Jerome Robbins/Succeed in 2005's Broadway? — Page 3

Miriam, Sono Osato and Tommy Rall did indeed escape most of Robbins' wrath but were sensitive to his "mood" of the moment. Both of them ran interference for others on more than one occasion.

Onceadancers2-Miriam, by the way, did you ever have the opportunity to work with or know Maria Tallchief? I suspect most on this Board never heard of her...Do you have any Tallchief experiences you can share with us Miriam? thanks! :)

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p.s. to Miriam,,

Mr. Robbins had quite a "crush" on Tommy Rall, but I suspect you knew that:)

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Thank you for sharing all of this, this has been one of the most informative threads I've read. WISH, since you know a lot about Robbins, I want to ask if you know what happened between him and Robert Wise when they directed the film version of West Side Story. I herad that Wise fired Robbins because he was taking too long with the dancers, but I wonder if there was a lot more to it than that.

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I hated him. In today's world, someone would just kill him. Seriously, there's no way he would be able to get away with what he got away with back then.

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It was not Robert Wise, but United Artists' insistence to the Mirisch Brothers, to fire Jerome Robbins. He had driven the film $300,000 over-budget (an enormous amount back then). In fact, Wise insisted that Robbins retain co-directing credit, although his contribution to the entire film was The Prologue, America, Cool and Something's Coming. It was also Wise who insisted that Robbins be brought back to do the final cutting on The Prologue.

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What's really remarkable is that Robbins thought he was going to direct the film, alone. He wanted the film to be a small black and white affair, and was appalled that it was an enormous, widescreen undertaking. His inability to capture anything on film, without Robert Wise telling him that it was ready, confirmed the need for hiring Wise. And, of course, as it turned out, the film was solely directed by Wise.

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Good story. I really like Cole's work, but I heard negative things about him. Of course, I love Robbins work and he was a creep. Some people feel the end justified the means; but I don't.

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Yes, Marquise. Cole worked with Marilyn in all these films - she would not work with anyone else. Ms. Champion also noted that in working with his stars, he would "get into their heads", even choreographing the way their eyebrows arched and lips moved.

And yes, he LOVED muscle boys. Every Cole-choreographed musical film includes at least one beefcake number.

Cole's lead female dancer (and occaisional co-choreographer) was Gwen Verdon. Bob Fosse learned much from Cole.

Here's a link that tells much about Cole, including his tough reputation.

"Highly disciplined and dedicated to absolute perfection Cole was known for being a tyrannical task master. Throughout his career, Cole viewed information, thought and knowledge as necessary support systems to his life as a dancer and choreographer, not merely as avenues to the period, style and local color preparation for each new show. He made extraordinary demands on his dancers. He was reputed to have used vulgar language and even physical violence in his quest for artistic excellence.

In a 1968 interview with Dance Magazine he confided, "Sometimes you have to slap them. Sometimes you have to kiss them. It isn't like painting or writing or something that can be done in solitude. The trouble with choreography is you have to get the person out of the way before you can bring out the dancer." But the mastery of technique wasn't everything. Cole also demanded that his dancers be in touch with the emotions and attitudes of the movement. In the same interview Cole says:

"In the theatre you want to see real people doing real things, expressing valid emotions in an artistic, meaningful way, disclosing bits of insight that will transfix you and make you understand something about life, and about yourself. ... I just try to touch the dancer at the center of his emotion. I try to remind him of what he is -- a dancer, and actor, a real person. If you're ashamed of this or that emotion, you can't dance. You yourself may not behave a certain way as a person, but when you dance you must bring real emotion to whatever you're doing. Isn't that what dancing is about --emotion, life -- and not just patterns in the air?"




Jack Cole

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Updated On: 3/3/05 at 04:19 PM

damn Joey he couldn't have just playfully tapped you on the cheek to get your attention?

Playful and Worse ae both relative to the situation

Lordy, lordy - I really HAVE divulged far too much in this forum!

Damn, Beav!!!

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I don't know Robbins from the theater world, but watched him in rehearsals at NYCB. He was tough on some of the dancers, mostly the boys, but he told us wonderful stories of his friendship with Tanaquil LeClercq.
And I have to say, I think his choreography came quite easily and his understanding of the relationships between the dancers onstage and their relationship to the music was dead on.