Theater: Slick, Sassy, Borrowed and Blue

Bob Fosse returns to Broadway with less than a blockbuster

Broadway has been hungering for a hit musical. The last real blockbuster, La Cage aux Folles, opened in August 1983. The lone musical survivor of the 1984-85 season, Big River, is still paying back its investors. Of this season's first nine musicals, five have closed, and only The Mystery of Edwin Drood consistently shows a modest profit. So perhaps the most eagerly awaited event of the Broadway year was last week's Big Deal, a splashy, sassy, streetwise show from Bob Fosse. As choreographer or director, Fosse, 58, staged ten consecutive hits, from 1955's Pajama Game to 1978's Dancin'. Since Gower Champion's...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!