Exclusive New Interview & Richly Illustrated Booklet Accompany Each CD
(New York, NY - December 5, 2006) Celebrating its unparalleled catalogue of classic musical theater recordings, Masterworks Broadway premieres Legends of Broadway - a new series of CDs highlighting the careers of four of Broadway's greatest stars in their signature roles. All four collections - Barbara Cook, Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters and Chita Rivera - will be released on December 26, 2006.
Between them, these ladies have won nine Tony Awards and have been nominated for the Tony Award an amazing 23 times. Barbara Cook, Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters and Chita Rivera all began their fabled careers in the golden age of the modern Broadway musical, in the 1950s and 1960s. The musicals they created or memorably reinterpreted are among the most popular and enduring - Annie Get Your Gun, Bye Bye Birdie, Candide, Chicago, Follies, Gypsy, Into the Woods, The King and I, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Mame, Show Boat, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, West Side Story and more - and they are all featured in these collections.
Each of the Legends of Broadway titles brings together a definitive choice of songs from original cast and concert recordings that capture the unforgettable performances that made these ladies incandescent stars. Each package is a richly illustrated Digipak® and includes an exclusive new interview in which the star brings new insights to the great moments in her career. See the following page for a complete track listing of each disc.
The Legends of Broadway series - Bernadette Peters, Chita Rivera, Angela Lansbury and Barbara Cook - will be in stores nationwide on December 26, 2006 on Masterworks Broadway.
Sony Classical, RCA Red Seal and deutsche harmonia mundi are labels of SONY BMG MASTERWORKS, a division of SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT. For e-mail updates and information regarding Sony Classical, RCA Red Seal, deutsche harmonia mundi and Arte Nova artists, promotions, tours and repertoire, please visit www.sonybmgmasterworks.com.
CHITA RIVERA
CHITA RIVERA: LEGENDS OF BROADWAY TRACK LISTING: America / Tonight (Quintet and Chorus) / A Boy Like That / I Have a Love (West Side Story) * An English Teacher / What Did I Ever See In Him (Bye Bye Birdie) * Mean (Bajour) * All That Jazz / Cell Block Tango / I Can't Do It Alone / My Own Best Friend / When Velma Takes the Stand / Class / Nowadays (Chicago) * Where You Are / Gimme Love / Kiss of the Spider Woman (Kiss of the Spider Woman)
BERNADETTE PETERS: LEGENDS OF BROADWAY TRACK LISTING: You Can't Get A Man With A Gun (Annie Get Your Gun) * The Sailor of My Dreams / Raining in My Heart (Dames at Sea) * There Won't Be Trumpets / Anyone Can Whistle (Anyone Can Whistle) * Sunday in the Park with George / Children and Art / Move On (Sunday in the Park with George) * Unexpected Song / Tell Me On A Sunday (Song & Dance) * Stay With Me / Lament (Into the Woods) * Time Heals Everything (Mack and Mabel) * Everything's Coming Up Roses (Gypsy)
ANGELA LANSBURY: LEGENDS OF BROADWAY TRACK LISTING: A Parade in Town (Anyone Can Whistle) * It's Today / If He Walked Into My Life (Mame) * I Don't Want to Know / Kiss Her Now / And I Was Beautiful (Dear World) *
Some People / Small World / You'll Never Get Away From Me / Everything's Coming Up Roses / Rose's Turn (Gypsy) * The Worst Pies in London / Wait / A Little Priest / By the Sea / Not While I'm Around (Sweeney Todd)
BARBARA BOOK: LEGENDS OF BROADWAY TRACK LISTING: Glitter and Be Gay / You Were Dead, You Know (Candide) * Hello, Young Lovers / Getting to Know You (The King and I) * In Buddy's Eyes / Too Many Mornings / Losing My Mind (Follies) * Make Believe / You Are Love / Why Do I Love You? / After the Ball (Show Boat) * My White Knight (The Music Man) * Magic Moment (The Gay Life) * Dear Friend / Will He Like Me? / Ice Cream (She Loves Me)
-www.sonybmgmasterworks.com
12/28/06
CHITA RIVERA AND OTHERS IN NEW BROADWAY MASTERWORKS "LEGENDS OF BROADWAY" CD!
MASTERWORKS BROADWAY PRESENTS
LEGENDS OF BROADWAY
Barbara Cook . Angela Lansbury . Bernadette Peters . Chita Rivera
NEW SERIES CELEBRATING BROADWAY'S GREATEST STARS
SINGING MUSIC FROM THEIR GREATEST BROADWAY ROLES
CDs IN STORES DECEMBER 26, 2006
Dancers may simply dance, but Chita Rivera positively razzle-dazzles - a LEGEND OF BROADWAY who began as a "gypsy" and quickly became an exuberant star,
still burning brightly after more than half a century on center stage.
BERNADETTE PETERS
Time stands still for Bernadette Peters, a LEGEND OF BROADWAY whose delicate beauty, inimitable voice and powerful range are as fresh and magical today as they were when she burst on the scene,
a Broadway baby barely out of her teens.
ANGELA LANSBURY
It was the musical theater that allowed Angela Lansbury's star to burn brightest, in a gallery of incomparable performances that sets the highest standard for a LEGEND OF BROADWAY.
BARBARA COOK
The word "luminous" might have been coined simply to describe Barbara Cook - a LEGEND OF BROADWAY
whose golden voice, eloquent soul and irresistible charm have set the standard in making Broadway song an exuberant art form.
Rivera will be honored by the National Corporate Theatre Fund May 10 in a gala evening that will feature Never Gonna Dance's Jerry Mitchell as Master of Ceremonies. Tony winner Frank Langella will present Rivera with the Theatre Artist Award, and the evening will include a performance from Kander and Ebb's The Visit as well as entertainment from Annie Get Your Gun's Brent Barrett and other Broadway talents.
The 2004 Chairman's Awards Gala will also honor Altria Group, Inc. with NCTF’s Corporate Leadership Award and Rosalyn and Irwin Engelman with NCTF’s Leadership Award. In a statement NCTF's Executive Director Bruce E. Whitacre said, "Each of our honorees has made enormous contributions to American theatre. Chita has changed lives with her outstanding performances, from West Side Story to Nine just last year. Cutting edge theatre and dance would not exist without Altria Group, which has been a mainstay of NCTF. And Rosalyn and Irwin Engelman have been passionate supporters of the Long Wharf Theatre and National Corporate Theatre Fund nearly since the Fund’s creation over two decades ago. Gathering these legends in the arts world together in one event is itself cause for celebration. To do so along with our member theatres and the writers, directors and actors whose work has graced over two dozen stages and over 100 productions in 11 communities is a landmark occasion not to be missed."
The evening begins with cocktails at 6:30 PM followed by dinner, performance and a silent auction. The Essex House is located in Manhattan at 160 Central Park South. Tickets for the gala begin at $1,000 and can be ordered by calling Christopher Wynn at (212) 750-6895 or by e-mailing him at cwynn@nctf.org.
04/22/04
FRANK LANGELLA, JERRY MITCHELL, AND BRENT BARRETT HONOR CHITA RIVERA MAY 10
Tony Award winner Chita Rivera, most recently on Broadway in the hit revival of Nine, will be feted next month at the Essex House.
-by Andrew Gans of Playbill.com
The evening — which includes a cocktail reception followed by a dinner — is set for April 26 starting at 6 PM at the Mandarin Oriental New York, located at 80 Columbus Circle at 60th Street in New York City.
Kander and Ebb will receive the company's Jason Robards Award for Excellence in Theatre. Honoring the duo's accomplishment will be some of their most famous musical interpreters: Rivera (The Rink, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Visit, Chicago), Minnelli ("Cabaret," The Rink, The Act, Chicago), Ziemba (Chicago, Steel Pier), Alexander (The Rink), Neuwirth (Chicago), and Gere ("Chicago").
