1973 was the Annus Mirabilis, or miracle year for Bob Fosse. He won an Oscar for his directing of "Cabaret," three Emmys for "Liza with a 'Z'", and two Tony Awards for "Pippin." And yet, he was a despondent, pill-popping, chain-smoking addict to sex, fame, and power. In three years, Bob has come a long ways since the flop of "Sweet Charity." Yet, the motif of the episode is Bob contemplating jumping out of his high-rise New York apartment.
The direction of this program is crisp with creative uses of dance and music. In one of the best scenes, Bob is rehearsing "Pippin" while simultaneously carrying on a conversation with Gwen about her role in the stage play "Children! Children!", which will close after a single Broadway performance. The program contrasts Bob's meteoric rise with Gwen's decline. In a touching scene at the hospital, Gwen visits with terminally ill Joan Simon. Gwen and Bob no longer support each other with feedback and coaching on each other's productions. Bob hits rock bottom when he blunders into Gwen's bed to discover "Ron."
The episode made clever use of the finale from "Pippin," setting the song to lyrics about Bob's potential suicide. But instead of jumping to his death, the workaholic winds up in the Payne Whitney psychiatric clinic on the Upper East side of Manhattan.
The direction of this program is crisp with creative uses of dance and music. In one of the best scenes, Bob is rehearsing "Pippin" while simultaneously carrying on a conversation with Gwen about her role in the stage play "Children! Children!", which will close after a single Broadway performance. The program contrasts Bob's meteoric rise with Gwen's decline. In a touching scene at the hospital, Gwen visits with terminally ill Joan Simon. Gwen and Bob no longer support each other with feedback and coaching on each other's productions. Bob hits rock bottom when he blunders into Gwen's bed to discover "Ron."
The episode made clever use of the finale from "Pippin," setting the song to lyrics about Bob's potential suicide. But instead of jumping to his death, the workaholic winds up in the Payne Whitney psychiatric clinic on the Upper East side of Manhattan.
