Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life
Encyclopedia
Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life is a musical revue
based on the life of Chita Rivera
, with a book by Terrence McNally
and new songs by Stephen Flaherty
and Lynn Ahrens
as well as songs from various other composers. It earned Rivera her ninth Tony Award nomination (for Best Actress in a Musical).
in 2003, while she was appearing in the musical Nine
on Broadway
. As Rivera's next project, the Public Theater production of The Visit
had been indefinitely canceled, Rivera approached that show's book writer, Terrence McNally
with the idea of a musical based on her life. Rivera's conception which was that the musical would open with her dancing to her father's music, and progress through the varied stages of her career. McNally and Rivera officially announced in November 2003 that they would begin work on the show, and that workshops would begin in summer of 2004 at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in Florida. Marty Bell and Graciela Daniele
were lined up as producer and director, respectively, of the workshop.
In 2004, Chita debuted in And Now I Sing, a one-woman cabaret act at Feinstein's at the Regency in New York City that ran from February 22 through March 12. Though the one-woman show and its venue were intimate, the reviews were strong, and the act also marked the debut of some of the anecdotes and stage patter that would be more fully fleshed out by McNally for the Broadway revue. Later that year, The Denver Center for the Performing Arts announced that a one-woman show, "Chita Rivera Dances Through Life" would debut at that theater. Featuring a book by McNally and direction and choreography by Daniele. Unfortunately, funding didn't materialize, and the booking was canceled.
Late in 2005, the Old Globe Theatre
in San Diego announced that the revue, now retiled, Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life, would open there on September 10 of that year. Following that announcement, a run at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
on Broadway was confirmed for the beginning of the 2005-2006 Broadway season. Matthew White and Frank Webb were subsequently asked to design Rivera's dressing room.
The Broadway production of Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life began its limited run with a series of previews in November, and officially opened on December 11 of that year, to mixed reviews. The song selection and other aspects of the production were tweaked throughout the run: For example, an opening prologue featuring the dancers warming up before the show was dropped shortly after the show opened, and the number "America" was only added to the show in January of 2006. More revisions were required during Rivera's special "birthday week" performances on January 24-26, during which her former co-star Dick Van Dyke
joined her on stage. Closing after 72 performances, Rivera immediately embarked on a national tour, during which many numbers were dropped, and the character of "Young Chita" was eliminated.
shares anecdotes from her life. Members of the ensemble play the part of various figures in her life.
Act I
Chita remembers her father, a professional saxophonist who died when she was seven years old, playing "Perfidia" for her. "Little Chita" (played by a child actress) picks up the rhythm in this music in a dance which moves from the scene to the front of a large screen. Suddenly, the shadow of Chita Rivera herself appears behind her. The screen rises, revealing Rivera, who continues the dance. (This sequence was altered for the touring version, which eliminated the "Young Chita" role.)
After this introduction, Rivera is at the White House
for the 2002 Kennedy Center Honors
, where she is to be the first Latina-American to receive the Honor. She begins to reminisce ("The Secret O' Life") and decides that "the secret of life is enjoying the passage of time."
The next scene shows life at the Del Rivero family table in Washington, D.C.
, when Chita was a young child. Various family members react to Chita's "Dancing on the Kitchen Table," and, when the table breaks, her parents decide to send Chita to dance class. This sequence transitions into one showing Rivera at the barre in dance class, where she took ballet lessons three times a week under the tutelage of her mentor, Doris Jones. Chita shares the story of how Jones took her to New York City
to audition for George Balanchine
when she was 17. After noticing Chita's foot bleeding through her toe-shoe, Balanchine stopped to bandage her injury personally. After winning a scholarship to the School of American Ballet
, Chita accompanied a friend to an audition for a tour of Call Me Madam
, starring Elaine Stritch
. Chita was hired, ending her career in classical ballet.
As a young "gypsy," Chita talks about her hope for a "crossover" - a featured bit of dancing or business to do while the scenery changes (“Something to Dance About”). Though she did not get one, she did get lessons in stage presence from Stritch, who told her to "make them hear you!" Still, she yearned for fame ("I'm Available").
In her first Broadway
show, Seventh Heaven, she plays a prostitute ("Camille, Colette, Fifi"). Later, she appears in The Shoestring Review with Bea Arthur. Singing "Garbage", Chita reminisces about working with Arthur, who originally sang the number while Chita jumped in and out of a garbage bag- she jokes that the audience will have to "[leave] the jumping to our imaginations." The number segues into the title song of Can-Can
, where Chita is now a member of the chorus. Later, she joins the cast of Mr. Wonderful
("Mr. Wonderful"), where she dates the young Sammy Davis, Jr.
Chita recreates the audition that earned her the role of "Anita" in West Side Story, her best-known role. After finding her audition piece, "My Man's Gone Now," laughable, Leonard Bernstein
gives her "A Boy Like That" to sing. After several false starts, she lands the number and the role. Modern-day Chita then performs "America". Learning from Jerome Robbins
("Jerry gave me detail, style, and substance") and Peter Gennaro
(the Sharks' own choreographer), Chita shows us "The Dance at the Gym" and performs "Somewhere" with the ensemble.
Chita then performs a sequence devoted to her various co-stars over the years, who all appear in silhouette. In Bye Bye Birdie there was Dick Van Dyke
(for four performances, Van Dyke joined Rivera on stage) ("Put On A Happy Face" and "Rosie"). In The Rink
there was Liza Minnelli
("Don't Ah Ma Me"). Antonio Banderas
was her co-star in Nine The Musical, and Donald O'Connor
co-starred in Bring Back Birdie
. This leads to Chita's tribute to Gwen Verdon
- "as close as [she] will ever come to the magic of Charlie Chaplin
" ("Hey Big Spender"). In the final section of Act I, Chita sings and dances "Nowadays" from Chicago
, alongside an empty spotlight representing the deceased Verdon. Chita turns to that spotlight when she sings, "but nothing stays."
Act II
Act II begins with a dance audition, during which the Puerto Rican Chita is rejected because she is "not Latin enough." An overhead mirror provides a view from above, and, proving she is "Latin enough," Chita dances several tangos opposite a male dancer ("Adios Niñino", "Detresse", and "Calambre"). This leads to further reminiscing about her great romances ("More Than You Know"). First, her ex-husband, Tony Mordente
, father of Chita's daughter Lisa. Then, the restaurateur Joe Allen, whom she nearly married. "To Tony, Tom, Joe, and Greg. And others... you know who you are!"
Next, Chita pays tribute to the choreographers in her life- Jack Cole
, Peter Gennaro
, Bob Fosse
, and Jerome Robbins
- as she and the ensemble demonstrate their styles. The shadows of the ensemble cross in parade, demonstrating the individual styles of each choreographer. Then, Chita talks about some of her setbacks, including an automobile accident in which she broke her leg; losing the role of Anita to Rita Moreno
in the film of West Side Story; and Fosse's heart attack. But, she considers herself lucky through it all - especially due to her collaborations with John Kander
and Fred Ebb
.
The song "A Woman the World Has Never Seen" wraps around a selection of Chita's greatest hits from her three Kander and Ebb
roles: "Class" from Chicago, "Chief Cook and Bottle Washer" from The Rink
, and "Kiss of the Spider Woman" and "Where You Are” from Kiss of the Spider Woman
. This brings Chita back to where she started - the White House, where she concludes with her trademark number, "All That Jazz", with "Little Chita" shadowing her again.
in San Diego, where it ran from September 10-October 23, 2005. It then transferred to the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
on Broadway
on November 23, 2005, where it went on to play 20 previews and, following opening night on December 11 of that year, 72 performances. The play's Executive Producers were Marty Bell and Aldo Scrofani (the show credits 19 producers and associates). It was directed and choreographed by Graciela Daniele
, with reproductions of original choreography by Jerome Robbins
and Bob Fosse
(reconstructed by Alan Johnson
and Tony Stevens, respectively). Mark Hummel was musical director and arranger, as well as the orchestra's conductor, while orchestrations were provided by Danny Troob. Loy Arcenas (sets), Toni Leslie James (costumes), and Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer (lighting) comprised the show's design team.
