Multiple Emmy Award- and Tony Award-winning performer Bebe Neuwirth took the stage at the New College Theater this past Wednesday, October 29th for a lecture demonstration moderated by Dramatic Arts Visiting Lecturer Leslie Woodies.
Bebe Neuwirth at Harvard Dance Center
Although she is most renowned for her work on screen and Broadway (Cheers, Chorus Line, Chicago, Sweet Charity, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and more), Neuwirth insisted she is a dancer first. She emphasized the influence of her background in ballet on her current dancing, citing classical training as a necessary foundation. She also discussed her creative process and the moment she realized her future was onstage: after seeing Pippin on Broadway.
Students enrolled in Woodies’ class Dramatic Arts 124 (DA 124) then performed the “Manson Trio” from Pippin, originally choreographed by Bob Fosse, for the crowd of over one hundred gathered at the NCT. The students were accompanied on the piano by DA 124 Teaching Fellow and Adams House Arts Tutor Matt Corriel. With bowler hat and cane in hand, Neuwirth then got up with the students to coach them on the subtleties of the Fosse style.
Bebe Neuwirth with Dramatic Arts 124 students at Harvard Dance Center
Neuwirth’s coaching of the DA 124 students continued the following day with a master class on musical theater held at the Harvard Dance Center. Other Harvard students and the public were invited to observe the class, which was followed by a Q & A session. She spent the 2-hour class fine-tuning the “Manson Trio,” familiarizing the students with Fosse’s way of not only moving, but also of conducting a rehearsal. She mentioned that a 6-hour rehearsal was the norm for her, and that class etiquette and attire were crucial.
Bebe Neuwirth dancing the “Manson Trio” with DA 124 students
She started by having everyone take off all of their extra warm-ups so that they were on par with the look of her ankle boots, sheer tights, and high-cut leotard. “You have to be able to see a dancer’s lines,” she insisted. She was also very candid about her age and recent surgeries: at 49 and with 2 hip replacements, her incredible movement quality was all the more impressive.
Bebe Neuwirth at Harvard Dance Center
Check out the Harvard Crimson’s article on Bebe Neuwirth’s visit by clicking here.
(Written by Larissa Koch ‘08-’09 and Marin Orlosky ‘07-’08. All photos by Andreas Randow.)
