Critical Reception

Fosse, like all artists, had good reviews and bad reviews. For the most part, he was appreciated in his time, and certainly has been appreciated for his lasting legacy even more by theatre scholars. The majority of negative reception of Fosse's work was due to the controversial elements present in his choreography. He pushed the envelope, and it did not always go over well. His direction and choreography for the original Broadway production of Pippin, though, seems to have been received very positively. Clive Barnes, who wrote the New York Times review accessed through the link below, strongly disliked the premise and music for the show, but loved Fosse's contributions: "Mr. Fosse has achieved complete continuity between his staging and his choreography, and his dances themselves have art and imagination."

New York Times Review: http://www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/theater/Pippin.pdf