After the show's closing on Broadway, Rivera toured with it throughout the United States during 2006 and 2007. Major changes were made for the touring version of the show: The numbers "Can Can", "Don't 'Ah Ma' Me", and "Where You Are" were all dropped, as were the Act II-opening Tango sequence and the character of "Young Chita/Young Lisa." Of the Broadway cast, only Richard Amaro, Lloyd Culbreath, and Richard Montoya went on tour with Rivera. Notably, however, Rivera's daughter, Lisa Mordente
, joined the tour as dance captain and female swing. Cities on the tour included Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Boston
. The tour concluded on June 10, 2007 in Norfolk
, Virginia
.
Since the ending of the tour, Rivera has performed a new solo cabaret act at the New York cabaret "Feinstein's at the Regency." Though this is not a recreation of The Dancer's Life, most of the songs and anecdotes featured in the cabaret (including the Ahrens & Flaherty songs) are the same as those in the Broadway show.
Act I
Act II
(playing herself), the original Broadway
cast featured Liana Ortiz as both the young Rivera and as Rivera's daughter, Lisa Mordente
. The ensemble included Richard Amaro, Lloyd Culbreath, Malinda Farrington, Edgard Gallardo, Deidre Goodwin, Richard Montoya, Lainie Sakakura, Alex Sanchez, and Allyson Tucker.
In four performances between January 24, 2006 and January 26, 2006, Rivera was joined by her Bye Bye Birdie co-star, Dick Van Dyke
, in celebration of Rivera's birthday.
nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for Chita Rivera
, Rivera's ninth. Rivera lost to LaChanze
of The Color Purple
.
called the show "never less than enjoyable but too rarely exhilarating." He went on to say that McNally "[comes] off like a bumbling novice at theatricalizing a showbiz legend's life." And Ben Brantley
of The New York Times
said "the production elements often dim rather than enhance Ms. Rivera's natural incandescence. Never entirely, though. Which means that The Dancer's Life remains a must-have ticket for aficionados of the American musical."
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
based on the life of Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera is an American actress, dancer, and singer best known for her roles in musical theater. She is the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award...
, with a book by Terrence McNally
Terrence McNally
Terrence McNally is an American playwright who has received four Tony Awards, an Emmy, two Guggenheim Fellowships, a Rockefeller Grant, the Lucille Lortel Award, the Hull-Warriner Award, and a citation from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has been a member of the Council of the...
and new songs by Stephen Flaherty
Stephen Flaherty
Stephen Flaherty is an American composer of musical theatre. He works most often in collaboration with the lyricist/bookwriter Lynn Ahrens...
and Lynn Ahrens
Lynn Ahrens
Lynn Ahrens is an American writer and lyricist for the musical theatre, television and film. She has collaborated with Stephen Flaherty for many years...
as well as songs from various other composers. It earned Rivera her ninth Tony Award nomination (for Best Actress in a Musical).
History
Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life, was first conceived by Chita RiveraChita Rivera
Chita Rivera is an American actress, dancer, and singer best known for her roles in musical theater. She is the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award...
in 2003, while she was appearing in the musical Nine
Nine (musical)
Nine is a musical with a book by Arthur Kopit, music and lyrics by Maury Yeston. The story is based on Federico Fellini's semi-autobiographical film 8½...
on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. As Rivera's next project, the Public Theater production of The Visit
The Visit (musical)
The Visit is a musical with a book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and music by John Kander.Based on Friedrich Dürrenmatt's 1956 satirical play about greed and revenge "Der Besuch der alten Dame," it focuses on one of the world's wealthiest women, Claire Zachanassian, who returns to her...
