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Ann Reinking

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Ann Reinking
Reinking photographed by Jack Mitchell in 1981
Born(1949-11-10)November 10, 1949
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
DiedDecember 12, 2020(2020-12-12) (aged 71)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Resting placeParadise Memorial Gardens
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
  • dancer
  • choreographer
Years active1962–2017
Spouses
Larry Small
​
​
(m. 1970, divorced)​
​
​
(m. 1982; div. 1989)​
James Stuart
​
​
(m. 1989; div. 1991)​
Peter Talbert
​
​
(m. 1994)​
PartnerBob Fosse (1972–1978)
Children1

Ann Reinking (November 10, 1949 – December 12, 2020) was an American dancer, actress, choreographer, and singer. She worked predominantly in musical theater, starring in Broadway productions such as Coco (1969), Over Here! (1974), Goodtime Charley (1975), Chicago (1977), Dancin' (1978), and Sweet Charity (1986).

Reinking won the Tony Award for Best Choreography for her work in the 1996 revival of Chicago, which she choreographed while reprising the role of Roxie Hart. For the 2000 West End production of Fosse, she won the Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer. She also appeared in the films All That Jazz (1979), Annie (1982), and Micki & Maude (1984).

Early life

[edit]

Ann Reinking was born on November 10, 1949, in Seattle, the daughter of Frances (née Harrison), a homemaker, and Walter Floyd Reinking, a hydraulic engineer.[1][2][3] She grew up in Bellevue.[4] As a child, Reinking began ballet lessons, studying with former Ballets Russes dancers Marian and Illaria Ladre in Seattle.[4]

Reinking made her professional performing debut at the age of 12 in a production of Giselle with the English Royal Ballet.[5] While attending middle school and high school, she studied at the San Francisco Ballet during the summers as a part of a scholarship. After graduating from Bellevue High School, she took summer classes offered by the Joffrey Ballet at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington.[6]

Career

[edit]

Reinking moved to New York City at age 18,[7] and danced as a member of the corps de ballet at the Radio City Music Hall,[8] performed in the ensemble of the second national tour of Fiddler on the Roof, and at the age of 19 made her Broadway debut in the musical Cabaret. She was a chorus dancer in Coco (1969), Wild and Wonderful (1971), and Pippin (1972).[2] During Pippin, she came to the attention of the show's director and choreographer Bob Fosse. Reinking became Fosse's protégée and romantic partner, even as Fosse was still legally married to (though separated from) Gwen Verdon at the time.[9]

In 1974, Reinking came to critical notice in the role of Maggie in Over Here!, winning a Theatre World Award. She starred as Joan of Arc in Goodtime Charley in 1975, receiving Tony Award and Drama Desk nominations for Best Actress in a Musical.[2] In 1976, she replaced Donna McKechnie as Cassie in A Chorus Line; in 1977, she replaced Verdon in the starring role of Roxie Hart in Chicago, a show directed and choreographed by Fosse.[2] In 1978, she appeared in Fosse's revue Dancin', and received another Tony nomination.[10] In that year, Reinking and Fosse ended their romance and separated.[11][12] However, they continued to have a professional, creative collaboration. Fosse's influence on Reinking's work as a choreographer could be seen in her retention of his "dark, jazzlike, fluid body movements."[13] In 1979, Reinking appeared in Fosse's semi-autobiographical film All That Jazz as Katie Jagger, a role loosely based on her own life and relationship with Fosse.[11][14] Reinking appeared in two more feature films, as Grace Farrell in Annie (1982) and as Micki Salinger in Micki & Maude (1984).[15] In a 2019 mini-series aired on FX, Fosse/Verdon, Margaret Qualley portrayed Reinking and her relationship with Fosse.[16]

