Picture it. New York. Broadway. 1953 (I love me some Sophia). Opening night of the new Cole Porter show "Can-Can" at the Shubert Theatre.
The show stars a now-forgotten French chanteuse named Lilo, who was apparently a big singing star at the time. In the secondary female part of Claudine is an unknown young dancer named Gwen Verdon. Verdon had been a featured dancer in Jack Cole's troupe. Cole was a choreographer who was revered by dancers at the time (including a young aspiring choreographer, Bob Fosse, who's signature style owes a debt to Cole) for his bold, sexual, acrobatic dance numbers and his group was a favorite in New York nightclubs. Cole had also branched out into choreographing for movies, notably "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (including the legendary "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" -- according to legend, Verdon is the one who taught Marilyn Monroe how to walk sexy in heels -- personally, I believe it).
Anyway, when "Can-Can" was on the road pre-Broadway, Miss Lilo had become somewhat taken aback by the young upstart Verdon and the response her numbers were getting from the audience, and, by throwing several tantrums and threatening to quit the show, eventually got Verdon's role of Claudine cut down to just a couple of dance numbers. Well, when opening night in New York rolled around, Verdon went out to perform a number called "The Apache Dance" -- nothing to do with Indians, it was a very physical acrobatic French number -- man in tight striped shirt, Verdon in a tight slit skirt and high heels, with the man basically tossing her all over the stage. I've only read descriptions of it, but apparently her performance was absolutely death-defying and brilliant and virtuosic -- so much so that it stopped the show cold.
After the number finished, Verdon went back to her dressing room to make a costume change, the set changed and the actors were in place for the next scene, but the audience was still applauding for Verdon. The actors had taken their places on stage and apparently waited and waited to begin the next scene, but the applause kept growing and the audience wouldn't allow the show to continue until Verdon came out to take a bow -- a true "showstopper." Cy Feuer, one of the producers of the show, realizing what was happening, ran down to Verdon's dressing room and grabbed her. She had gotten out of her "Apache dance" costume and at that point was wearing only a bathrobe. He pulled her out of her dressing room, pulled her into the wings and pushed her out on stage, totally embarassed and not quite understanding what was going on, clutching onto her bathrobe. The audience apparently went wild and gave her a standing ovation. A star was born. Later that year, she won the first of her four Tony Awards (in six years) for that performance.
THAT'S the Gwen Verdon "Can-Can" story.
"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie
[http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/]
"The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney
