Film & TV FeaturesFosse/Verdon Recap, Episode 2: 鈥淲ho鈥檚 Got the Pain?鈥�What happens after Gwen knocks on that door in Germany鈥�
By
Ruthie Fierberg
April 16, 2019
Can we talk about this writing?? Steven Levenson (Tony winner for Dear Evan Hansen) is bringing his A-game to the FX series鈥攁nd his work on Episode 2 (directed by Thomas Kail) is masterful. Have you ever heard a more haunting description of art than these lines:
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we do isn鈥檛 it? We take what hurts and we turn it into a big gag鈥� and we鈥檙e singin鈥� and we鈥檙e dancin鈥� and the audience they鈥檙e yuckin鈥� it up, and they鈥檙e laughing so hard they don鈥檛 realize that all they鈥檙e laughing at is a person in agony, a person who鈥檚 peeled of his own skin.鈥� (As Carrie Fisher once put it: Take your broken heart and turn it into art.)
We heard these lines from Sam Rockwell as Bob Fosse in one of the trailers leading up to the series, and in this episode, we see behind the pain of Fosse and Gwen Verdon鈥攖he pain that loving each other caused themselves and one another, the pain that competing (as Joan Simon put it) caused, the pain of creating art. The threat of rejection鈥攔omantic, creative鈥攃onstantly looms.
Also, good luck getting 鈥淲ho鈥檚 Got the Pain?鈥� out of your head. Erp.
STEP BY STEP: WHAT HAPPENED IN THE STORY OF BOB AND GWEN THIS WEEK
We begin in Majorca. As we can now safely assume, things did not go well when Gwen returned earlier than expected to the Cabaret set and now the couple are visiting their friends Neil and Joan in Spain. Joan is pushing for them to reconcile, but also knows it鈥檚 hard when they are competing. 鈥淏obby and I aren鈥檛 competing!鈥� Gwen protests Maybe in her mind.
(Side note: Verdon says on camera in the documentary Steam Heat, 鈥淏obby was very competitive. He didn鈥檛 need siblings. He had a sibling rivalry with himself.鈥� Here, we see that thought earlier in her life.)
Flashback to New York circa 1954鈥攐r as the show puts it 鈥�263 days since Gwen Verdon鈥檚 1st Tony Award.鈥� Gwen is lunching with Hal Prince. Gwen is babbling about how she quite likes baseball as they discuss Damn Yankees. Hal and George (meaning Abbott, a.k.a. the director) have chosen a choreographer: Bobby Fosse. Gwen doesn鈥檛 like it. He鈥檚 only done one show. She likes it even less when she finds out Bobby requires her to audition.
鈥淕wen,鈥� Hal says, 鈥渋f I didn鈥檛 think the two of you were a perfect match, I鈥檇 tell the guy to take a hike.鈥�
How right you are, sir.
In New York, now 鈥�267 days since Gwen Verdon鈥檚 1st Tony Award鈥� Gwen nervously takes the elevator to her audition while Bobby nervously fiddles with his hat and making sure he鈥檚 got the combination down. But neither show their cards when she enters the room; she鈥檚 confident, and he鈥檚 laissez-faire.
They鈥檙e sizing each other up as Bobby teaches Gwen his choreo to 鈥淲hatever Lola Wants鈥濃攚hich will go on to be the definitive star number in the show. But in this sequence lies the magic of Fosse/Verdon. We get to imagine what it would have been like to create that iconic movement. How did it come to be? What did he say? What did she throw back? He wants her standing still, she challenges him, he holds strong (鈥淲hat鈥檚 sexier than standing still?鈥�); she throws in a look, he finds the X-factor he needs.
We also learn鈥攁s the two choreograph the striptease鈥攖hat they both grew up dancing in burlesque houses. They make allusions to their parents; no doubt that will come back to haunt us all.