In March 1985, Reinking appeared at the 57th Academy Awards to give a mostly lip-synced vocal performance accompanied by a dance routine of the Academy Award-nominated Phil Collins single "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)". The routine was poorly received by critics from the Los Angeles Times and People,[17][18] as well as by Collins himself in a Rolling Stone interview.[19] In 1986, she returned to Broadway, replacing Debbie Allen in a successful revival of Fosse's production of Sweet Charity.[10] In 1991, she appeared in her first theater production following the birth of her son, the Broadway National Tour of Bye Bye Birdie, costarring Tommy Tune. Also in 1991, she founded the Broadway Theatre Project, a Florida training program connecting students with seasoned theater professionals including Gwen Verdon, Julie Andrews, Gregory Hines, Ben Vereen, Jeff Goldblum, Terrence Mann, James Naughton, Patrick Wilson and Desmond Richardson.[20] In 1992, she contributed choreography to Tommy Tune Tonite!, a three-man revue featuring Tune. In 1994,[21] In 1995, she choreographed the ABC television movie version of Bye Bye Birdie.[22]

Reinking had retired from performing by this time. In 1996, she was asked to create the choreography "in the style of Bob Fosse" for an all-star four-night-only concert staging of Chicago for City Center's annual Encores! Concert Series. When the producers could not obtain a suitable actress for the role of Roxie Hart, Reinking agreed to reprise the role after almost 20 years.[14] This concert staging of Chicago was a hit, and a few months later the production (in its concert staging presentation) was produced on Broadway, with the Encores! cast: Reinking, Bebe Neuwirth, Joel Grey, James Naughton, and Marcia Lewis.[11][23] In November 2016, the revival celebrated its 20th year, and as of March 2020, when theaters temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the longest-running American musical on Broadway. The revival of Chicago won numerous Tony Awards, and Reinking won the Tony Award for Best Choreography. She recreated her choreography for the 1997 London transfer of Chicago, which starred Ute Lemper and Ruthie Henshall.[24]

In 1998, she co-created, co-directed and co-choreographed the revue Fosse, receiving a Tony Award co-nomination for Best Direction of a Musical.[25][26] For her work on the West End production of Fosse, Reinking (along with the late Bob Fosse himself) won the 2001 Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer.[27]

In 2001, she received an honorary doctorate from Florida State University for her contribution to the arts.[28] Reinking served as a judge of annual New York City public school dance competitions for inner-city youth,[5] and appeared in Mad Hot Ballroom, the 2005 documentary film about the competition. Reinking collaborated with composer Bruce Wolosoff and Thodos Dance Chicago to create the ballet The Devil in the White City, based on the novel of the same name by Erik Larsen; the Chicago Sun-Times named it "Best Dance of 2011."[29][30] Reinking again collaborated with Wolosoff in 2013 to create A Light in the Dark, a ballet inspired by the lives of Helen Keller and Ann Sullivan, which was nominated for a Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award in Outstanding Achievement for Arts/Entertainment Programming.[31] In 2012, she contributed choreography for the Broadway production of An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin.[2] She served as a member of the advising committee for the American Theatre Wing.[32]

Personal life

[edit]

Reinking married four times. She was first married on March 19, 1972, to Broadway actor Larry Small, whom she divorced the same year.[33] Reinking was married to investment banker Herbert Allen Jr. from 1982 to 1989. In 1989, she married businessman James Stuart, with whom she had a son, Christopher, before their divorce in 1991. Reinking married sportswriter Peter Talbert in 1994.[34]

Reinking retired in 2017 and lived in Paradise Valley, Arizona.[4][35]

Reinking's son has Marfan syndrome, and Reinking worked with the Marfan Foundation, which is dedicated to raising awareness of the disease. She produced the 2009 documentary In My Hands: A Story of Marfan Syndrome.[36]

Death

[edit]

Reinking died in her sleep at a hotel in Seattle, Washington, on December 12, 2020, at the age of 71, while on a visit to her family in the area.[37][1] She is interred at the Paradise Memorial Gardens in Scottsdale, Arizona.[citation needed]

Upon her death, the lobby of the Ambassador Theatre, home of the current revival of Chicago, installed an "In Memoriam" poster of her in costume as Roxie Hart from the 1996 opening cast.[citation needed]

Following her death, students of Reinking's Broadway Theatre Project produced a documentary in her honor called The Joy is in the Work.[38]

