It seems that Bob Fosse got his prescriptions filled at Genovese Drug Store. It was a drugstore chain founded in 1924 by Joseph Genovese, in Astoria, Queens and found mostly in the New York City metropolitan area. It was bought out by Eckards and later its East coast operation was spun-off to Rite-Aid.
Joan Simon tells Gwen that she knows that she is dying of cancer, even though her doctors told her husband and not her about her diagnosis. To modern ears this sounds like gross malpractice, but it was not uncommon for physicians to talk only to husbands about their wives' medical conditions. One famous example from this era was Lurleen Burns Wallace, the wife of Alabama's infamous segregationist governor George Wallace. In 1961, Lurleen was diagnosed with cancer, but her doctors only told George, who failed to see to it that she had any follow-up treatment. Several years later, she sought treatment on her own for a different medical condition and was told at that time that she had had uterine cancer for some time. She started a course of radiation therapy even as her term-limited husband encouraged her to run for governor in his place. She won her gubernatorial race, but the cancer was too far advanced and Governor Lurleen Wallace died in office in 1968 at the age of 41.
Cabaret (1972) won 8 Academy Awards for Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Joel Grey for playing Master of Ceremonies, Best Art Direction, Best Scoring Original Song Score and/or Adaptation, Best Cinematography, Best Director and Best Actress in a Leading Role - Liza Minnelli for playing Sally Bowles.
The "god awful show" Joan mentions which her husband Neil Simon and Bob Fosse was 1962's 'Little Me,' which was created as a vehicle for comedian Sid Caesar. Fosse won a Tony for directing.
Pelf as mentioned in the soundtrack of one of the scenes refers to money, especially when gained in a dishonest or dishonorable way.