had been indefinitely canceled, Rivera approached that show's book writer, Terrence McNally
Terrence McNally
Terrence McNally is an American playwright who has received four Tony Awards, an Emmy, two Guggenheim Fellowships, a Rockefeller Grant, the Lucille Lortel Award, the Hull-Warriner Award, and a citation from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has been a member of the Council of the...
with the idea of a musical based on her life. Rivera's conception which was that the musical would open with her dancing to her father's music, and progress through the varied stages of her career. McNally and Rivera officially announced in November 2003 that they would begin work on the show, and that workshops would begin in summer of 2004 at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in Florida. Marty Bell and Graciela Daniele
Graciela Daniele
Graciela Daniele is an Argentine-American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director.-Biography:Born at Buenos Aires, Daniele began her dance training at the age of seven at Teatro Colón, Argentina's equivalent of Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre...
were lined up as producer and director, respectively, of the workshop.
In 2004, Chita debuted in And Now I Sing, a one-woman cabaret act at Feinstein's at the Regency in New York City that ran from February 22 through March 12. Though the one-woman show and its venue were intimate, the reviews were strong, and the act also marked the debut of some of the anecdotes and stage patter that would be more fully fleshed out by McNally for the Broadway revue. Later that year, The Denver Center for the Performing Arts announced that a one-woman show, "Chita Rivera Dances Through Life" would debut at that theater. Featuring a book by McNally and direction and choreography by Daniele. Unfortunately, funding didn't materialize, and the booking was canceled.
Late in 2005, the Old Globe Theatre
Old Globe Theatre
The Old Globe is a professional theatre company located in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. It produces about 15 plays and musicals annually in summer and winter seasons...
in San Diego announced that the revue, now retiled, Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life, would open there on September 10 of that year. Following that announcement, a run at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 236 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan named for Gerald Schoenfeld....
on Broadway was confirmed for the beginning of the 2005-2006 Broadway season. Matthew White and Frank Webb were subsequently asked to design Rivera's dressing room.
The Broadway production of Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life began its limited run with a series of previews in November, and officially opened on December 11 of that year, to mixed reviews. The song selection and other aspects of the production were tweaked throughout the run: For example, an opening prologue featuring the dancers warming up before the show was dropped shortly after the show opened, and the number "America" was only added to the show in January of 2006. More revisions were required during Rivera's special "birthday week" performances on January 24-26, during which her former co-star Dick Van Dyke
Dick Van Dyke
Richard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer with a career spanning six decades. He is the older brother of Jerry Van Dyke, and father of Barry Van Dyke...
joined her on stage. Closing after 72 performances, Rivera immediately embarked on a national tour, during which many numbers were dropped, and the character of "Young Chita" was eliminated.
Synopsis
The show is divided into thematic sections during which Chita RiveraChita Rivera
Chita Rivera is an American actress, dancer, and singer best known for her roles in musical theater. She is the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award...
shares anecdotes from her life. Members of the ensemble play the part of various figures in her life.
Act I
Chita remembers her father, a professional saxophonist who died when she was seven years old, playing "Perfidia" for her. "Little Chita" (played by a child actress) picks up the rhythm in this music in a dance which moves from the scene to the front of a large screen. Suddenly, the shadow of Chita Rivera herself appears behind her. The screen rises, revealing Rivera, who continues the dance. (This sequence was altered for the touring version, which eliminated the "Young Chita" role.)
After this introduction, Rivera is at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
for the 2002 Kennedy Center Honors
Kennedy Center Honors
The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. The Honors have been presented annually since 1978 in Washington, D.C., during gala weekend-long events which culminate in a performance for—and...
, where she is to be the first Latina-American to receive the Honor. She begins to reminisce ("The Secret O' Life") and decides that "the secret of life is enjoying the passage of time."
The next scene shows life at the Del Rivero family table in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, when Chita was a young child. Various family members react to Chita's "Dancing on the Kitchen Table," and, when the table breaks, her parents decide to send Chita to dance class. This sequence transitions into one showing Rivera at the barre in dance class, where she took ballet lessons three times a week under the tutelage of her mentor, Doris Jones. Chita shares the story of how Jones took her to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to audition for George Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
when she was 17. After noticing Chita's foot bleeding through her toe-shoe, Balanchine stopped to bandage her injury personally. After winning a scholarship to the School of American Ballet
School of American Ballet
The School of American Ballet is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The school trains students from the...