Credits

[edit]
Filmography
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1976 Ellery Queen Lorelie Farnsworth Episode: "The Adventure of the Eccentric Engineer" [39]
1977 The Andros Targets Laura Harper Episode: "The Surrender" [40]
1978 Movie Movie Troubles Moran [41]
1979 All That Jazz Kate Jagger [41]
1982 Annie Grace Farrell [41]
1984 Micki & Maude Micki Salinger [41]
1987 The Cosby Show Jill Kelly Episode: "Bald and Beautiful" [39]
Broadway Theater
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1969 Cabaret Ensemble[7] [42]
1969 Coco Ensemble [42]
1971 Wild and Wonderful Ensemble [42]
1972 Pippin Ensemble, Catherine understudy [42]
1974 Over Here! Maggie [42]
1975 Goodtime Charley Joan of Arc [42]
1976 A Chorus Line Cassie Ferguson (replacement) [42]
1977 Chicago Roxie Hart (replacement) [42]
1978 Dancin' Ensemble [42]
1986 Sweet Charity Charity Hope Valentine (replacement) [42]
1992 Tommy Tune Tonite! "Choreographic contributions by Ann Reinking" [42]
1996 Chicago Roxie Hart "Choreographed in the style of Bob Fosse by Ann Reinking" [42]
2001 Fosse Ensemble (replacement) "Conceived, co-directed and co-choreographed by Ann Reinking" [42]
2003 The Look of Love "Conceived and co-choreographed by Ann Reinking" [43]
2011 An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin "Choreographed by Ann Reinking" [44]
Other Theater
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1965 Bye Bye Birdie Ensemble Seattle Opera House [1]
1968 Fiddler on the Roof Ensemble Broadway National Tour [45]
1975 Girl Crazy Molly Gray The Muny [46]
1976 A Chorus Line Cassie Ferguson Broadway National Tour [47]
1982 The Unsinkable Molly Brown Molly Brown The Muny [46]
1988 Pal Joey Melba Snyder Goodman Theatre [48]
1991 Bye Bye Birdie Rose Alvarez Broadway National Tour; also choreographer [47]
1996 Applause Broadway National Tour; "Choreographed by Ann Reinking" [47]
1999 Chicago Roxie Hart (replacement) Broadway National Tour; "Choreographed in the style of Bob Fosse by Ann Reinking" [47]
1999 Fosse Broadway National Tour; "Conceived, co-directed and co-choreographed by Ann Reinking" [47]
2001 The Visit Goodman Theatre; "Choreographed by Ann Reinking" [49]
2003 No Strings New York City Center; "Choreographed by Ann Reinking" [50]
2004 Here Lies Jenny Zipper Theatre; "Choreographed by Ann Reinking" [51]
2008 Chicago Broadway National Tour; "Choreographed in the style of Bob Fosse by Ann Reinking" [47]
2013
2018 Théâtre Mogador; "Choreographed in the style of Bob Fosse by Ann Reinking"[52]

