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Verdon, (Gwyneth Evelyn) Gwen

The Oxford Companion to American Theatre | 2004 | 700+ words | Copyright

Verdon, [Gwyneth Evelyn] Gwen (1926–2000), dancer and actress. The slim redhead, whose performances suggested both sexuality and vulnerability, was born in Culver City, California, where she learned dancing from her mother, Gertrude, as well as several noted dance teachers, including Jack Cole, whom she assisted on choreographing Magdalena (1948). Verdon helped him again and also danced in the revue Alive and Kicking (1950), then recognition came when she danced in Can‐Can (1953). Thereafter, she was starred in a series of musicals choreographed by Bob Fosse, to whom she was married for a time: Damn Yankees (1955), New Girl in Town (1957), Redhead (1959), Sweet Charity (1966), and Chicago (1975). She was the only major musical star of the post‐war theatre whose fame rested on dance, though she could interpret a song and play an engaging character with panache.

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Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Verdon, (Gwyneth Evelyn) Gwen." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Verdon, (Gwyneth Evelyn) Gwen." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-VerdonGwynethEvelynGwen.html

Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Verdon, (Gwyneth Evelyn) Gwen." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-VerdonGwynethEvelynGwen.html

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