Fosse & Verdon Book No. 9 - Research at the Library of Congress
Last time I told you how I use the New York Public Library to research for my Fosse & Verdon book. But there’s another library that’s been SUPER important to this project and that’s the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.
The LOC is one of my favorite places to visit…just like the NYPL the archival collections are free for anyone to visit (you just have to jump through the hoops of creating a research account and scheduling your visit) but if just feels so cool walking through the Library of Congress and feeling like you have a purpose there.
My purpose there was viewing the Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon Collection in the Performing Arts wing of the library. Before she passed away, Gwen donated a huge amount of materials concerning both her and Bob’s entire lives and careers: childhood photos, professional photos of every show they were in, posters, personal letters, and even their Tony Award nomination certificates!
I’ve made two trips there and have spent about 7 hours straight there each time. It’s been incredible to hold some of Bob’s show scripts that contain his hand-written notes on it. Some of my favorite finds were photos from the set of The Little Prince (1974) in which Fosse performed “A Snake in the Grass.” A rare moment of Fosse performing his own signature style. Here are a few of those gems:
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