Awards

[edit]
List of awards and nominations
Year Award Category Result Title Ref.
1974 Theatre World Award Theatre World Award Won Over Here! [53]
Clarence Derwent Award Most Promising Female Performer Won [54]
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Actress in a Musical Won [54]
1975 Tony Award Best Actress in a Musical Nominated Goodtime Charley [55]
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actress in a Musical Nominated [54]
1978 Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Musical Nominated Dancin' [55]
1997 Best Choreography Won Chicago [55]
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Choreography Won [56]
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Choreography Won [56]
Astaire Award Best Female Dancer Won [57]
Best Choreographer Won [57]
1998 Laurence Olivier Award Best Choreography Nominated [58]
1999 Tony Award Best Director Nominated Fosse [55]
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Choreography Nominated [54]
Outstanding Director of a Musical Nominated [54]
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Director of a Musical Nominated [54]
2001 Laurence Olivier Award Best Choreography Won [27]
Helpmann Award Best Choreography Won Chicago [59]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Countryman, Eli (December 14, 2020). "Ann Reinking, Tony Winner and Star of Broadway's 'Chicago,' Dies at 71". Variety. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Ann Reinking: Performer, Director, Choreographer, Conception". Internet Broadway Database (The Broadway League). Archived from the original on October 7, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  3. ^ "MRS. Frances Reinking, 1917-1996".
  4. ^ a b c Berson, Mish (November 29, 2009). "Dancer Ann Reinking returns to her hometown for kids-theater benefit". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011.
  5. ^ a b Bahr, Amee (July 10, 2017). "When you are born to dance…". Interagency Committee of State Employed Women. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  6. ^ Beers, Carole (May 12, 1991). "Mom's Creation – Frances Reinking – Her Daughter Gets A Kick Out Of Theater, Dance". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Shattuck, Kathryn (December 1, 2002). "Dance; Her Career-After-a-Career: Showing the Way". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 4, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2017. Within months she had landed on Broadway, moving swiftly from the ensemble of Cabaret to Coco and then Pippin... Note: The Broadway League's Internet Broadway Database (see) does not list her in any role in the 1996–1969 production of Cabaret, including replacement roles.
  8. ^ Lovece, Frank (September 29, 2017). "Fast chat with Broadway legend Ann Reinking". Newsday. Archived from the original on October 6, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  9. ^ Schulman, Michael (May 28, 2019). "Ann Reinking on Her Life as Bob Fosse's Muse, Lover, and Friend". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Stars Over Broadway – Ann Reinking" Archived January 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine pbs.org, retrieved August 28, 2010.
  11. ^ a b c Kenrick, John."Who's Who: Reinking, Ann" Archived September 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine musicals101.com; retrieved August 29, 2010.
  12. ^ McMurran, Kristin."When Ann Reinking Is Dancin' She Gives 'em Fever – but What a Lovely Way to Burn" Archived April 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, people.com, July 24, 1978.
  13. ^ "Ann Reinking | The Stars". Broadway: The American Musical. PBS. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  14. ^ a b "Reinking biography" tcm.com, retrieved August 28, 2010
  15. ^ Kilkenny, Katie (December 14, 2020). "Ann Reinking, Tony-Winning 'Chicago' and 'All That Jazz' Star, Dies at 71". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  16. ^ Erbland, Kate (August 28, 2019). "'Fosse/Verdon': Margaret Qualley's Weekly Chats with Ann Reinking Built Her Star Turn". IndieWire. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  17. ^ "Down The Academy". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. March 31, 1985. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  18. ^ Wolmuth, Roger (July 8, 1985). "Short, Pudgy and Bald, All Phil Collins Produces Is Hits". People. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  19. ^ Hoerburger, Rob (May 23, 1985). "Phil Collins Beats The Odds". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 18, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  20. ^ "Founder of Broadway project steps aside". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  21. ^ Biography Archived May 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Broadway Theater Dance Project, retrieved August 28, 2010.
  22. ^ O'Connor, John J."Review: 50's Revisited in New 'Bye Bye Birdie'" Archived September 11, 2017, at the Wayback MachineThe New York Times, December 1, 1995
  23. ^ Brantley, Ben. "Lively Legacy, A Come-Hither Air" Archived December 15, 2020, at the Wayback MachineThe New York Times, November 15, 1996
  24. ^ "Lemper and Henshall London Chicago". Playbill.com. November 17, 1997. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  25. ^ "'Fosse' listing Archived November 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine ibdb.com, retrieved August 28, 2010.
