Catchy and Bouncy

There's a great sequence of events in Bob Fosse's cryptically autobiographical All That Jazz in which Joe Gideon turns the catchy and bouncy "Take off With Us" and develops it into the "Air-otica" dance sequence.

The original number:

The final version:

This sequence seems to be most inspired by Fosse's work with Pippin, specifically the "With You" number featured below. Fosse took a reasonably hokey (though ironically so) love song and turned it into a romp, to say the least.

Something I've never been able to fully understand is why current productions of Pippin, including the two for which I was rehearsal piano player, continue to include this dance sequence, which is clearly tied to Fosse's personality. Even if one changes the dance, the mere inclusion seems as problematic as a remake of a Cassavetes film -- you were either there when it happened or you weren't. Stephen Schwartz, the composer of Pippin, had clear issues with Fosse's direction, and yet when he went back to re-edit much of Fosse's contributions to the script, even he left in this dance number, as if the repeated motifs (something Fosse clearly dictated at the piano) were all that special.

But that's besides the point. I thought the origins of the All That Jazz sequence were worth sharing for those who have as much love for the film as I do. And on a related note, the new special edition is strangely much, much darker than the original near-bare bones release. Buy the cheaper.