, Chita accompanied a friend to an audition for a tour of Call Me Madam
Call Me Madam
Call Me Madam is a musical with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse and music and lyrics by Irving Berlin.A satire on politics and foreign affairs that spoofs America's penchant for lending billions of dollars to needy countries, it centers on Sally Adams, a well-meaning but ill-informed...
, starring Elaine Stritch
Elaine Stritch
Elaine Stritch is an American actress and vocalist. She has appeared in numerous stage plays and musicals, feature films, and many television programs...
. Chita was hired, ending her career in classical ballet.
As a young "gypsy," Chita talks about her hope for a "crossover" - a featured bit of dancing or business to do while the scenery changes (“Something to Dance About”). Though she did not get one, she did get lessons in stage presence from Stritch, who told her to "make them hear you!" Still, she yearned for fame ("I'm Available").
In her first Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
show, Seventh Heaven, she plays a prostitute ("Camille, Colette, Fifi"). Later, she appears in The Shoestring Review with Bea Arthur. Singing "Garbage", Chita reminisces about working with Arthur, who originally sang the number while Chita jumped in and out of a garbage bag- she jokes that the audience will have to "[leave] the jumping to our imaginations." The number segues into the title song of Can-Can
Can-Can
The Can-can is a dance. It may also refer to:* Popularly, the Galop Infernal movement of Jacques Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld, commonly associated with the dance* Can Can , a 2007 fragrance by Paris Hilton...
, where Chita is now a member of the chorus. Later, she joins the cast of Mr. Wonderful
Mr. Wonderful
Mr. Wonderful may refer to:*Mr. Wonderful by Fleetwood Mac*"Mr. Wonderful" written in 1955*Mr. Wonderful , starring Sammy Davis, Jr.*Mr. Wonderful , a 1993 film directed by Anthony Minghella...
("Mr. Wonderful"), where she dates the young Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
Chita recreates the audition that earned her the role of "Anita" in West Side Story, her best-known role. After finding her audition piece, "My Man's Gone Now," laughable, Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
gives her "A Boy Like That" to sing. After several false starts, she lands the number and the role. Modern-day Chita then performs "America". Learning from Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins was an American theater producer, director, and choreographer known primarily for Broadway Theater and Ballet/Dance, but who also occasionally directed films and directed/produced for television. His work has included everything from classical ballet to contemporary musical theater...
("Jerry gave me detail, style, and substance") and Peter Gennaro
Peter Gennaro
Peter Gennaro was an American dancer and choreographer.-Biography:Gennaro was born in Metairie, Louisiana. He made his Broadway debut in the ensemble of Make Mine Manhattan in 1948. He followed this with Kiss Me, Kate and Guys and Dolls...
(the Sharks' own choreographer), Chita shows us "The Dance at the Gym" and performs "Somewhere" with the ensemble.
Chita then performs a sequence devoted to her various co-stars over the years, who all appear in silhouette. In Bye Bye Birdie there was Dick Van Dyke
Dick Van Dyke
Richard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer with a career spanning six decades. He is the older brother of Jerry Van Dyke, and father of Barry Van Dyke...
(for four performances, Van Dyke joined Rivera on stage) ("Put On A Happy Face" and "Rosie"). In The Rink
The Rink
The Rink, a silent film from 1916, was Charlie Chaplin's eighth film for Mutual Films. It co-starred Edna Purviance, Eric Campbell, Henry Bergman and Albert Austin. It is best known for showcasing Chaplin's roller skating skills.-Synopsis:...
there was Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
("Don't Ah Ma Me"). Antonio Banderas
Antonio Banderas
José Antonio Domínguez Banderas , better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer...
was her co-star in Nine The Musical, and Donald O'Connor
Donald O'Connor
Donald David Dixon Ronald O’Connor was an American dancer, singer, and actor who came to fame in a series of movies in which he co-starred alternately with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule...
co-starred in Bring Back Birdie
Bring Back Birdie
Bring Back Birdie is a musical with a book by Michael Stewart, lyrics by Lee Adams, and music by Charles Strouse.A sequel to Bye Bye Birdie, it focuses on a scheme for rock 'n' roller Conrad Birdie, who disappeared after being discharged from the U. S. Army twenty years ago, to make a comeback on a...