  26. ^ Brantley, Ben."Theater Review: An Album of Fosse" Archived September 18, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, January 15, 1999.
  27. ^ a b "Olivier Winners 2001". Official London Theatre. Archived from the original on March 12, 2011. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  28. ^ "Ann Reinking". americantheatrewing.org. Archived from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  29. ^ Weiss, Hedy (December 22, 2011). ""11 for '11: The year's best dance"". Chicago Sun-Times.
  30. ^ "Thodos Dance Chicago rebuilds the White City". March 2011.
  31. ^ "Multiple Emmy nods go to non-TV station companies". | Reel Chicago - At the intersection of Chicago Advertising, Entertainment, Media and Production. October 1, 2014. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  32. ^ "Advisor: Ann Reinking". The American Theatre Wing. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  33. ^ "3 Apr 1972, 56 – Chicago Tribune at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  34. ^ Hass, Nancy (November 10, 1996). "Two Decades Later, Just Right for the Role". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2017. Two years ago, she married Peter Talbert, a sportswriter whose father is former tennis champion Bill Talbert.
  35. ^ Lengel, Kerry (February 10, 2017). "Broadway darling Ann Reinking makes the most of her Arizona retirement". Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  36. ^ "In My Hands: A Story of Marfan Syndrome". Marfan Foundation. Archived from the original on November 15, 2009. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  37. ^ "Ann Reinking, Broadway star who played Roxie Hart in 'Chicago,' dies at 71".
  38. ^ Rabinowitz, Chloe. "New Documentary About Ann Reinking THE JOY IS IN THE WORK to Debut on YouTube". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  39. ^ a b Pederson, Erik (December 14, 2020). "Ann Reinking Dies: Original Broadway 'Chicago' Star & 'Annie', 'All That Jazz' Actress Was 71". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  40. ^ "The Andros Targets: Episodes". TV Guide. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  41. ^ a b c d "Ann Reinking". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on May 13, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  42. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Broadway Productions" Archived October 6, 2017, at the Wayback Machine at the Internet Broadway Database.
  43. ^ Hernandez, Ernio (May 4, 2003). "What the World Needs Now: The Look of Love Opens on Broadway, May 4". Playbill. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012.
  44. ^ Bernardo, Melissa Rose (November 30, 2011). "An Evening With Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 8, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  45. ^ Lengel, Kerry (February 10, 2017). "Broadway darling Ann Reinking makes the most of her Arizona retirement". The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  46. ^ a b "Cast Alumni, Reinking" Archived September 11, 2017, at the Wayback Machine muny.org, retrieved September 10, 2017
  47. ^ a b c d e f "Touring Productions" Archived October 6, 2017, at the Wayback Machine at the Internet Broadway Database.
  48. ^ Christiansen, Richard. "Goodman Taps 'Pal Joey' From American Musical Gold Mine" Chicago Tribune, June 14, 1988
  49. ^ Jones, Kenneth (July 20, 2000). "Angela Lansbury Withdraws From The Visit; Producers Seek Alternatives". Playbill. Archived from the original on June 16, 2014.
  50. ^ Brantley, Ben. "Oh, Life Was Sweet And Paris a Bonbon" Archived February 14, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, (Theater Review.) The New York Times. May 10, 2003. (Retrieved November 1, 2020.)
  51. ^ Jones, Kenneth (August 27, 2004). "Jenny Made Her Mind Up: Here Lies Jenny Will Extend One Last Time, to Oct. 3". Playbill. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  52. ^ "Compte-rendu : dans les coulisses de "Chicago – Le musical" à Mogador". Musical Avenue (in French). Archived from the original on September 15, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  53. ^ Hodges, Ben; Denny, Scott, eds. (2011). Theatre World 2009-2010. Applause Theatre & Cinema. p. 419. ISBN 978-1-4234-9271-9. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  54. ^ a b c d e f "Ann Reinking". Playbill. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  55. ^ a b c d "The Tony Award Nominations". Tony Awards. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  56. ^ a b Towers, Andrea (December 14, 2020). "Ann Reinking Remembered by Broadway Stars Chita Rivera, Lin-Manuel Miranda and More: 'A Beautiful Soul and Talent'". MSN. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  57. ^ a b Lundy, Katia (May 28, 1997). "Neuwirth and Reinking To Receive Astaire Awards May 29". Playbill. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  58. ^ "Olivier Winners 1998". Official London Theatre. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  59. ^ "Australian Web Archive 2001 Helpmann Awards Winners". Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Australian Web Archive. Archived from the original on July 17, 2003. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
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