Previous galas have included the Celebration of Roundabout's Great American Musical Series (2003) featuring the Tony-winning revival of Nine, the Inaugural Celebration of Roundabout’s Jason Robards Award for Excellence (2002) honoring Christopher Plummer, the Celebration to Honor Stephen Sondheim (2001) featuring Roundabout's revival of Follies, the Inaugural Celebration of Roundabout's new American Airlines Theatre (2000) featuring Uncle Vanya and the Celebration of Roundabout's Great American Musical Series (1998) with the revival of Little Me.
For tickets ($1,000 and up) contact Elaina Grillo at (212) 719-9393. For more information, visit www.roundabouttheatre.org.
Presented by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the 8 PM event will feature the talents of Kathy Brier, Zoe Caldwell, Kathleen Chalfant, Kate Clinton, Christine Ebersole, Tovah Feldshuh, Lauren Flanigan, Sutton Foster, Deidre Goodwin, Amanda Green, Julie Halston, Joan Hamburg, Heather Headley, Nancy Lemenager, Idina Menzel, Audra McDonald, Donna Murphy, Bebe Neuwirth, Phyllis Newman, Chita Rivera, Carole Shelley, Anna Vissi and Karen Ziemba.
Additionally, attendees can expect to see the women (both human and hand held) from Avenue Q, the gals of Movin' Out, Hairspray's Dynamites trio, the urchins of Little Shop of Horrors and the Radio of Caroline, Or Change. Gossip columnist Liz Smith will also be on hand for the festivities.
Tickets for Nothing Like a Dame 2004 range from $50 to $5,000 and may be purchased by calling (212) 840-0770, ext. 268, or by going on-line to www.broadwaycares.org.
The Actors' Fund of America is the only national non-profit organization that provides for the social welfare of all entertainment professionals. Since 1996, The Actors’ Fund has focused on helping women in the industry who are coping with critical health concerns through The Fund's Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative. Initiated by Actors’ Fund Trustee Newman, the Women’s Health Initiative offers a roster of services to help women access health care and to coordinate support services. Burnett was one of five honorees at the 26th annual D.C. affair, which also included tributes to director Mike Nichols, musician James Brown, singer Loretta Lynn and violinist Itzhak Perlman.
According to the Washington Post, Academy Award winner Julie Andrews introduced the segment devoted to her friend Burnett, offering a verse of "I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together," which Burnett made famous during her long-running CBS television show. Others who came out to honor Burnett included current Gypsy star Bernadette Peters, theatre veteran Elaine Stritch, recent Nine star Chita Rivera, "Brady Bunch" mom Florence Henderson and two of her TV variety show cohorts, Tim Conway and Harvey Korman.
The Burnett tribute featured the aforementioned stars dressed in signature Bob Mackie costumes from "The Carol Burnett Show." Peters was seen as the charwoman with mop and bucket, Stritch played the lovable loser Eunice, Rivera was the narcoleptic Stella Toddler and Andrews was Starlett O'Hara.
The segment honoring Mike Nichols included appearances by Tom Stoppard, Candice Bergen, Elaine May, Christine Baranski and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Two of the stars of the Nichols directed "Angels in America" — Meryl Streep and Patrick Wilson — were also on hand to pay tribute to the award-winning director.
CBS-TV will broadcast this year's Kennedy Center Honors on Dec. 26 at 9 PM ET; check local listings. For more information about the Kennedy Center Honorees or the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, visit www.kennedy-center.org.
The Rivera biographical evening will receive a workshop production next summer at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. The industry paper says that Marty Bell will produce the workshop with direction by Graciela Daniele. Rivera joins a line of recent solo evenings, including the Tony nominated Bea Arthur on Broadway and the Tony-winning Elaine Stritch at Liberty.
Born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero in 1933, Chita Rivera is one of the theatre's most acclaimed performers. She has won Tony Awards for her performances in two Kander and Ebb musicals, The Rink and Kiss of the Spider Woman, and was also nominated for her work in Bye Bye Birdie, Chicago, Bring Back Birdie, Merlin, Jerry's Girls and her most recent outing, the Tony-winning revival of Nine. Rivera's other Broadway credits include the musical Seventh Heaven, her Broadway debut; Mr. Wonderful; the original production of West Side Story; and Bajour. She appeared in the film version of "Sweet Charity," starred in the world premiere of Kander and Ebb's The Visit, and also headlined Bernarda Alba at the Mark Taper Forum.
The Dec. 15 concert at the New Amsterdam Theatre will benefit the Actors' Fund of America and is designed to "become a new, annual tradition." The evening will feature original pieces written by Tony Award winners Terrence McNally and David Henry Hwang as well as appearances from cast members of most every Broadway show.
As of press time, those scheduled to take part in the event include the aforementioned LuPone, Rivera, Lane and Neuwirth as well as Matthew Broderick, Brooke Shields, Edie Falco, Eartha Kitt, Roger Rees, Rosie Perez, Phylicia Rashad, Norbert Leo Butz, Sherie Rene Scott, Alice Ripley, Mario Cantone, Gavin Creel, Richard Kind, Norm Lewis, Elizabeth Parkinson and Billy Porter. Michael McElroy and the Broadway Inspirational Voices will also take part in the star-studded evening.
The evening is being presented by the Actors' Fund in association with Sh K-Boom Records. In a statement Sh-K-Boom President Kurt Deutsch said, "With the exception of Radio City’s Rockettes and the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting, New York has no annual event to commemorate the Christmas season, certainly none from the Broadway community. We aim to create a new and joyful holiday tradition for the City with our yearly Benefit concert, bringing together Broadway’s best and brightest stars, every Christmas, for a great cause." The creative team for the Dec. 15 benefit includes Lisa Leguillo, Paul Dobie, Michael McElroy and Seth Rudetsky.
Tickets range from $50-$1,000 and are available by calling (212) 221 7300, ext. 133. For more information visit www.actorsfund.org.
"Like most non-profit theatrical institutions," reads a Public Theater statement on the matter, "we at times need enhancement money to enable us to produce work -- and that was the situation with The Visit." A publicist for the theater had no further comment on the cancellation, and a replacement for the production in the Public's season has not yet been announced.
The programs sampled are those produced by late Broadway showman Alexander H. Cohen and his wife Hildy Parks, who were routinely applauded for the quality of the broadcasts they created.
The program will be divided into four segments: Broadway Divas, Leading Men, Dancin' and Record Breakers. The list of performers and tunes follows:
Broadway Divas:
Leading Men:
Dancin':
Record Breakers:
Produced by Christopher A. Cohen to honor the Actors Fund of America, "Broadway's Lost Treasures" will air on WNET/Thirteen in New York Aug. 10 at 8 PM and on WGBH in Boston Aug. 11 at 7:30 PM. Check local listings for broadcast times.
Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero, clad in black from head to toe — turban, top and running pants — gives a wicked smile upon being reminded that the next day she will be up onstage at the Hudson Theatre, five blocks south of this one, the Eugene O'Neill, being handed the 2003 TDF/Astaire Lifetime Achievement Award. "Does this mean it's all over? Are you trying to tell me something?" says the fireball Liliane la Fleur of Nine. Not bloody likely.
Liliane la Fleur is the hard-driving, soft-at-the-feminine-core movie producer who tries to keep cinematic genius Guido Contini, with all his women problems and his blocked creativity, firmly on track. Not an easy job, particularly when this Guido Contini, who can make any woman melt on sight, is sensitively played and splendidly sung by Antonio Banderas.
Indeed, it was the two words "Antonio Banderas" that swept away Ms. Rivera's initial resistance to appearing in this rebirth of a Broadway musical that had a big-hit, two-year run two decades ago. Chita Rivera originates Broadway roles — Anita in West Side Story, Rose in Bye Bye Birdie, Anna in The Rink, Aurora in Kiss of the Spider Woman; she doesn't follow in anyone's footsteps. Not with those feet, and what they're attached to.
But now, between shows, she doesn't say that. She says: "I was in L. A. doing The House of Bernarda Alba at the Mark Taper Forum, when I got a call from my agency, asking would I be interested in playing this role in Nine. Really, I wasn't. Then I heard that Antonio Banderas was in it. And I had also heard that David Leveaux, a very interesting, creative director, wanted to see me. So one afternoon I took off and met him. I was bowled over. I suddenly listened to my little angel saying, 'Oh, this might be good!'"
