Being Mrs. Fosse
When Gwen Verdon and Bob Fosse met during "Damn Yankees" in 1955, Bob was on his second marriage. He had been married to MaryAnn Niles, and now, to Joan McCracken. Gwen Verdon had been married to James Henaghan, and in 1955 had been divorced from him for 8 years. To top all that off, she also had a 12 year old son. Still, Bob was attracted to Gwen's enormous talent, and to her serious, principled lifestyle. He saw her as a model of decency. And yet, there was something "bad-boy" about him that she found attracted to... not to mention his remarkability to choreograph dance sequences. And so, it was because of all this, they fell in love. From my understanding, once Bob started to realize he was falling for Gwen, he divorced Joan McCracken (they divorced in 1956). After three successful shows ("Damn Yankees", "New Girl In Town" and "Redhead") and 5 years of knowing each other, Gwyneth Evelyn Verdon and Robert Louis Fosse tied the knot in 1960. Gwen then retired from the stage, because she and Bob wanted a child, and Gwen was already 35. Nicole Providence Fosse was born March 24 1963, named after Bob's uncle Nicholas, and the name Providence suggested by lyricist Dorothy Fields. Three years later, Gwen returned to work in "Sweet Charity." However, as was Fosse's nature, his addiction to women led to infidelities, which led to the break-down of Gwen and him as a married couple. They were separated in 1971. However, they would remain linked through life... maybe not as a husband-and-wife team, but as Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon... Bob who choreographed those stunning routines, and Gwen who was the living embodiment of his work, and it showed through in every step she took. Bob would even go on to choreograph Gwen's final show, "Chicago." Gwen was always pleasant to Bob's many girlfriends, and stuck by him through everything, regardless of whether he wanted her to or not. Throughout the rest of their separated marriage, they would continue to be best friends, though living in separate houses. And Gwen would continue to love Bob, and even act as a widow after his death. And it would be with Gwen that he would die, still separated, never divorced. It's no wonder that Gwen (along with daughter Nicole) helped to create the Tony-award winning show "Fosse" in 1999. After all, who better to create the show than Mrs. Fosse herself, right?
