honest men, and pick-pockets skilled
You'll find that business never ceases 'til somebody gets killed!

If Beale Street could talk, if Beale Street could talk
Married men would have to take their beds and walk
Except one or two who never drink booze
And the blind man on the corner singing "Beale Street Blues!"

I'd rather be there than any place I know
I'd rather be there than any place I know
It's gonna take a sergeant for to make me go!

I'm goin' to the river, maybe by and by
Yes, I'm goin' to the river, maybe by and by
Because the river's wet, and Beale Street's done gone dry!

Faboo!

Have a good week, dear reader.

Slow down, you move too fast

And, so, with a bump, we awake to another start to yet another week in the office...

We watched a rather faboo documentary this weekend on the life and influence on modern choreography (not least that of her husband Bob Fosse) of the lovely Gwen Verdon. Born into showbiz (her mother was a member of the legendary Denishawn dance troupe - read more about Ted Shawn), her disfigured legs meant she spent her early childhood in leg braces - which could have thwarted the family's ambitions for her. She nevertheless became an accomplished dancer and was eventually tutored by the renowned Hollywood choreographer Jack Cole. When she first met Mr Fosse, she was already hugely popular for her role in Can-Can, and through their partnership he developed his trademark style, directing not only her stage shows, but onward into movies such as (the show she premiered in the theatre) Sweet Charity.

One suspects that this particular number might not have been their most shining moment, but it's absolutely perfect for a Tacky Music Monday!

Gwen Verdon - Feeling Groovy

Yeah, baby, yeah!

Have a good week, peeps.

Mrs Fosse, at your service

One of the greatest Broadway dancers of the latter half of the 20th century, Mrs Bob Fosse Gwen Verdon would have been 90 years old tomorrow.

So on this Tacky Music Monday, as we struggle through the drizzle to work again, let us wallow in her magnificent talents - here she is with her bowler-hatted safety gays in a number I think may be called On a Day Like Today, choreographed by her hubby...

Gwen Verdon - On a Day Like Today

Have a good week, dears.

Gwenyth Evelyn “Gwen” Verdon (13th January 1925 – 18th October 2000)

Taco Music Monday?

Darkness still envelops us alas, but the signs of Spring are bringing us hope - all our bulbs are poking through the soil, the birds are singing their tits off, 2014 calendars are half-price, Easter Eggs will be on the shelves soon, and the new series of Gardeners' World is only a fortnight away...

To bring more cheer to our hearts as we head off to work again this Tacky Music Monday - here's today's birthday girl the fabulous Miss Gwen Verdon and her bizarre Mexican Breakfast:

Fun to watch; probably not so tempting to eat, I imagine.

Have a great week, folks!

Gwenyth Evelyn “Gwen” Verdon (13th January 1925 – 18th October 2000)

The original razzle-dazzler

It's "diva season"! Over at the Museum of Camp, we celebrate the 85th birthday of the iconic Jeanne Moreau. Here, more to our razzle dazzle nature, we celebrate the 80th birthday of another, far different diva - Miss Chita Rivera!

Needless to say, we celebrate her often, so without further ado...

...here she is in the estimable company of Miss Gwen Verdon to perform two numbers from her ground-breaking show Chicago - All That Jazz and Nowadays:

Chita Rivera and Gwen Verdon - All That Jazz/Nowadays

...and here she is, spectacularly solo in the uber-camp title number from another classic she made her own, Kiss of the Spiderwoman:

Chita Rivera - Kiss of the Spiderwoman

We adore her.

Chita Rivera official website

I'm irresistible, you fool

The weekend has been a busy one, and suddenly we wake up to another (rather foggy and grey) working week.

To ease our depression, on this Tacky Music Monday let us marvel at the va-va-voom that was Miss Gwen Verdon, trying desperately to get her mitts on the (unsurprisingly uninterested) Tab Hunter...

Gwen Verdon - Whatever Lola Wants

Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets? Unlikely...

Have a good week!

A living legend

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The legendary Chita Rivera is 75 years old today!

Always a class act, Chita emerged from ballet school in New York into the glittering lights of Broadway and, still in her teens, landed a part in one of the biggest shows of the day Call Me Madam. This was soon followed by high profile roles in Guys and Dolls and Can-Can, and a starring role in West Side Story - which really launched her in the public eye as an all-round sensation of musical theatre.

Indeed, Chita Rivera is regarded by many theatre aficionados as a "living legend", has received two Tony awards, and is the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award.

Chita is due to appear in London as part of the Michael Feinstein season at the Shaw Theatre (although her legendary unpredictability, and the fact she cancelled a similar London appearance last autumn leads some observers to wonder if she will actually turn up).

But in person, on stage or on screen she is indeed a sensation, as this (shaky) video of a TV appearance with Gwen Verdon shows...

Chita Rivera and Gwen Verdon

Chita Rivera website