Now that she is working with Banderas, Chita Rivera, "the ultimate pro," as the Times puts it, has this to say about the only grown man in Nine: "Antonio Banderas is an extraordinary, professional person in his dedication, passion and creative juices, all going on at the same time. It's awesome to see. When you've been in the business as long as I have, you see some people who are not working seriously, not respecting that space out there, the audience. But this man is 200 percent genuine, absolutely."
She stops, crosses her arms, braces her elbows and says, "But I like the person also, the private person." With tenderness: "I looked at him just today during a press junket [when actors make nice to a horde from the press]. There he was, in his little Nine cap and his Nine T-shirt. So now he's here, on Broadway. And he [was] up for a Tony!"
Yes, and so were you, Ms. Rivera — "Yeah, I think you're going to have to shoot me in the leg" — in a category with two of your co-stars, Mary Stuart Masterson (the wife) and Jane Krakowski (the sexpot), who last month took home the coveted prize for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
With an affirmative nod: "But I've got my two" — Tonys, that is, for her performances in The Rink (1984) and Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993) — "on my breakfront at home."
Nine was developed by Maury Yeston, Arthur Kopit and Mario Fratti, who as a young reporter had observed director Federico Fellini on the set of "8 1/2", the semi-autobiographical film masterpiece on which Nine is based.
Yes, Ms. Rivera saw the original Tommy Tune production of Nine — "it was wonderful, and Liliane Montevecchi [as Liliane La Fleur] was wonderful" — and yes, she saw "8 1/2", once long ago and again recently. "I loved it. I've always been a huge Mastroianni fan, and when I knew I was going to do this show, I decided to watch it again. In the film the producer is a man — a man in black — totally unlike the person I play."
Come to that, the character you play here, Ms. Rivera, is pretty far removed from Aurora in Kiss of the Spider Woman. "Well," she says, "the Spider Woman was the fantasy of a beautiful young man [played by Brent Carver, with whom she unforgettably tangoed, as, bringing down the house, she does again these nights with Banderas]. But both those characters, those two women, are glamorous, are sensual, are strong...."
Sounds like a good definition of Chita Rivera. "Great!" she says. "I'll take it." So will we.
Tony Award-winner Ann Reinking (Chicago, Fosse) directs and choreographs the second annual evening (approximately 90 minutes) and will be one of the night's highlights as she performs with Bebe Neuwirth.
The show — which is split into four segments including Star-Crossed Love, Unconventional Love, Epic Love and Love in a Movie Musical, each introduced by movie montages and backed by a 30-piece orchestra — will also feature songstress Jewel performing a Cole Porter song, Tony Award winner Jane Krakowski and a finale by her Nine co-star CHITA RIVERA.
Among the other performers who will take part in the festivities are Christiana Anbri, Brent Barrett, Laura Benanti, Sandra Brown, Liz Callaway, Len Cariou, Carolee Carmello, Rosa Curry, Linda Eder, Raul Esparza, Edie Falco, Eugene Fleming, Alexis Kalehoff, Marc Kudisch, Norm Lewis, Mary Stuart Masterson, Main Mazzie, Andrea McArdle, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Katie Moore, Sharon Moore, Desmond Richardson, Allyson Tucker, William Ullrich, Lillias White, Tom Wopat and Eric Jordan Young.
The second annual Broadway Under the Stars, presented by AOL Time Warner and produced by the League of American Theatres and Producers and NYC&Company, takes place 8 PM June 16 — rain or shine.
The lawn at Bryant Park — between 40th and 42nd Street off Sixth Avenue — will open at 5:30 PM for picnicking. Fans are advised to bring a blanket and arrive early to secure a spot on the grass as chairs are not permitted on the lawn. For more information, visit www.nycvisit.com.
Nine stars Rivera, Banderas and Saundra Santiago along with The Rocky Horror Show castmates Esparza and Rubin-Vega will perform with Perez (Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune), Def Poetry Jam's Mayda Del Valle and Lemon, Natalie Toro (Les Misérables) and Olga Merediz (Man of La Mancha).
Amaro — conceiver and choreographer — co-directs the show with Ariadne Villarreal. Grammy Award-winning Ray Santos provides musical arrangements supported by The Jose Bellos Orchestra. The event will be modeled after a night at the historic Palladium during its heyday with live performances followed by an evening of dancing.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) is the nation's leading industry based, not-for-profit AIDS fundraising and grant making organization. Since it was founded in 1988, BC/EFA has raised and distributed over $65 million to services for people with AIDS, HIV or HIV related illnesses.
For more information to "Latin Rhythms" at B.B. Kings Blues Club, 237 West 42nd Street or tickets ($50-$1,000), call (212) 840-0770 x268 or visit www.broadwaycares.org.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL:
GOOD LUCK CHITA! :)
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical:
GOOOOOO CHITA!
GOOD LUCK CHITA!! :) - Webmaster
Rivera, a Broadway legend, has acted in the original productions of West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie, The Rink, Chicago and Kiss of the Spider Woman. She is currently starring as Liliane La Fleur, the tough and sexy producer to Antonio Banderas' filmmaker Guido Contini in Maury Yeston's Nine. Together, they stop the show nightly with a highly theatrical tango.
The Drama Desk is an organization of theatre critics, editors and reporters. In a change from the past seven years, the May 18 ceremony will not be broadcast live on NY1 or rebroadcast on PBS' Channel 13. Instead, the event will be webcast by TheaterMania. Executive director Robert R. Blume said video highlights of the evening will be available on the web within 48 hours. Blume said the television networks dropped out "because of budgetary problems."
Drama Desk Award nominations for the 2002-03 season will be announced 10 AM May 1 at the New York Friars Club.
In another recent change to the organization, longtime president David Sheward is now sharing the position with William Wolf of William Wolf Entertainment Guide. This year's nominating committee includes Sheward, Frank Scheck at The Hollywood Reporter, Robert Dominguez of The Daily News, David Finkle of TheatreMania.com, Susan Haskins of "Theater Talk," Edward Karam of Manchester Guardian and Barbara Siegel of Theatremania.com and Siegel Entertainment Syndicate.
CD of the Week is the re-release of the original cast album of Nine, and listeners will hear one of the interesting bonus tracks. Then, test your knowledge in the weekly Playbill Quiz.
"Radio Playbill," a weekly news and entertainment magazine show of theatrical interviews, features and music, is broadcast 11 times each week on Sirius Satellite Radio's A&E Channel, 137. The 30-minute weekly show debuts each Tuesday, with rebroadcasts throughout the following week. Here is the schedule (all times are Eastern): Tuesday midnight, 11 AM, 6 PM; Thursday 1 AM, 6 AM, 1 PM and 11 PM; Saturday 5 AM, 11 AM, 5 PM and 11 PM; and Monday 5 AM.
Previous guests on "Radio Playbill" have included Brian Stokes Mitchell, Chita Rivera, Michael John LaChiusa, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jerry Herman, Barbara Cook, Michael Crawford, Jason Robert Brown, Lea Salonga, Cy Coleman, Stephen Flaherty, Sherie Rene Scott, Jeanine Tesori, Charles Strouse, Cherry Jones, Baz Luhrman, Gerard Alessandrini and many more. The program has offered the first (or only) chance to hear songs from Hairspray, Thoroughly Modern Millie, A Man of No Importance, Urban Cowboy, Marty, Pamela First Musical, Dance of the Vampires and revivals of Into the Woods and Man of La Mancha, among many more shows.
You can now listen to some of the best these with RealPlayer in the "Radio Playbill" archives on Playbill On-Line. From its three satellites orbiting over the U.S., Sirius broadcasts 100 channels of digital quality radio throughout the continental United States for a monthly subscription fee of $12.95. Click on Sirius.com to listen to Sirius live, or to find a Sirius retailer in your area.
