Chita Rivera
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Chita Rivera (born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero on January 23, 1933 in Washington, D.C.) is a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical actress dancer, and singer best known for her musical theater roles. Rivera who is of Puerto Rican heritage, is the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award (December 2002).
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[edit] Early years
Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero was born in Washington, D.C. to a Puerto Rican father who played clarinet and saxophone for the Navy band and a mother of Scottish and Italian descent. Rivera was seven years old when her mother became a widow and went to work for The Pentagon.
In 1944, Rivera's mother enrolled her in the Jones-Hayward School of Ballet. Later, when she was 15, a teacher from George Balanchine's School of American Ballet visited their studio and Rivera was one of two students picked to audition in New York City; she was accompanied to the audition by Doris Jones, one of the people who ran the Jones-Hayward School. Chita's audition was successful and she was accepted into the school and given a scholarship. Among her new teachers were Allegra Kent and Maria Tallchief.
[edit] Broadway roles
In 1952, Rivera accompanied a friend to the audition for a Broadway production of Call Me Madam and ended up winning the role herself. She followed this by landing roles in other Broadway productions such as Guys and Dolls and Can-Can. In 1957, she was cast in the role which was destined to make her a Broadway star, the firebrand Anita in West Side Story. (The role would bring fame and an Oscar to another Puerto Rican, Rita Moreno, in the 1961 film version). Rivera starred in a national tour of Can-Can and played the role of Nicky in the film adaptation of Sweet Charity with Shirley MacLaine.
On December 1, 1957, Rivera married dancer Tony Mordente. Her performance was so important for the success of the show that the London production of West Side Story was postponed until she gave birth to the couple's daughter Lisa. In 1963, Rivera was cast opposite Alfred Drake in Zenda. The Broadway-bound musical closed on the road.
In 1986, Rivera was in a severe accident when her car collided with a taxi on West 86th Street in Manhattan. Injuries sustained included the breaking of her left leg in twelve places, requiring eighteen screws and two braces to mend. After rehabilitation, Rivera continued to perform on stage.
Rivera is regarded by many theatre aficionados as a "living legend" and in an In Theatre magazine interview, George Horsfall suggested, "You must be tired of the term 'legend', but let's get it out of the way. You have long been considered a Broadway legend." Rivera replied "Oh, God!" and laughed.
In addition to her ballet instructors, Rivera credited Leonard Bernstein and Gwen Verdon, with whom she starred in Chicago, as being people from whom she learned a great deal.
[edit] Tony awards and recognitions
Rivera received two Tony Awards (for The Rink and Kiss of the Spider Woman) and seven additional nominations. She was the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award.
[edit] Later years
She appeared in a filmed for television version of the musical Pippin in 1981, as "Fastrada".
Rivera starred in the Goodman Theatre production of the Kander and Ebb musical The Visit as "Claire Zachanassian" in 2001. She is appearing in another version in May through June 2008 at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, co-starring George Hearn. [1]
In 2003, Rivera returned to Broadway in the 2003 revival of Nine as Liliane La Fleur, and received her eighth career Tony Award nomination (Best Featured Actress in a Musical) and fourth Drama Desk Award nomination (Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical). Chita appeared with Antonio Banderas. She later appeared on the revival's cast album.
On television, she guest-starred along with Michele Lee in a February 2005 episode of Will & Grace, and in December of that year, Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life, a retrospective of her career, opened on Broadway. She received yet another Tony nomination for her self-portrayal. Though she was expected to reprise her role in a Signature Theatre staging of The Visit in Autumn 2007, that was later postponed to the following season. Instead, she performed at New York's Feinsten's At The Regency supper club in New York for two weeks. Signature Theatre's production of The Visit opened on May 13, 2008 and is currently running.
Chita will guest-star on Disney Channel's Johnny and the Sprites as Queen of All Magical Beings. The episode will debut on March 15, 2008. [2]
[edit] Additional Broadway credits
- Mr. Wonderful
- Bye Bye Birdie
- Bajour
- Born Yesterday
- The Rose Tattoo
- Call Me Madam
- Threepenny Opera
- Sweet Charity
- Kiss Me, Kate
- Bring Back Birdie
- Nine the Musical
- Merlin: The Magical Musical
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Natalia Makarova in On Your Toes |
Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical 1984 for The Rink |
Succeeded by Bernadette Peters in Song and Dance |
| Preceded by Faith Prince for Guys and Dolls |
Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical 1992 for Kiss of the Spider Woman |
Succeeded by Donna Murphy for Passion |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ playbill article, Kenneth Jones, April 8, 2008, "Chita and Company: Cast Is Complete for Signature's The Visit" Retrieved 04-27-2008
- ^ Playbill News: PHOTO CALL: Chita Rivera Crowned Queen in "Johnny and the Sprites"