. This leads to Chita's tribute to Gwen Verdon
Gwen Verdon
Gwenyth Evelyn “Gwen” Verdon was an actress and dancer who won four Tony awards for her musical comedy performances. With flaming red hair and an endearing quaver in her voice, Verdon was a critically acclaimed dancer on Broadway in the 1950s and 1960s...
- "as close as [she] will ever come to the magic of Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
" ("Hey Big Spender"). In the final section of Act I, Chita sings and dances "Nowadays" from Chicago
Chicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
, alongside an empty spotlight representing the deceased Verdon. Chita turns to that spotlight when she sings, "but nothing stays."
Act II
Act II begins with a dance audition, during which the Puerto Rican Chita is rejected because she is "not Latin enough." An overhead mirror provides a view from above, and, proving she is "Latin enough," Chita dances several tangos opposite a male dancer ("Adios Niñino", "Detresse", and "Calambre"). This leads to further reminiscing about her great romances ("More Than You Know"). First, her ex-husband, Tony Mordente
Tony Mordente
Tony Mordente is an American dancer, choreographer, and television director.Born in New York City, Mordente attended the High School of Performing Arts and made his professional dance debut at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Massachusetts...
, father of Chita's daughter Lisa. Then, the restaurateur Joe Allen, whom she nearly married. "To Tony, Tom, Joe, and Greg. And others... you know who you are!"
Next, Chita pays tribute to the choreographers in her life- Jack Cole
Jack Cole (choreographer)
Jack Cole was an American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director known as the father of theatrical jazz dance.-Early life:...
, Peter Gennaro
Peter Gennaro
Peter Gennaro was an American dancer and choreographer.-Biography:Gennaro was born in Metairie, Louisiana. He made his Broadway debut in the ensemble of Make Mine Manhattan in 1948. He followed this with Kiss Me, Kate and Guys and Dolls...
, Bob Fosse
Bob Fosse
Robert Louis “Bob” Fosse was an American actor, dancer, musical theater choreographer, director, screenwriter, film editor and film director. He won an unprecedented eight Tony Awards for choreography, as well as one for direction...
, and Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins was an American theater producer, director, and choreographer known primarily for Broadway Theater and Ballet/Dance, but who also occasionally directed films and directed/produced for television. His work has included everything from classical ballet to contemporary musical theater...
- as she and the ensemble demonstrate their styles. The shadows of the ensemble cross in parade, demonstrating the individual styles of each choreographer. Then, Chita talks about some of her setbacks, including an automobile accident in which she broke her leg; losing the role of Anita to Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno is a Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress. She is the only Hispanic and one of the few performers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, and was the second Puerto Rican to win an Academy Award....
in the film of West Side Story; and Fosse's heart attack. But, she considers herself lucky through it all - especially due to her collaborations with John Kander
John Kander
John Harold Kander is the American composer of a number of musicals as part of the songwriting team of Kander and Ebb.-Life and career:Kander was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Bernice and Harold S. Kander...
and Fred Ebb
Fred Ebb
Fred Ebb was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera....
.
The song "A Woman the World Has Never Seen" wraps around a selection of Chita's greatest hits from her three Kander and Ebb
Kander and Ebb
Kander and Ebb were a highly successful songwriting team consisting of composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb . Known primarily for their stage musicals, Kander and Ebb also scored several movies including their most famous song, the theme song from Martin Scorsese's New York, New York...
roles: "Class" from Chicago, "Chief Cook and Bottle Washer" from The Rink
The Rink
The Rink, a silent film from 1916, was Charlie Chaplin's eighth film for Mutual Films. It co-starred Edna Purviance, Eric Campbell, Henry Bergman and Albert Austin. It is best known for showcasing Chaplin's roller skating skills.-Synopsis:...
