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Casting Call: Bob Fosse

Cabaret (1972) is Bob Fosse's most famous film based on Christopher Isherwood's The Berlin Stories. Its star? A young Liza Minnelli, who we think should be played by doe-eyed Nora Zehetner.

 

 

Actress, dancer, and choreographer Ann Reinking was Fosse's protégée and, for a time during the ‘70s, his love. You may have seen Reinking in her role as Grace in Annie, the orphan's mother-figure and Albert Finney's love interest. We nominate Zoe Lister-Jones as our Reinking. 

 

 

For the all-important role of Fosse, we'd like to suggest former Whit Stillman darling, Chris Eigeman, currently part of HBO's Girls. Both Eigeman and Fosse have cleft chins and a reputation for cynicism. We're not sure how Eigeman is at dancing, though he was very good in a film which involved other people dancing, The Last Days of Disco.

 

 

Fosse and his third wife, Gwen Verdon, separated in the ‘70s but never divorced. Verdon was also an actress and a dancer and won four Tony Awards during her Broadway career. Later in her life, she co-starred in Marvin's Room with a young Leonardo DiCaprio. We pick current Broadway Tony Award-winning actress Nina Arianda as our Gwen. 

 

 

After Cabaret, Fosse directed Dustin Hoffman in Lenny (1974)—a film that earned six Oscar nominations. We are going to cheat and cast Dustin Hoffman's son, actor Jake Hoffman, as his father. 

Starring opposite Liza Minnelli in Cabaret was a young Michael York, whom we think should be played Jim Parsons.