The show will feature the Chicago stars Chita Rivera and John McMartin, as well as the work of original director Frank Galati and choreographer Ann Reinking, confirmed Kander and Ebb Feb. 5.
The Visit's fate had been in limbo since the show debuted at The Goodman Theater in Chicago on Oct. 1, 2001. The show's longtime goal had been Broadway, but those plans later altered into reports of a regional berth and "various options" in Manhattan. The Visit will be Kander and Ebb's first original musical to bow in New York since the short-lived Broadway venture, Steel Pier, in the 1996-97 season.
The Friedrich Dürrenmatt-inspired musical is about Claire Zachanassian (Rivera), the world's richest woman, and the price she asks of her former beau (McMartin) for saving her economically-depressed hometown. The supporting cast in Chicago included Guy Adkins, Steven Sutcliffe and Mark Jacoby.
Over the past year, McMartin's time has been taken up with playing the narrator in the Broadway revival of Into the Woods. The Sondheim show recently closed. Rivera, meanwhile, is contracted to star in the Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway revival of Nine this spring.
Barry Brown, Anita Waxman, Elizabeth Williams and Kevin McCollum are The Visit's commercial producers. At one point, several seasons back, The Visit starred ANGELA LANSBURY and was on the fast track for Broadway. When Lansbury dropped out to tend to her sick husband, the project stalled until it found a home at the Goodman and a new star in Rivera.
Kander and Ebb are currently enjoying a late-career moment in the sun with the astounding success of the movie version of their show Chicago.
Past Public Theater musicals include A Chorus Line, The Wild Party and On the Town. This season includes Radiant Baby, a new musical about artist Keith Haring. The Public has not officially announced its 2003-04 season.
-By Robert Simonson
The evening before, at a State Department dinner, the five honorees were presented with one of the country's highest honors. This year's recipients included Tony Award winners Chita Rivera and James Earl Jones, actress Elizabeth Taylor, singer-songwriter Paul Simon and conductor James Levine.
President Bush and the First Lady attended the gala ceremony at the Kennedy Center's Opera House. Earlier in the evening, Bush addressed the five artists at a White House reception. "This year we've brought together in one room a legend of Broadway," the President said, "the conductor of the Met, the composer of 'Mrs. Robinson,' the face of Cleopatra and the voice of Darth Vader. Each one of you is known to the American people in a way that runs deeper than fame."
THE TRIBUT TO CHITA RIVERA- a Washington-born artist — included Donna Murphy's rendition of "Kiss of the Spider Woman," Valarie Pettiford's "All That Jazz" as well as 83 dancers who performed West Side Story's "America." Man of La Mancha's Brian Stokes Mitchell, director Harold Prince, Chicago's Charlotte d'Amboise and dancer Desmond Richardson also saluted the Tony Award-winning singer-actor-dancer.
Charles S. Dutton and Kelsey Grammar led the salute to James Earl Jones, and the evening also included appearances from John Travolta, Steve Martin, The Gay Men's Chorus, Rudolph Giuliani, Frederica von Stade, Bryn Terfel, James Taylor, John Mellencamp, Alison Krauss, Alicia Keys,the Dixie Hummingbirds and Broadway's Alice Ripley, who reprised her version of "Getting Married Today" for honoree Elizabeth Taylor.
CBS will air "The Kennedy Center Honors" on Dec. 27 at 9 PM ET.
Emy Baysic, Miss Saigon, Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire
Here's to hoping the award goes to Chita because she's the only one who actually is originating the part! The others are just reprising roles that have already been done millions of times!! "Anyone who cares about the progress of the Broadway musical has to see Nine!" That’s what Frank Rich declared in the New York Times after the opening night performance of this Fellini inspired musical. Based on the classic film 8 1/2, Nine went on to win five 1982 Tony Awards®, including Best Musical. Now, the show the New York Post hailed as "a true original" and the Daily News called "brilliant, daring, innovative and divine" returns in a spectacular new production starring Antonio Banderas (Evita, The Mask Of Zorro) in his Broadway debut.
The Production begins MARCH 11, 2003
at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre
The evening — organized by the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) and Katie Couric, wife of the late Jay Monahan — is entitled 42nd & Vine . . . Hollywood Hits Broadway and will be held at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Tuesday, Nov. 12. The many performers will offer selections from Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's West Side Story.
As of press time, those scheduled to take part in the event include Robin Williams, Susan Sarandon, Meryl Streep, Kelsey Grammar, Josh Groban, Beyoncé Knowles, Kevin Kline, Bette Midler, Rita Moreno, CHITA RIVERA, Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Tony Danza, Jesse L. Martin, Davis Gaines, Heather Headley, Rebecca Luker and Paul Stanley as well as "Sopranos" cast members Tony Sirico, John Ventimiglia, Steve Schirripa and Federico Castelluccio.
In a statement, Katie Couric said, "It's rare that I'm speechless, but that's how I feel about the incredible array of stars — from film, television, Broadway and the music industry —who will perform to benefit the Monahan Center. I can't begin to express how grateful and touched I am by the entertainment industry's generosity — both the Foundation's help and the personal commitment of each and every person who will participate in Hollywood Hits Broadway. November 12th is really going to be an amazing night. Knowing that all the proceeds will go to a great cause will make it even more so."
The "Today Show" co-host also spoke about her late husband — who died of colon cancer in 1998 — and the Center that will be named in his honor: "EIF has been an extraordinary partner in the work I've been doing to raise awareness and research dollars for the fight against colon cancer since losing my husband Jay to the disease in 1998. I am thrilled to have EIF's support as we establish the Monahan Center here in New York City. I know from personal experience what an enormous help the Center will be to families dealing with the devastating diagnoses of a variety of gastrointestinal cancers." The Jay Monahan Center — scheduled to open in early 2004 — will be located in the Stich building on the New York Weill Cornell campus of the New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Individual tickets for the Nov. 12 event begin at $2,500. For more information, call Event Associates at (212) 245-6570 or e-mail debbief@eventassociatesinc.com.
A benefit for Career Transition for Dancers — which helps dancers establish new careers when dance is no longer an option — the gala event included Richard Rodgers dance classics as well as new works set to Rodgers' music.
MGM star Arlene Dahl, who was one of the very first actresses to receive a star on the renowned Walk of Fame, has spearheaded a campaign to launch a Walk of Stars along Broadway. A host of theatre celebs and other luminaries attended the Oct. 10 launching of the Walk, which will honor performers with stars in the Times Square area.
CHITA RIVERA has no problem admitting that her long, celebrated career in musical theater has a downside. Most people have trouble imagining the Puerto Rican-American actress as anything other than a classic triple threat — a reputation she has earned in almost five decades of hard work on Broadway, from the chorus of the original stagings of "Call Me Madam" and "Guys and Dolls" through a career-making role in "West Side Story" to her Tony-winning performance in "Kiss of the Spider Woman."
But serious, spoken-word theater? Rivera is not the first actress who comes to mind. That's why Rivera was floored when she got a call out of the blue from director Lisa Peterson, whom she had never met. Would Rivera be interested in playing the crucial title role in a Mark Taper Forum production of Federico Garcia Lorca's dark masterpiece, "The House of Bernarda Alba"?
"I must admit it was kind of wonderful when she asked me," said Rivera, looking fit and much younger than her 69 years in her dressing room at the Taper last week. "Most people, when they think of me, they think dancer-singer- musical comedy actress. But I've done 'The Rose Tattoo' and 'Born Yesterday' and several other plays. Yet I totally understand that attitude."
Lately, Rivera's career has taken a turn toward the serious. "The last little while has been an interesting progression for me. I did an amazing thing called 'Venicia' (a new Argentine play directed by her old "West Side Story" collaborator, Arthur Laurents)." After that, Rivera tackled a dark new musical, "The Visit," penned by a couple of other longtime pals, John Kander and Fred Ebb. (She starred as Velma Kelly in the original production of their 1975 musical, "Chicago.")
