The importance of the muse
With the passing of Ann Reinking, the value of inspirational artists has come to the forefront of the conversation. Ann Reinking was, and always will be, an incredible artist on her own. But as tributes and memories pour in from all sides, it is impossible to disconnect her from her one-time lover, Bob Fosse.
Bob Fosse is commonly considered to be one of the greatest musical theatre choreographers in history. His distinct style has become iconic to those unfamiliar with the theatre, and with the release of Netflix’s The Prom, his jazz hands and rolled shoulder heavy style are again considered shorthand for what Broadway stands for.
Reinking was one of two primary muses in Fosse’s life - his wife Gwen Verdon was the inspiration for characters such as Lola in Damn Yankees, Charity in Sweet Charity, and Roxie in Chicago, with their careers becoming so intertwined that it is near impossible to discuss one without the other. Verdon and Fosse remained married until his heart attack in 1987, and their lifelong collaboration was memorialized in the FX series Fosse/Verdon . In the years following his death, it was Verdon and Reinking who supported his legacy, and who put in the time and effort to maintain his reputation as a genius even as reports of his less-than civil-behavior began to trickle out to the general public.
In many ways, Verdon and Reinking are as responsible for Fosse’s place in the public consciousness as the man himself. While Verdon is the shining name most firmly attached to Fosse’s, Reinking was almost always in the wings, starting from the day Fosse decided to pursue her romantically in the rehearsal room of Pippin. That Bob Fosse was a philanderer was well documented - that Ann Reinking and Gwen Verdon became close friends over the course of Reinking and Fosse’s affair is less discussed.
Since the dawn of time, there has been the artist and the muse. This concept has been romanticized for millennia, and almost always falls into strict gender lines - the woman is beautiful, free, and innocent, and she inspires the male artist to create a tribute to her. This complex relationship often leaves the woman overshadowed and underestimated, with the brunt of the work ascribed to the artist and not to the inspiration. Now in the 21st century, some of these prescribed behaviors are beginning to change, but in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Verdon and Reinking’s roles were clear - Fosse had the power, and it was up to them to work with what little he gave them.
It would have been incredibly easy for Verdon to resent Reinking; she was younger than her, in the prime of her dancing career, and was one of the most in-demand dancers in the industry as Verdon began to be looked over due to her aging beyond the role of impetuous youth. Instead, Verdon took Reinking under her wing, and the pair became a team in the mission of managing Fosse. Their friendship lasted long after his death, and they eventually became something of a family, alongside Verdon and Bob’s daughter Nicole.
Verdon and Reinking were far from the first muses Fosse had taken on - he had grown up dancing in strip and burlesque clubs and had borrowed much of his style from their routines, and his first wife Joan McCracken had been instrumental in encouraging him to become a choreographer. (Incidentally, McCracken was also one of the muses for Holly Golightley in Breakfast at Tiffanys). Rather than competing with each other to ascend to the role of primary muse, Verdon and Reinking came together, with Reinking replacing Verdon in many of her infamous roles as Verdon took on the burden of maintaining Fosse’s legacy.
In 1996, Ann Reinking was invited to create choreography in Fosse’s style for a four-night engagement of the musical Chicago for New York City Center Encores. She agreed, and when the producers were unable to find a suitable leading performer for Roxie Hart, she agreed to come out of retirement for four days to reprise her role as Roxie, which had been originated by Verdon. The engagement was a sell-out success, and it swiftly transferred to Broadway, where it had been playing for 23 years at the time of the COVID-19 shutdown. Reinking’s choreography has been the driving force of Chicago , which is now the longest-running American musical in Broadway history.
Three years later, Verdon and Reinking collaborated on the musical Fosse , a revue of Bob’s iconic sequences. When Verdon died in 2001, it was Reinking who helped to organized a proper memorial, with more than 1,100 attending. Reinking worked closely with the Verdon Fosse Legacy, an organization created by Nicole Fosse, and she fought diligently throughout her life for both her and Verdon to get the recognition they deserved.
Gwen Verdon and Ann Reinking were marvelous talents in their own right. As you memorialize them both, keep in mind that without inspiration, an artist is left alone with their thoughts, with nothing to show. It takes the spark supplied by muses like Verdon and Reinking to set the imagination of a creative like Fosse alight, and they must be included in the same breath as his when discussing his artistic footprint. There is no such thing as a wholly independent creation in the theatre. There is only divine collaboration.
Margaret Hall is a Musical Theatre Historian and teacher. She can be reached @stardustschild for question or comment.