Back at home, it鈥檚 after midnight and Bob;s wife, Joan McCracken, is in bed. Insulin on the nightstand, she鈥檚 a diabetic. And if Levenson鈥檚 writing shines in this episode, so too does Kail鈥檚 direction. As we watch the tentative dynamic between Bobby and Joan at home鈥攈er asking about his new starlet鈥攖he editing keeps cutting to Gwen and Bobby growing closer during rehearsals for Damn Yankees. Then scenes of Bobby and Gwen officially sleeping with each other cross-cut with more rehearsal scenes. And when Joan shows up to the end of rehearsal and Gwen doesn鈥檛 notice her, she hangs on Bobby鈥檚 neck and gives them away.
Just then, Joan has an episode of incontinence and Gwen realizes she鈥檚 not just sleeping with her choreographer, she鈥檚 sleeping with this ill woman鈥檚 husband.
Back on the beach in Majorca, another affair comes to a head. Gwen flew to Spain because Bobby threatened to kill himself. 鈥淢aybe you should have let me,鈥� he says unconvincingly. 鈥淲hy don鈥檛 you take that line again, the dialogue鈥檚 fine it鈥檚 just the delivery wasn鈥檛 very convincing,鈥� she snaps. They鈥檝e played this scene before, but this time he says he鈥檚 in love with the German translator鈥攂ut he doesn鈥檛 want to leave Gwen. He wants to have his cake and eat it, too, and that is more than Gwen can handle.
Damn Yankees rehearsals are wrapping up, but not before a gorgeously intimate scene between Bobby and Gwen when he confesses his love, his need for her, but she says she can鈥檛 take away a dying woman鈥檚 husband. Michelle. Williams. Ladies and gents.
But aside from the offstage drama, there鈥檚 also onstage drama. George isn鈥檛 happy with the Act 1 closer and Bobby is taking it as a personal affront. When he hears George and Hal talking about it through their hotel room wall, he calls Hal鈥檚 room and has it out then and there. No one is able to console him. He鈥檇 rather die than let people see a number that鈥檚 half rate. And the tap-dancing in his head reaches a fever pitch. (Love this device鈥攂y the way鈥攖apping as the manifestation of crippling anxiety.)
Bobby wakes Gwen in the middle of the night. What鈥檚 revealed here is seemingly the first time he runs to Gwen, knowing she is the one who will understand, knowing that she is the partner to help him fix it; it鈥檚 also the first time she drops everything and answers the call.
In the rehearsal, the duo tries to find something happy and with energy to end Act 1. That鈥檚 when the rehearsal pianist (Jeff Blumentkrantz cameo!) suggests a mambo. Gwen brushes it off (鈥淚t鈥檚 a song about pain. Bobby, listen to the lyrics鈥�), but Bobby likes those lyrics. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not gonna hear that, they鈥檙e not gonna hear anything. They鈥檒l be too busy looking at you. And you鈥檒l be smiling so wide and dancing so magnificently. They鈥檒l think it鈥檚 a musical but you鈥檒l know and I鈥檒l know鈥攖hat鈥檚 what we do isn鈥檛 it?鈥�
Brilliance. Worth repeating.
And then we get to see the real number, hats and pom-pommed shirts to boot on the New Haven stage. Watching Bobby watch Gwen, Joan can鈥檛 take it anymore. When the two ladies bump into each other in the restroom, Joan鈥檚 anger with her husband seeps out. 鈥淚鈥檇 say it鈥檚 like watching him up there but it鈥檚 more like watching what he wishes he was.鈥� She remembers when Bobby left his first wife for her and now she鈥檚 fully aware he鈥檚 doing it again with the roles reversed. Again, Kail manages to use musical theatre techniques to tell this story about musical theatre icons without making Joan or Gwen sing a note. Because in the background of Joan鈥檚 tale of infidelity and frustration is 鈥淲ho鈥檚 Got the Pain?鈥�
Meanwhile, Bobby may not have had plans to leave Joan, but she鈥檚 not staying and soon Gwen and Bobby move in together. As the baseball players of Damn Yankees sing 鈥淗eart,鈥� we know that Bobby loves Gwen鈥攖hen and now鈥攂ut it might not be enough. Gwen leaves Spain and Bobby is not invited with her.
NAME-DROPPING: FILLING IN THE BLANKS BEHIND THE REFERENCES
Strolling on the beach in Majorca, Spain, Joan Simon did dance with the Martha Graham Company, the leader in contemporary dance.
Gwen has lunch with Hal Prince (Evan Handler) and they discuss Damn Yankees, which Hal produced. (His second musical after The Pajama Game). Hal tells her they found a choreographer in Bobby Fosse and Gwen scoffs saying 鈥淲hat about Jerry?鈥濃攎eaning Jerome Robbins. Robbins had been established since his 1944 On The Town. But after directing Pajama Game, Robbins was working in Peter Pan so no-go on Damn Yankees.
A plot refresher on Damn Yankees: Joe Boyd is a long-suffering fan of the Washington Senators baseball team and wants them to beat 鈥渢hose damn Yankees.鈥� He sells his soul to the Devil, Mr Applegate, to become Joe Hardy, a player who will make the Senators a winning team. But Applegate actually wants the Yankees to win. Lola is Applegate鈥檚 assistant enlisted to seduce Joe and make sure Applegate wins.
This lunch is also the first mention of Joan McCracken, Fosse鈥檚 second wife.
Scott Brady, Gwen鈥檚 boyfriend when she first meets Bobby, was an actor. He had one Broadway credit: 1959鈥檚 Destry Rides Again.
In the audition room at Walton鈥檚 Warehouse in midtown Manhattan, we see Bobby tossing his hat. That鈥檚 the famous hat toss from Pajama Game鈥檚 鈥淪team Heat.鈥�
While Gwen puts on her shoes, she鈥檚 firing some zingers and says 鈥淢ichael Kidd told me he met you in Hollywood.鈥� Michael and Gwen did Can-Can together鈥攖he show that earned Gwen her first Tony. Kidd staged the musical numbers. Kidd was also the Tony-winning choreographer on Destry Rides Again, Finian鈥檚 Rainbow, Guys and Dolls, and Li鈥檒 Abner. (Check out the for his full credits.) Michael and Bobby knew each other because Bobby had been under contract at MGM at 23.
Bobby asks Gwen if 鈥淩ichard and Jerry play you any of their tunes yet?鈥� referring to Damn Yankees composer-lyricists Richard Adler and Jerry Ross.
As Bobby teaches her the number 鈥淲hatever Lola Wants,鈥� Gwen is 鈥渁lready making it better鈥� and Bobby asks if she would ever make suggestions to Jack Cole. Cole was another legendary choreographer, foundational to musical theatre dance. Gwen made her Broadway debut in Magdalena, choreographed by Cole, and followed that up with Alive and Kicking, also choreographed by Cole and also featuring him as a performer.
When Damn Yankees rehearsals starts, "George" is director George Abbott. (He鈥檚 the one making sure the line readings happen correctly鈥攈e鈥檚 also the one played by Broadway鈥檚 Byron Jennings.)
Damn Yankees goes for its out-of-town tryout in New Haven, Connecticut, at the Shubert. When Bobby keeps complaining that Eddie鈥檚 not doing it right, he鈥檚 talking about Eddie Phillips, who played Sohovik.
George and Hal want to cut the Act 1 number that Bobby鈥檚 set and Bobby is taking it personally. But George says they can leave it in there and change it out 鈥渂y the time we get to Boston.鈥� In New Haven, Bobby adds 鈥淲ho鈥檚 Got the Pain?鈥� as we see by the end of the episode. Fun fact: In Boston, the team added 鈥淎 Little Brains, A Little Talent.鈥�
The team stays at the Taft Hotel during their New Haven tryout.
When Joan and Gwen meeting the ladies鈥� room, Joan mentions that Bobby was married when they met, too. 鈥淗e was married to one of the girls in the chorus, Mary Ann.鈥� Mary Ann is Mary Ann Niles, his first wife. The three were all in Dance Me a Song on Broadway.
FYI 2,389 days (the time 鈥渂efore Joan McCracken鈥檚 death鈥�) is about six-and-a-half years.
In the flashes of Gwen alone on a stage beaming as an audience roars, it seems she鈥檚 holding a bathrobe around her. This will definitely come back in a future episode.