, and "Kiss of the Spider Woman" and "Where You Are” from Kiss of the Spider Woman
Kiss of the Spider Woman (musical)
Kiss of the Spider Woman is a musical with music by John Kander and Fred Ebb, with the book by Terrence McNally. It is based on the Manuel Puig novel El Beso de la Mujer Araña...
. This brings Chita back to where she started - the White House, where she concludes with her trademark number, "All That Jazz", with "Little Chita" shadowing her again.
Productions
The musical first opened at the Old Globe TheatreOld Globe Theatre
The Old Globe is a professional theatre company located in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. It produces about 15 plays and musicals annually in summer and winter seasons...
in San Diego, where it ran from September 10-October 23, 2005. It then transferred to the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 236 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan named for Gerald Schoenfeld....
on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
on November 23, 2005, where it went on to play 20 previews and, following opening night on December 11 of that year, 72 performances. The play's Executive Producers were Marty Bell and Aldo Scrofani (the show credits 19 producers and associates). It was directed and choreographed by Graciela Daniele
Graciela Daniele
Graciela Daniele is an Argentine-American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director.-Biography:Born at Buenos Aires, Daniele began her dance training at the age of seven at Teatro Colón, Argentina's equivalent of Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre...
, with reproductions of original choreography by Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins was an American theater producer, director, and choreographer known primarily for Broadway Theater and Ballet/Dance, but who also occasionally directed films and directed/produced for television. His work has included everything from classical ballet to contemporary musical theater...
and Bob Fosse
Bob Fosse
Robert Louis “Bob” Fosse was an American actor, dancer, musical theater choreographer, director, screenwriter, film editor and film director. He won an unprecedented eight Tony Awards for choreography, as well as one for direction...
(reconstructed by Alan Johnson
Alan Johnson
Alan Arthur Johnson is a British Labour Party politician who served as Home Secretary from June 2009 to May 2010. Before that, he filled a wide variety of cabinet positions in both the Blair and Brown governments, including Health Secretary and Education Secretary. Until 20 January 2011 he was...
and Tony Stevens, respectively). Mark Hummel was musical director and arranger, as well as the orchestra's conductor, while orchestrations were provided by Danny Troob. Loy Arcenas (sets), Toni Leslie James (costumes), and Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer (lighting) comprised the show's design team.
After the show's closing on Broadway, Rivera toured with it throughout the United States during 2006 and 2007. Major changes were made for the touring version of the show: The numbers "Can Can", "Don't 'Ah Ma' Me", and "Where You Are" were all dropped, as were the Act II-opening Tango sequence and the character of "Young Chita/Young Lisa." Of the Broadway cast, only Richard Amaro, Lloyd Culbreath, and Richard Montoya went on tour with Rivera. Notably, however, Rivera's daughter, Lisa Mordente
Lisa Mordente
Lisa Mordente is an American actress, singer, and dancer.Born in New Hyde Park, New York to choreographer and television director Tony Mordente and actress/dancer Chita Rivera , Mordente made her Broadway debut opposite Alexis Smith in the short-lived 1978 musical...
, joined the tour as dance captain and female swing. Cities on the tour included Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. The tour concluded on June 10, 2007 in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Since the ending of the tour, Rivera has performed a new solo cabaret act at the New York cabaret "Feinstein's at the Regency." Though this is not a recreation of The Dancer's Life, most of the songs and anecdotes featured in the cabaret (including the Ahrens & Flaherty songs) are the same as those in the Broadway show.