Bernarda is a tough role for even the most experienced dramatic actress. Bitter, man- hating, ruling her unhappy household of five passionate daughters with a steely will and a frequently wielded cane, Bernarda keeps her brood sequestered inside their Andalusian home in an eight-year period of mourning after the death of her husband. It's a joyless and rancor-filled household. When Rivera first read the play, the role of Bernarda seemed impenetrable in its cruelty. But she and Peterson have found various ways of making the character seem nuanced, if not sympathetic.
"I'm really hoping that what we're doing is going to solve (Bernarda's harshness), which was the thing that most struck me when I first read (the script). But people are not born this way. Things happen that change them. She's in this hopeless situation with five girls, not all from the same father, and she's stuck with a crazy mother." 'All about family' Although Rivera thinks Hispanic audiences may be more familiar than non-Hispanics with the culture and traditions that dictate the Alba family's lives, there is much about the story that everyone can relate to, the actress said. "It's all about family units, the pride, the depressions, the clashes that we all have in our families, and how we deal with them."
Bernarda's heavy-handed decree of seclusion is more than just a reaction to the death of her husband. There are a number of other factors in play, Rivera said. "All the girls' lives are changing because they're all in love. Bernarda knows something is going on within her family but she just can't get hold of it. There's a lot of intrigue going on."
On a symbolic level, Lorca is commenting on Franco's heavy-handed rule and Spain's resulting alienation from the rest of Europe (Lorca's anti-Franco views resulted in his assassination shortly after "Bernarda Alba" was completed in 1936). But audiences don't need to know about the political context of the play to understand it, Rivera said.
"It works perfectly well as a simple story, and it was based on Lorca's own life. There was a family that lived next door to him that was very similar to this family; they were always together and very secretive. He would eavesdrop on their conversations at the well (the families) shared. Everybody loves a little gossip, and we can all relate to characters who love gossip, like Bernarda."
The severity and unfamiliarity of "Alba's" world could be off-putting to a modern American audience, but Rivera thinks that Peterson's unusual casting choices will make the play more accessible and more universal. "I'm concerned about the cultural foreignness of the material," Rivera said. "But Lisa has done this fabulous thing. When I came to the first rehearsal I noticed that there are Asian and Indian and Spanish names (among the actresses). I asked Lisa, 'What's the idea — is there another story going on here that I don't know about? Who are these women?' She said, 'No, I want these women to be the universal family. I want everybody to feel as if they recognize someone.' "Rivera acknowledged that multiracial casting is a risk in a play such as this one. "I hope — I pray — that we've achieved the right effect. We'll know soon enough."
By PAUL HODGINS
-The Orange County Register
THERE IS SPECULATION THAT CHITA HAS A CAMEO IN THE UPCOMING FILM CHICAGO!!
Laura Benanti, Nell Campbell, Jane Krakowski, CHITA RIVERA and Saundra Santiago. These will some of the women in Guido's life when the Roundabout Theatre Company revives the musical Nine in 2003.
The names were reported by Variety, but were not confirmed by the Roundabout at press time. All of the above ladies would vie for the attention of Antonio Banderas, who will play filmmaker Guido, the only man in the show. (Banderas, too, is unconfirmed, but widely known to be slated for the role created by Raul Julia.)
Benanti, who will play Claudia, is currently living a Cinderalla story in Broadway's Into the Woods. She won a Tony nomination for her slipper-losing servant girl. Krakowski, who has been cast as Carla, spent much of the '90s in L.A., co-starring in the television show "Ally McBeal." She last graced Broadway in Grand Hotel. Santiago, set to play Stephanie, appeared in Chronicle of a Death Foretold and A View from the Bridge. RIVERA, of course, boasts many Broadway credits; this year she will be among the Kennedy Center honorees. She will play Liliane. Campbell will fill the role of Saraghina.
Nine has music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Arthur Kopit. It first opened at the 46th Street Theatre on May 9, 1982, under the direction of Tommy Tune, who also did the choreography along with Thommie Walsh.
No casting has been announced for the revival at this time.
—By Robert Simonson
The Kennedy Center Honors recognizes the lifetime achievements of
individual artists. Each year members of the Kennedy Center's national artists
committee recommend possible award winners. The Honors are bestowed
the night before the gala at a State Department dinner hosted by Secretary of
State Colin Powell. The gala, which is a fundraiser for the Kennedy Center
and helps support the center's programming, provides a grander salute to the
recipients.
Rivera has garnered seven Tony Award nominations and won twice (for The
Rink and Kiss of the Spider Woman). Recently, she has starred in the Paper
Mill Playhouse production of Anything Goes, a limited Chicago tour,
Venecia at the George Street Playhouse, the world premiere of Kander and
Ebb's The Visit at Chicago's Goodman Theatre and Casper The Musical.
Rivera is currently appearing in Federico García Lorca's The House of
Bernarda Alba at the Mark Taper Forum through September 1.
Musical theatre legend CHITA RIVERA will star in Chay Yew's adaptation of Federico Garcia Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba playing Los Angeles' Mark Taper Forum July 14-Sept. 1. Lisa Peterson directs the dark drama, which also features stage and TV's Sandra Oh (Stop Kiss, Dogeaters, "Arli$$").
Rivera is best known for her legendary musical and dance work. Since the 1950's, she has originated major roles in the original companies of West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie, Chicago, The Rink, Kiss of the Spider Woman and the recent world premiere of The Visit at Chicago's Goodman Theatre.
At the start of Bernarda Alba, the newly widowed Alba declares her five daughters must remain within her house for eight years of mourning. While Bernarda's mad, aged mother rages, the eldest daughter courts a suitor, who captures the heart of the youngest. The daughters become so overwhelmingly jealous in their forced captivity that the inevitable result is another tragic death.
Director of the Asian Theatre Workshop at Los Angeles' Mark Taper Forum, Yew also wrote Red, Wonderland, A Beautiful Country and A Language of Their Own. His The House of Bernarda Alba premiered at New York City's National Asian American Theatre Company in December 2000 with Obie winner Ching Valdes Aran and Tony Award nominee Julyana Soelistyo in the cast.
Joining Rivera and Oh at the Taper are Christine Avila, Marissa Chibas, Tsai Chin (Golden Child), Aixa Clemente, Eileen Galindo, Karen Huie, Carla Jimenez, Lydia Look, Lina Patel, Lisa Renee Pitts, Jeanne Sakata, Camille Saviola (Ragtime, Nine), Shaheen Vaas and Rita Wolf.
For reservations ($30-$44), call (213) 628-2772. The Mark Taper Forum is located at 135 N. Grand Ave. and on the web at http://www.taperahmanson.com.
— By Christine Ehren of playbill.com Attendance requires a minimum donation of $25, with proceeds from the concert going to buy Broadway theatre tickets for "families of the victims and heroes of Sept. 11," according to Town Hall spokesperson Kerrie Smith.
Joining RIVERA (The Visit) and Kiss Me, Kate's CARMELLO are JUDY KUHN (Eli's Comin'), EMILY SKINNER (Side Show), Emily Loesser (Titanic), composer STEPHEN SCHWARTZ (The Magic Show), Bryan Batt (Seussical), PRISCILLA LOPEZ (Chorus Line) and BRIAN D'ARCY JAMES (Wild Party). Jim Caruso is likely to host. Scott Siegel, who producers Town Hall's Broadway "Year-By-Year" concerts, is helming the Nov. 19 benefit.
For tickets and information call (212) 840-2824.
The UPCA was formed last February and made clear its intention to renovate the Uptown Theatre in July, inspired by a $1 million donation from the Edith-Marie Appleton Foundation and arts patrons Albert I. And Maria Goodman. The organization wants to bring live entertainment back to the venue,
including touring productions originating in New York.
The Uptown, situated at the corner of Broadway and Lawrence north of The Loop, opened as a movie and vaudeville house. In the 1970s, it became a
concert hall, but was shut down in 1980.
Rivera and Reinking are both connected to the current Chicago run of the new Kander and Ebb musical The Visit, Rivera as star, Reinking as choreographer.
