Ann Reinking is one of the best choreographers, dancers and actresses the Broadway theatre has ever seen. She has inspired many people to bring their talents to the stage. Her creative works were innovative and inspirational. Her career is legendary, and will be studied by theatre students and patrons of the arts forever. Reinking died while visiting her family in Seattle at the age of 71. No cause of death has been released.
The jazz and burlesque artist gained notoriety from her collaborations with Bob Fosse. She is receiving many tributes from people in the Broadway community like Tony Yazbeck, Leslie Odom Jr., and Bernadette Peters.
Reinking will be remembered for her bold choreography and her legendary performance of Chicago on Broadway; she won a Tony Award in 1997 for the production. She also collaborated with Bob Fosse for 15 years, which produced some of the most remarkable performances Broadway has ever seen. In 1998 she co-directed Fosse, a production dedicated to her collaborator and friend. Reinking has also appeared on the big screen with Annie (1982), Movie, Movie (1978), and the popular documentary Mad Hot Ballroom (2005).
Reinking began her career as a ballet dancer in Seattle. Robert Joffrey noticed her talents and recommended for her to audition for musical theatre. Her big break was being a part of the ensemble cast for Broadway’s Coco, which starred Katharine-Hepburn. Bob Fosse casted her in the chorus of a production of Pippin in 1972. Pat Birch also noticed her talent and casted her in a World War II musical, Over Here, which starred two of the three Andrews Sisters and John Travolta. From there she landed a starring role in Goodtime Charley, a musical about the life of Joan of Arc.
She starred in Dancin in 1978 and it turned out to be one of her most popular performances. It was a big hit on Broadway. The music and dance revue of the show, directed and choreographed by Bob Fosses ran for three years and earned a Tony Award nomination in 1978.
Her legendary performance of Chicago opened in the summer of 1975 and ran for about 900 shows. The 1996 revival is still on Broadway but cannot be performed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many of today’s Broadway stars are sharing their positive thoughts on Reinking and her work in theatre through social media, including posts from Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jason Alexander.
In theatre, if you are constantly working on hit shows, you will become legendary within the medium. Reinking created her own movements for the revival of Pal Joey at Chicago’s Goodman Theater. She played the leading role in Eleanor, a musical about first lay Eleanor Roosevelt and was on a national tour of Bye Bye Birdie.
After the success of Eleanor, every casting director was interested in showcasing her original choreography or her abilities as a leading lady. In her earlier years, when Reinking left Seattle for New York with only $500. The tickets were for a round trip, but she did not need to go back home to Seattle right away because her rise to the Broadway stage happened more quickly than she probably expected, and she is now cemented as one of the best actress-chorographers to ever play Broadway and tour with her productions.