Her parents are considered mavericks. They’re also often referred to as obsessive, outlandish, combative, and controversial.
Nicole Fosse doesn’t care about any of that. In fact, she admits, “I don’t pay too much attention to what other people think about them.”
Now, the story of her family, her father, renown choreographer Bob Fosse, and his muse, Nicole’s mother, dancer Gwen Verdon, plays out for all to see in a new FX series.
Spanning five decades, Fosse/Verdon explores the romantic and creative partnership between the creative duo. Bob is seen as visionary filmmaker and one of the theater’s most influential choreographers and directors, while Gwen is considered the greatest Broadway dancer of all time. Only Bob can craft the groundbreaking musicals that allow Gwen to showcase her greatness, and only Gwen can realize the unique vision in Bob’s head. Together, they changed the face of American entertainment — at a perilous cost.
Nicole Fosse serves as a key creative consultant and co executive producer on the eight part series.
Also contributing to the project are Emmy and Golden Globe award winning writer and producer Joel Fields, the Tony Award winning writer and producer of Dear Evan Hansen, Steven Levenson, as well as the Tony Award winning director and executive producer of Hamilton, Tommy Kail, and the creator and star of Hamilton, multi-award winner, Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Oscar winner Sam Rockwell stars as Bob Fosse, with four time Oscar nominee Michelle Williams appearing as Gwen Verdon.
Fields says that having Nicole consult on the narrative was an ‘incredible asset.’
“She’s able to share not only the facts as she remembers them, but the emotional experience as well,” he explains.
Nicole likens the series to watching a storybook unfold in front of her eyes.
She says that the narrative allowed her to became more cognizant of what actually occurred during the years that her parents were together. “I’m much more aware of how distraught my father could be internally. That was normal to me – the obsession with work, the crazy hours — and when I watch it on screen I really see how enveloped he was by show business to the point where he didn’t develop much of another life. Everything was show business to him.”
On the flip side, she says of watching the portrayal of her mother, “It’s wonderful to see her sense of fun and joy and the way she dressed and fixed her hair and laughed at situations.”
That her mother’s work is highlighted is one of the elements that Nicole is most pleased about. “It’s long overdue. She was in the shadow of my father for a long time, because she was not the director or choreographer, although she contributed behind the scenes an incredible amount. I’m really happy that she’s being brought forth into the public eye.”
Watching herself as a child onscreen was not only emotional, but also quite revelatory, says Nicole, especially because of her unique upbringing which was populated with more adults than children. “Being around all those smart grownups , It is a privilege to be around that level of intellect, curiosity and creativity. It fires up your brain as a little child and makes you want to explore art and music and literature and the human condition.”
But, this way of life carries some drawbacks, admits Nicole. “The bad part is when you grow up and all those people grow old and die and you’re stuck with a pile of laundry and a grocery list and you’re like, ‘where did all that other stuff go? Where’s the party?’”
From all of this, Nicole says that she discovered some truths about life. “It took me a long time to learn both good and bad can exist simultaneously. I think it’s common to want to label things as all good or all bad and what I’m finding is that every situation, person, event, has good and bad in it.”
She says that this concept is a concept that’s at the heart of Fosse/Verdon. “One of the things this series is really exploring is how there can be something so fabulous co-existing with equal weight to something that is also devastating.”
Although the story takes place decades ago, Nicole believes that there is much to be learned by a 2019 audience. “I think historically it’s good for younger people to see where so much influence has come from. If you’re using my mother as a role model it gives women permission to be kooky and wonderful and individual and unique and loyal and independent all at the same time.”
She goes on to say, “I’m 56, and for myself, as a women born in the ‘60s growing up in ‘70s and ‘80s, I really had to explore can I be independent and loyal to a relationship at the same time — do those two things go together?”
Nicole did end up following in her parent’s footsteps by becoming a dancer, a path that she says her father was not initially onboard with. “When I said I wanted to be a dancer, my father said, ‘I’d rather you swallow flaming swords in the circus than be a dancer, but if you’re going to do it, go to class now.’”
The overall truth of Fosse/Verdon, says Nicole, is that it shows that while her parents were clearly opposites, the examination of what worked and what didn’t work between them, is fascinating but yet might serve for some as a cautionary tale. This is a concept that she believes has only recently been revealed to her, through the narrative of Fosse/Verdon.
“Watching now, as an adult, I’m like,’Oh, that’s what was going on. Now, I get it.’”
‘Fosse/Verdon’ airs Tuesdays at 10e/p on FX.