Over the last several years, Chicago has seen many of its old theatres rescued from decay, including the Oriental, renovated by the now defunct Livent. The
landmark Harris and Selwyn theatres, their facades preserved, were incorporated into the new Goodman Theatre on Randolph Street.
JK: First of all, you take your own natural baritone voice and drop it down about three notes. [Laughs.] It's a very low voice. It's hard to be totally objective about Chita because we've been working with her for over 30 years and she's a great, great friend. She's wonderfully musical and disciplined. Forget about the voice for a second. When it comes to singing she brings to it not only a terrific voice, but a dancer's innate sense of rhythm. She "gets it" really fast. She's also, I think, probably the most focused, disciplined performer I've worked with in my life. Her voice, which I love, like her dancing, is a result of that discipline. She works at her craft.
— By Kenneth Jones of playbill.com
10/01/01
The darkly comic new musical began a preview period of rewrites and tweaks and changes Sept. 21 at the Windy City nonprofit. A new sequence went into
the show as late as last week, John Kander told Playbill On-Line.
The Visit company began rehearsals Aug. 14 at the Tony Award-honored
resident theatre. Chita Rivera and John McMartin lead the troupe as ex-lovers
who tango through a bitter reunion that turns deadly. Rivera is a veteran of the salty vamps of composer Kander and incisive lyrics of Ebb. She starred on
Broadway in their Chicago, The Rink (for which she won the Tony Award) and
Kiss of the Spider Woman (for which she won Tony No. 2). McMartin appeared in the original Broadway productions of Sweet Charity, Follies and
High Society. He also played Captain Andy in the Hal Prince revival of Show Boat.
Frank Galati (Ragtime) directs and Ann Reinking (Fosse) choreographs the tale of a depressed town and its famous former resident — Claire Zachanassian, the
richest woman in the world. Performances at the Albert Ivar Goodman Theatre continue to Nov. 3.
Claire was driven from her hometown in disgrace when she was 17, betrayed by
her lover, Anton Schell (McMartin). Many years (and seven husbands) later,
she returns (beautifully dressed, but with a wooden leg) to her
now-impoverished stomping grounds and offers to save the town. The price?
Nothing less than the life of Schell. The musical is drawn from the 1956 play of
the same name by Swiss playwright Friedrich Dürrenmatt. The play's original
title was Der Besuch der alten Dame (Visit of the Old Woman), and was
produced in London and New York as The Visit starring Alfred Lunt and Lynn
Fontanne.
The musical cast includes Guy Adkins (Karl Schell), McKinley Carter (Annie
Dummermut), Mark Jacoby (Mayor Peter Dummermut), Cristen Paige (Otillie
Schell), Ami Silvestri (Matilde nee Blumhard), Steven Sutcliffe (Schoolmaster
Kuhn), with Scott Calcagno, Tina Cannon, Jim Corti, Mark Crayton, Joseph
Dellger, Roberta Duchak, John W. Eskola, James Harms, Rob Hatzenbeller,
Brian Herriott, Rosalyn Rahn Keirns, Leisa Mather, Matt Orlando, Adam Pelty,
Greg Walter, Jonathan Weir, Bernie Yvon and Raymond Zrinsky.
Kander said the role of Claire is not a dance part, but Reinking has created
choreography for something called "The One-Legged Tango" to show off
Rivera's celebrated dance skills.
Tickets range $40-$55. The Goodman Theatre is at 170 N. Dearborn Street.
For further ticket information, call (312) 443 3800. 7/31/01
"I'm a loyal gal," Ms. Rivera says. "This is where my life is. This is what I'm supposed to do."
No recent stage star of comparable magnitude has been as willing to travel to the fans, either. She toured as the Spider Woman – Dallas saw her
perform it in 1996. Tuesday night she returns courtesy of Dallas Summer Musicals in a new vehicle rewritten specially for her, as Magdelena
Monteverde in Casper: The Musical.
It might not be Chicago (in which Ms. Rivera created the role of Velma). But the star isn't afraid to compare the show to Bye Bye Birdie, in which she
co-starred on Broadway with Dick Van Dyke.
"This is a family musical, you see," she says. "The writers want to go beyond this short summer tour – there are many things they want to change
and refocus. But it's sweet."
Ms. Rivera made her Broadway debut in the chorus of Guys and Dolls at age 17, back in 1950. Seven years later, West Side Story catapulted her to
stardom. There was talk of her doing the film, but she was already doing the tryouts for Bye Bye Birdie in Philadelphia.
"When the movie turned out to be so big, I probably would have killed myself if Birdie hadn't been such a success, too. Larry Kert [who played Tony in
West Side Story onstage, but not in the film] and I used to get together and
commiserate. But he and I were pretty realistic. You have to be, in this
business."
Before the current Casper run of performances in four cities, Ms. Rivera toured in her own revue and performed in the megahit revival of Chicago in
London and Las Vegas. She didn't do her original role, Velma, but rather Roxie, created by her late friend and colleague, Gwen Verdon.
"I really missed the beautiful sets of the original production and some of the original choreography, but I told myself, 'OK, Chita. This is what it is,' " she
says. "I had fun. But I tell you, when you've got a Gwen Verdon in the show, it's a whole other bag of beans."
Casper started out in London, too, but the role that Ms. Rivera plays wasn't
in it. Director David H. Bell (who just did The Tempest for the Shakespeare Festival of Dallas) hired Stephen Ward (After the Fair, Dodsworth) to rewrite
the book completely.
"I thought that what this show really needed was a big, mean star like
Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians or Miss Hannigan in Annie ," Mr. Ward
says. "Our first thought was that Chita Rivera would be perfect, but we never
thought we'd really get her. Luckily, I had done a benefit with her, so we
tried. I thought, 'Why shouldn't I get who we really wanted?' "
It turned out that the short tour just fit into the star's schedule. So the little musical about a ghost evolved into a show for a star who has always been
known as a great dancer.
"She's funny, and that's the thing a lot of people forget," Mr. Ward says. "She can be a villainess that you hate, but also glamorous."
Ms. Rivera denies that Magdelena is all that nasty. She certainly doesn't think she's as bad as Cruella De Vil.
Of course, that may be because the star is about to go into rehearsals to create one of the darkest characters ever attempted in a musical comedy –
Claire, in the long-awaited Kander and Ebb musical version of The Visit.
"Now, that's for real," she exclaims.
The Visit was to be Angela Lansbury's return to Broadway after all those years on television. But Ms. Lansbury pulled out of the show last year
because of her husband's illness, and after some delay Ms. Rivera was announced for the role. Rehearsals start for the world premiere in Chicago
right after Casper closes in Dallas, and the plan is for The Visit to arrive on
Broadway next spring.
"I'm studying it right now – please don't remind me," Ms. Rivera says. "I find
the role very European because there's a lot of vengeance in her heart. The
challenge is to make her as acceptable as possible to the American
mentality."
Although Claire has an artificial leg and an artificial hand, it's still going to be
a dancing role. But then Ms. Rivera dances with 18 pins and two screws in
her leg, the aftermath of a 1986 car crash. As Mr. Ward notes, that doesn't
keep her from kicking higher than any member of the chorus.
"Working with her is like a dream," he says. "Not only is there so much star
power, but she has the dedication of somebody who knows what she's after.
I never saw anybody work so hard. Nobody else can still do it. It's frightening
when that leg goes up."
By LAWSON TAITTE / The Dallas Morning News
03/13/04
CHITA ON TV!
The League of Professional Theatre Women, Women in Theatre II will be seen throughout the spring on Fridays at 10:30 AM and 3:30 and 8:30 PM and Sundays at 12 noon on CUNY-TV, Channel 75. For more information visit www.cuny.tv. The complete viewing schedule includes: Chita Rivera (March 12,14), Julie Taymor (March 19, 21), Ruby Dee (March 26, 28), Jennifer Tipton (April 2, 4), Marian Seldes (April 9, 11), Libby Appel (April 16, 18), Wendy Wasserstein (April 23, 25), Isabelle Stevenson (April 30, May 2), Graciela Daniele (May 7, 9), Kate Valk (May 14, 16), Carey Perloff (May 21, 23), Kathleen Chalfant (May 28, 30) and Susan Stroman (June 4, 6).
