Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ is Fosse’s full-throated, full-bodied celebration of the art form he loved, practiced, and changed forever. Transformed by director Wayne Cilento for 21st-century audiences, Dancin’ brims with Fosse’s warmth, emotion, color, and endlessly influential style rarely seen in modern interpretations of his work. Featuring an eclectic score that spans a multitude of musical genres and an extraordinary cast of Broadway’s most accomplished dancers, Dancin’ delivers the quintessential Broadway experience for Fosse fans and first-timers alike. You’ve never seen Dancin’ like this.
In the often-thrilling, often-frustrating revival of the 1978 dancical, which reincarnates the spirit and choreography of Bob Fosse, the two possibilities are much the same. Substantially revamped and restaged by Wayne Cilento, a standout in the original production, this “Dancin’” argues that Fosse’s genius was constrained by the pedestrian storytelling of musical theater, with its “villains,” “baritone heroes” and “Christmas trees.” True Fosseism, it seems, can fully thrive only in the abstract, Olympian realms of George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins.
Dancin’, as revived and revised, softens that edge while remaining charged. The new lineup is intentionally more inclusive and edits some of Fosse’s inherent chauvinism. The dancers of the “Female Star Spot” complain about the lyrics of Dolly Parton’s “Here You Come Again” and Krouse, who is nonbinary, takes on Reinking’s iconic nothing-but-legs “Trumpet Solo.” But this is still a show about pushing the body hard, and the cast of Dancin’ obviously relishes that challenge. All the ensemble members stand out in their own ways giving personality to their specific solos taking individual closing bows. By then, they all look thrilled and exhausted, admirable and vulnerable. That’s part of the seduction: They’re pushing themselves to their limits in the name of a good show. The ethos throws you back to an earlier era of Broadway, to something a little more sinewy and id-driven than your typical family-friendly movie-adaptation musical. It’s almost disappointing to exit afterward into a Times Square that isn’t full of graffiti and porno theaters.
1978 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
1979 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
1983 | West End |
London Production West End |
2023 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design of a Musical | David Grill |
2023 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Bob Fosse's Dancin' |
2023 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Bob Fosse's Dancin' |
Videos