3 August 2019 • WAR CRY • TELEVISION 3 BBC/FX/ERIC LIEBOWITZ
Bob and Gwen have a complex relationship
All that jazz
Dancing duo show it is not always easy to stay in step, writes Sarah Olowofoyeku
I
T’S complicated. Choreography, the entertainment industry and relationships are all complicated in BBC Two’s Fosse/Verdon. Last night (Friday 2 August), the first two episodes of the US miniseries introduced a UK audience to the world of showbiz in the Sixties and the complex relationship between two of its big names – Bob Fosse (Sam Rockwell) and Gwen Verdon (Michelle Williams). Viewers were taken on a journey down the real-life husband and wife’s timeline, from their first electric meeting to the later years of their marriage. At the height of his fame in the 1960s, Bob is still frequently haunted by flashbacks to his days as a young teenage dancer. His teacher was a hard taskmaster, spurring him to dance better and work harder. On one occasion he said, ‘I could replace you a million times over’, making Bob insecure and in need of approval. In the early days of Bob’s career, when a scene from the musical he
was making was poorly received, the director and producer told him they wanted to cut it out of the show. Bob was not impressed and he stormed out of the meeting, taking Gwen with him. That night the pair worked on something different. Their new number dazzled the audience in the next performance, proving that they made an amazing team.
Feelings of inadequacy can upstage us Bob and Gwen married and had a child, while continuing to work in the industry. They enjoy life in the limelight. As time moves on, Bob decides to try to take his career in a new direction and applies for the job of directing a movie. One of the film’s executives suggests he come on board along with Gwen. But Bob isn’t keen on joining the project as a couple and gets himself hired alone.
However, when shooting the film in Munich, he begins to struggle and the flashbacks to his teenage years haunt him again. He calls Gwen, asking her to fly out and help him, saying: ‘I need you here.’ Feelings of inadequacy can upstage us whatever industry we are in. They can trip us up in family life and friendships too. We might feel as though we have to live up to demanding expectations or always to please people. And often we feel that we can never do enough. It is a difficulty that people have stumbled over for centuries. One man who played a major role in early Christianity, Paul, said he had lived for the approval and acceptance of others until he encountered Jesus, who accepted him in spite of the way he had lived his life. He urged a group of fellow believers who were judging, rather than caring for, each other: ‘Accept each other just as Christ has accepted you’ (Romans 15:7 New Living Translation). Jesus does not demand that we live up to any unrealistic expectations. He lived the perfect life so that we do not have to. All he asks is that we let him take the lead and follow in his steps.