03/07/04
KANDER & EBB MUSICAL ALUMNI RIVERA, MINNELLI, GERE, MORE HONOR DUO AT ROUNDABOUT GALA, APRIL 26
Chita Rivera, Liza Minnelli, Richard Gere, Jason Alexander, Bebe Neuwirth, Natasha Richardson, Victor Garber, Marin Mazzie, Debra Monk and Karen Ziemba will appear in the Roundabout Theatre Company's spring gala celebration honoring the musical team of John Kander and Fred Ebb, April 26.
-By Ernio Hernandez of playbill.com
01/03/04
THERE IS NOTHING LIKE A DAME MARCH 1 AT THE ST. JAMES THEATRE
The ninth annual Nothing Like a Dame concert to benefit The Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative of the Actors' Fund of America will be held March 1 at the St. James Theatre.
12/08/03
ANDREWS, RIVERA, PETERS AND STRITCH HONOR BURNETT AT KENEDY CENTER HONORS; CBS TO BROADCAST DEC.26
A host of theatre and TV royalty paid tribute to Carol Burnett this past weekend during the annual Kennedy Center Honors Dec. 7.
11/24/03
CHITA IS CHITA IN TERRENCE MCNALLY-PENNED SHOW
Stand back, Elaine Stritch. Here comes CHITA RIVERA! Variety reports that playwright Terrence McNally is currently working on a solo show for Tony Award winner Chita Rivera. It will be a reunion, of sorts, for McNally and Rivera, who worked together during the world premiere of Kander and Ebb's The Visit at the Goodman Theatre in 2001. That musical was due to arrive at the Public Theater this season but was scrapped due to financial problems.
11/04/03
RIVERA, LUPONE, LANE, NEUWIRTH, RIPLEY, AND DOZENS MORE SET FOR GREAT JOY! HOLIDAY CONCERT
A host of Broadway's finest talent — including Patti LuPone, Chita Rivera, Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth — will take part in Great Joy! A Holiday Celebration from Broadway.
-Andrew Gans of playbill.com
08/22/03
NEW KANDER AND EBB MUSICAL WON'T VISIT THE PUBLIC
It has just been confirmed that the Public Theater's scheduled New York premiere production of The Visit, the new musical with a score by John Kander and Fred Ebb and a book by Terrence McNally, has been canceled.
The show had its world premiere at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago in 2001. The Public Theater production was scheduled to open in February under the direction of Frank Galati (Ragtime), with choreography by Ann Reinking (Chicago). Chita Rivera (currently appearing on Broadway in Nine) and Frank Langella (most recently seen in Fortune's Fool) were to have starred in the musical, which is based on Friedrich Duerrenmatt's play about a woman who returns to the town of her birth with offers -- and demands -- for the bedraggled populace.
-Matthew Murray of TheatreMania.com
08/05/03
CHITA RIVERA: BROADWAY STAR GETS BUCKS
photos by Aubrey Reuben
Chita Rivera pours coffee for customers; Frank Conway (Broadway Cares), Chita Rivera, Billy Dennehy (Store Manager) as Chita accepts a check for $5,000 on behalf of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The event took place at the Starbucks' newest Times Square store on West 42nd St.
-By Matt Urban of playbill.com
07/24/03
PBS "BROADWAY'S LOST TREASURES" OFFERS TONY AWARS HIGHLIGHTS, INCLUDED CHITA RIVERA!
A new television special saluting classic Tony Award ceremony performances will be part of the August pledge drive on PBS stations across the country.
Entitled "Broadway's Lost Treasures" and HOSTED by Angela Lansbury, Jerry Orbach and Chita Rivera, the program will feature a compilation of performances from Tony Awards broadcasts from 1967 to 1986. Many of these performances have not been seen since their original broadcasts and will be presented with color-corrected footage and digitally re mastered music.
Vivian Blaine singing Guys and Dolls' "Adelaide's Lament"
Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin and Bob Gunton singing Evita's "A New Argentina"
Angela Lansbury singing Sweeney Todd's "Worst Pies in London"
Carol Channing singing Hello, Dolly!'s "Before the Parade Passes By"
Julie Andrews singing A Little Night Music's "Send in the Clowns"
Zero Mostel singing Fiddler on the Roof's "If I Were A Rich Man"
Yul Brynner and Patricia Morison singing The King and I's "Shall We Dance"
John Raitt singing The Pajama Game's "Hey There"
Robert Preston singing The Music Man's "Trouble"
Richard Kiley singing Man of La Mancha's "The Impossible Dream"
Joel Grey in Cabaret's "Wilkommen"
Tommy Tune and Twiggy in My One and Only's "Kickin' the Clouds Away"
Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera in Chicago's "All That Jazz" and "Nowadays"
Jerry Orbach in 42nd Street's "Lullaby of Broadway"
Andrea McArdle singing Annie's "Tomorrow"
Jennifer Holliday singing Dreamgirls' "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"
Betty Buckley and the company of Cats singing "Jellicle Songs" and "Memory"
-Andrew Gans of playbill.com
07/10/03
RIVERA REVERED
photo by Joan Marcus
If there's any doubt in your mind that the sublime Chita Rivera is Broadway royalty, a trip to see Nine should clear things up
-By Jerry Tallmer of playbill.com
06/13/03
ANTONI, MELANIE, CHITA, JANE AND JEWEL APPEAR AT FREE BROADWAY UNDER TE STARS CONCERT, JUNE 16!
Nine star Antonio Banderas and wife Melanie Griffith, Chicago's next Roxie on Broadway, co-host the free Broadway Under the Stars evening June 16 at Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan.
-By Ernio Hernandez of playbill.com
06/07/03
CHITA PERFORMS IN GOTTA DANCE!
The 9th annual gala benefit for Career Transition for Dancers is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 27 at City Center. Entitled Gotta Dance! A Dance Tribute to Hollywood, the 7 PM evening will pay tribute to the memorable dance moments created for such Hollywood films as “Singin’ in the Rain,” “The Red Shoes,” “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” “West Side Story,” “Sweet Charity,” “Saturday Night Fever” and “The Turning Point.” Those already lined up to take part in the evening include Tony winners Bebe Neuwirth, CHITA RIVERA and Ann Reinking, 2003 Tony nominee Elizabeth Parkinson as well as the legendary Cyd Charisse and Jane Powell. The one-night-only event will also boast dancers from American Ballet Theatre, Complexions, Les Ballets Grandiva, New York City Ballet, National Dance Institute and The Royal Ballet. (Participants are subject to change, however.) Tickets for Gotta Dance! A Dance Tribute to Hollywood are priced at $550 and $1,000, which includes the City Center performance (131 West 55th Street) and a post-performance black-tie supper with the stars at Cipriani 42nd Street. For tickets or more information, call Michael Weiss or Gary Tigner at Weiss Creative Group, (212) 582-6690. (Performance-only tickets will be available at a later date.)
05/19/03
THE GREAT LATIN WAY: BDWAY'S BANDERAS, RIVERA, ESPARZA and RUBIN-VEGA SING "LATIN RHYTM'S"
Broadway and Latin music worlds collide as performers Antonio Banderas, CHITA RIVERA, Raúl Esparza, Daphne Rubin-Vega and Rosie Perez headline an evening of "Latin Rhythms" for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, May 19 at B.B. Kings Blues Club.
-By Ernio Hernandez of playbill.com
05/13/03
CHITA TALKS ABOUT DANCE IN NEW BOOK!
So You Want to Dance on Broadway: Insight and Advice Form the Pros Who Know (Heinemann - Paperback Book) by Tina Paul (Chicago), Tommy Tune. From interviews with Broadway pros including Bebe Neuwirth, CHITA RIVERA, and Graciela Daniele to Joann Hunter, Jim borstelmann, Gene Flemming.
05/12/03
CHITA NOMINATED FOR A TONY AWARD!!
