Providence 

Gwen looks ahead to an uncertain future, as Bob tells the story of his life on film.

Director:

Thomas Kail

Writers:

Steven Levenson (teleplay), Joel Fields (story)

Stars:

Sam Rockwell, Michelle Williams, Norbert Leo Butz

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Sam Rockwell	...	Bob Fosse
Michelle Williams	...	Gwen Verdon
Norbert Leo Butz	...	Paddy Chayefsky
Margaret Qualley	...	Ann Reinking
Jake Lacy	...	Ron
Peter Scolari	...	Mel
Kelcy Griffin	...	Debbie Allen
Aya Cash	...	Joan Simon
Lin-Manuel Miranda	...	Roy Scheider
Juliet Brett	...	Nicole Fosse
Hadley Robinson	...	Caroline
Meredith Garretson	...	Bridget
Ryan Avalos	...	Sam
Ari Brand	...	Danny
Jeff Blumenkrantz	...	Lonnie

Storyline

Two key periods in the respective professional lives of Bob and Gwen are told. The first is in the late 1970s. With dancing roles fewer and farther between, Gwen demonstrates with a professional decision how tied she is to Bob, much to Ron's chagrin. With the names changed, Bob is in production on a movie loosely or not so loosely depicting his life - what would become All That Jazz (1979) - which may hit a little too close to home, not only with Bob himself, but with Ann and Nicole, who Bob is considering hiring to play "their" characters. The added stress in this situation stems from the fact that Bob and Ann have now split romantically, and Nicole is struggling with trying to find her place in her parents' respective lives. The second is the early 1980s. Bob is suffering what is considered his first film failure in Star 80 (1983) since his first film, Sweet Charity (1969). But another project brings his and Gwen's professional collaboration full circle, it which highlights the ...

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Plot Keywords:

tv mini series | affairs | broadway | walk in the park | reference to richard dreyfuss | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the very meta sequence of the "All that jazz" finale Lin-Manuel Miranda portrays Roy Scheider playing Bob Fosse in the semi-autobiographical All That Jazz (1979) based and directed by the latter.

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Goofs

Fosse jokes about Tom Selleck playing him in "All That Jazz." In 1978, Selleck was still just a journeyman actor making guest appearances on TV series; he did not become a star until "Magnum, PI" premiered in 1980.

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Connections

References Sweet Charity (1969)

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Soundtracks

Bye Bye Love
(uncredited)
Written by Boudleaux Bryant and Felice Bryant
Performed by Lin-Manuel Miranda

User Reviews

Providence

The finale had Fosse doing dance moves to Mr Bojangles. There is the filming of All That Jazz with Lin-Manuel Miranda as Roy Scheider.

All That Jazz was a thinly veiled film about Fosse. Screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky even tells Fosse how it should have a proper ending.

The finale portrays the chaotic lives of both its main characters. Fosse, chain smokes, has affairs, works himself to death.

Verdon's marriage with Bob has also collapsed. He realised that she would always be entwined with Fosse. Even daughter Nicole's life is showing signs of spiralling out of control.

It is a messy descent. Fosse's final film Star 80 was critically lambasted. The revival of Sweet Charity had all the dance moves but no one was portraying the feelings.

Gwen Verdon outlived Bob Fosse for some years. She was present when some of their productions enjoyed another renaissance such as Chicago. She was a collaborator on the stage revue Fosse.

I had a feeling that the final years felt rushed. I wanted to know more about his reaction to the failure of Star 80 and other film projects he had lined up. The messy narrative did not always help matters and I wonder if this would had been a better 6 episode series.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 May 2019 (USA)

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

The VerdonFosse Legacy, West Egg Studios, 5000 Broadway Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

58 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1