BWW Blog: A Tribute to Ann Reinking

On December 12th, 2020, 71-year-old Broadway legend Ann Reinking passed away while visiting family in Seattle. According to her sister-in-law Dahrla King and the New York Times, Reinking peacefully died in her sleep. It's no question, however, that her legacy will live on forever. As her family told Variety, "The world and our family lost a vibrant, amazing talent and beautiful soul. Ann was the heart of our family and the life of the party."

At the age of 18, Reinking moved to New York City. After dancing as a member of the corps de ballet at Radio City Musical Hall, she quickly found her way into musical theatre. She performed in the ensemble of the second national tour of Fiddler on the Roof, and made her Broadway debut in the ensemble of Cabaret at the age of 19. She went on to dance in Coco (1969), Wild and Wonderful (1971) and Pippin (1972) where she developed a relationship with legendary director and choreographer Bob Fosse.

In no time at all, her awards and nominations started piling up. Ann became a notable broadway figure, winning a Theatre World Award in 1974, receiving Tony Award and Drama Desk nominations in 1975, replacing Donna McKechnie as Cassie in A Chorus Line in 1976, replacing Gwen Verdon as Roxie Hart in Chicago in 1977, receiving a Tony Award nomination in 1978, and appearing in Fosse's semi-autobiographical film, All That Jazz (1979).

Perhaps my favorite part of her career (probably because there's so much footage of it) happened nearly 20 years after All That Jazz. In 1996, Reinking choreographed and starred as Roxie Hart in a Broadway revival Chicago, scoring yet another Tony Award. She was able to incorporate Bob Fosse's style into a new, re-imagined Kander & Ebb classic. I wasn't alive in 1996, but whenever I watch the video of Ann and Bebe Neuwirth performing "All That Jazz" & "Hot Honey Rag" at the Tony Awards, Reinking practically dances through the screen, and I feel like I'm watching her in a live performance. You can't deny that she had the best legs of any dancer on Broadway. They could tell stories on their own. As Ms. Neuwirth told the New York Times in 1996, "She simply doesn't dance like anyone else."

Reinking became a legendary Broadway performer and choreographer. But she didn't stop there. She spent the second half of her career as a musical theatre teacher. Before she opened Chicago, Ann co-founded the Broadway Theater Project, a nonprofit musical theatre education program for high school and college students in Florida.

Ann Reinking's kicks, smile, charisma, and passion will have an ever-lasting impact on me and the rest of the Broadway community. May she Rest In Peace.

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