Tammy Blanchard, Gypsy
Jane Krakowski, Nine
Mary Stuart Masterson, Nine
Chita Rivera, Nine
Ashley Tuttle, Movin' Out
05/02/03
CHITA HOSTING THE DRAMA DESK AWARDS
Not only is she hosting the Drama Desk Awards, but she's been nominated as well!
Kerry Butler (Hairspray)
Jane Krakowski (Nine)
Mary Stuart Masterson (Nine)
Sally Mayes (Urban Cowboy)
Chita Rivera (Nine)
Debra Walton (Cookin' at the Cookery)
04/21/03
CONGRATULATIONS!! CHITA NOMINATED FOR AN OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD!
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Jenn Colella, Urban Cowboy
Melissa Errico, Amour
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Man of La Mancha
Chita Rivera, Nine
Marissa Jaret Winokur, Hairspray
04/17/03
CHITA RIVERA TO HOST 2003 DRAMA DESK AWARDS ON MAY 18
Two-time Tony Award winner and current star of Nine, CHITA RIVERA, will host the 2003 Drama Desk Awards May 18 at the Concert Hall in F.H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.
-By Robert Simonson of playbill.com
04/14/03
CHITA ON TELEVISION APRIL 19!!!
April 19 between 7-9 AM, Banderas, Krakowski and Masterson will be joined by Nine co-stars Laura Benanti — who plays Contini's leading lady-muse Claudia— and Broadway legend CHITA RIVERA — who takes on the role of producer Liliane La Fleur on NBC's "Weekend Today." The cast members will be interviewed from the stage of the Eugene O'Neill Theatre.
-playbill.com
04/08/03
NINE STARS RIVERA AND BANDERAS VISIT "RADIO PLAYBILL" APRIL 1-7
The Tony-winning musical Nine is returning to Broadway in a starry revival featuring Antonio Banderas, Jane Krakowski and the LEGENDARY CHITA RIVERA. All three are on "Radio Playbill" the week of April 1-7, along with composer Maury Yeston who will tell us about his tweaks to the show, in the first part of a two-part interview.
-By Robert Simonson of playbill.com
02/06/03
KANDER & EBB'S THE VISIT TO PLAY PUBLIC THEATRE IN JANUARY 2004 WITH RIVERA
The Visit, the John Kander, Fred Ebb and Terrence McNally musical which premiered in Chicago in 2001, will premiere in New York in January 2004 at Off-Broadway's Public Theater, the composers told Playbill On-Line.
12/08/02
CBS TO AIR KENNEDY CENTER HONORS ON DEC 27; CHITA RIVERA SALUTED
The Kennedy Center Honorees were saluted by stars from around the world at a gala ceremony at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Dec. 8.
by Andrew Gans of playbill.com
Pics also from playbill.com
11/04/02
2002 Jeff Awards, Honoring Chicago Theatre, Announced Nov. 4
Our favorite Diva CHITA RIVERA is among the nominees this year for the 2002 Jefferson Awards. Here are all the women nominated with Chita for Actress In A Principal Role - Musical
Kate Fry, My Fair Lady, Court Theatre
Susie McMonagle, Anything Goes, Drury Lane Oakbrook
CHITA RIVERA, The Visit, The Goodman Theatre
11/03/02
TICKETS ON SALE SOON FOR ROUNDABOUT'S NINE
STARRING BANDERAS, RIVERA & KRAKOWSKI!
Phone sales begin Sunday, November 24 for the FIRST BROADWAY REVIVAL of NINE Directed by David Leveaux. The production will star Antonio Banderas as the shows only Male, Guido. It will also star CHITA RIVERA as Liliane, Jane Krakowski as Carla, Laura Benati as Claudia, Sandra Santiago is Stephanie and Nell Campbell as Saraghina.
10/31/02
STREEP, MIDLER, RIVERA, HEADLEY & LUKER TO SING WEST SIDE STORY AT NOV 12. BENEFIT
Stars from Broadway and Hollywood will take part in a one-night-only event to raise money to create the Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, which is estimated to cost $9 million.
—By Andrew Gans of playbill.com
10/24/02
CHITA TAKES PLACE IN 'SHALL WE DANCE' BENEFIT'
Broadway stars Sandy Duncan, Chita Rivera and Donna McKechnie celebrated at City Center's gala concert, "Shall We Dance: A Tribute to Richard Rodgers," on Oct. 21.
— by Ernio Hernandez of playbill.com
10/13/02
CHITA & JOEL GREY TAKE PART IN BROADWAY WALK OF STARS
Joel Grey and Chita Rivera at the "Broadway Walk of Stars" party at Marty Richards' apartment in River House on East 52nd St.
-news found on playbill.com
08/29/02
TAKING ON A ROLE REVERSAL
STAGE: CHITA RIVERA PLAYS AGAINST TYPE
IN A FRANC-ERA SPANISH MASTERPIECE
July 26, 2002
08/02/02
I HOPE SHE DANCES! ;)
REPORT: BENATI, CAMBELL, KRAKOWSKI, RIVERA AND SANTIAGO ARE FIVE IN NINE
07/29/02
BROADWAY LEGENDS CHITA RIVERA AND JAMES EARL JONES TO RECIEVE KENNEDY CENTER HONORS!
Broadway legends Chita Rivera and James Earl Jones
will receive prestigious Kennedy Center Honors. Rivera,
Jones and fellow honorees Elizabeth Taylor, Paul
McCartney and James Levine will be saluted at a gala
performance in the Kennedy Center's Opera House on
Sunday, December 8, according to an Associated Press
report.
06/18/02
CHITA RIVERA JOINS L.A. HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA
05/06/02
CHITA PERFORMANCE NEWS! CLICK HERE!
11/19/01
CHITA, CAROLEE OFFER 'HELPING HANDS' AT TOWN HALL TOWER BENEFIT, NOV 19!!
The proliferation of special theatre and cabaret performances to benefit victims and families affected by the Sept. 11 Twin Towers attack continues unabated a month after the tragedy. The latest star-studded benefit comes courtesy of midtown Manhattan's Town Hall, where CHITA RIVERA, CAROLEE CARMELLO, ANDREA McARDLE, Liz Callaway, Ann Hampton Callaway, Tovah Feldshuh and a number of other theatre notables will offer a "Helping Hands Benefit Concert," Nov. 19 at 8 PM.
10/23/01
RIVERA, BALLARD, REINKING SUPPORT CHICAGO THEATRE RESTORATION
Performers Kaye Ballard, Anne Reinking and Chita Rivera have offered their
support to the Uptown Theater and Center for the Arts, a Chicago based organization which aims to restore the 76-year-old Uptown Theatre to its former
glory. The three artists will sit on the theatre's advisory board.
10/03/01
HERE'S WHAT JOHN KANDER HAD TO SAY ABOUT CHITA RIVERA IN AN INTERVIEW ABOUT THE VISIT
PBOL: One the things I have admired about Chita Rivera is that she has a potent singing voice, with a kind of fog-cutter quality to it. Can you talk about her and how you write for her voice?
CHITA RIVERA TO SHINE IN TONIGHT'S OPENING OF THE VISIT
Chita Rivera has always been considered a triple threat — singer, dancer,
actress. Now, she's a triple threat who is threatening in the world premiere of the John Kander-Fred Ebb-Terrence McNally musical, The Visit, opening Oct.
1 at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago.
Info from playbill.com
STAR ADDS CHARM TO CASPER!
For the last 50 years, no Broadway star has sizzled as steadily as Chita Rivera.
She stuck by the theater as so many others of her generation, from Julie
Andrews to Angela Lansbury, fled to movies or television. She created some
of the greatest roles in American musical comedy, from West Side Story's
Anita to the title role in Kiss of the Spider Woman – more than anyone
since the great Ethel Merman. And at age 68, she's about to go back to
Broadway in a show that could be equally as important, The Visit.
*RETURN TO THE CHITA RIVERA MAIN PAGE!*
*RETURN TO KIM CRISWELL MAIN PAGE!*
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