Song credits
Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life is a revue: the work of numerous composers and lyricists is represented.Act I
- Perfidia (Lyrics by Milton Leeds/Music by Alberto Domingues)
- Secret o' Life (Music and Lyrics by James TaylorJames TaylorJames Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
) - Dancing on the Kitchen Table
- Something to Dance About (from Call Me MadamCall Me MadamCall Me Madam is a musical with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse and music and lyrics by Irving Berlin.A satire on politics and foreign affairs that spoofs America's penchant for lending billions of dollars to needy countries, it centers on Sally Adams, a well-meaning but ill-informed...
- Music and Lyrics by Irving BerlinIrving BerlinIrving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
) - I'm Available (from Mr. WonderfulMr. Wonderful (musical)Mr. Wonderful is a musical with a book by Joseph Stein and Will Glickman, and music and lyrics by Jerry Bock, Larry Holofcener, and George David Weiss....
- Music and Lyrics by Lawrence HolofcenerLawrence HolofcenerLawrence Holofcener is an American poet, lyricist, playwright, artist, novelist, actor, director and sculptor. He has dual British and American nationality.-Songwriter and musical writer:...
and Jerry BockJerry BockJerrold Lewis "Jerry" Bock was an American musical theater composer. He received the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama with Sheldon Harnick for their 1959 musical Fiorello! and the Tony Award for Best Composer and Lyricist for the 1964 musical Fiddler on the Roof with...
) - Camille, Colette, Fifi (from Seventh Heaven- Lyrics by Stella Unger/Music by Victor YoungVictor YoungVictor Young was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. He was born in Chicago.-Biography:...
) - Garbage (from Shoestring Review- Music and Lyrics by Sheldon HarnickSheldon HarnickSheldon Harnick is an American lyricist best known for his collaborations with composer Jerry Bock on hit musicals such as Fiddler on the Roof....
) - Can-Can (from Can-CanCan-CanThe Can-can is a dance. It may also refer to:* Popularly, the Galop Infernal movement of Jacques Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld, commonly associated with the dance* Can Can , a 2007 fragrance by Paris Hilton...
- Music and Lyrics by Cole PorterCole PorterCole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
) - Mr. Wonderful (from Mr. Wonderful- Music and Lyrics by Holofcener and Bock)
- A Boy Like That (from West Side Story- Lyrics by Stephen SondheimStephen SondheimStephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
/Music by Leonard BernsteinLeonard BernsteinLeonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
) - Dance at the Gym (Mambo) (from West Side Story- Lyrics by Sondheim/Music by Bernstein)
- Somewhere (from West Side Story- Lyrics by Sondheim/Music by Bernstein)
- Put on a Happy Face (from Bye Bye Birdie- Lyrics by Lee AdamsLee AdamsLee Richard Adams is an American lyricist best known for his musical theatre collaboration with Charles Strouse.Born in Mansfield, Ohio, Adams received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio State University and a Master's from Columbia University.Adams won Tony Awards in 1961 for Bye Bye Birdie...
/Music by Charles StrouseCharles StrouseCharles Strouse is an American composer and lyricist.-Life and career:Strouse was born and raised in New York City, the son of Ira and Ethel Strouse...
) - Rosie (from Bye Bye Birdie- Lyrics by Adams/Music by Strouse)
- Don't 'Ah Ma' Me (from The RinkThe RinkThe Rink, a silent film from 1916, was Charlie Chaplin's eighth film for Mutual Films. It co-starred Edna Purviance, Eric Campbell, Henry Bergman and Albert Austin. It is best known for showcasing Chaplin's roller skating skills.-Synopsis:...
- Lyrics by Fred EbbFred EbbFred Ebb was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera....
/Music by John KanderJohn KanderJohn Harold Kander is the American composer of a number of musicals as part of the songwriting team of Kander and Ebb.-Life and career:Kander was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Bernice and Harold S. Kander...
) - Big Spender (from Sweet CharitySweet CharitySweet Charity is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon. It is based on Federico Fellini's screenplay for Nights of Cabiria...
- Lyrics by Dorothy FieldsDorothy FieldsDorothy Fields was an American librettist and lyricist.She wrote over 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films...
/Music by Cy ColemanCy ColemanCy Coleman was an American composer, songwriter, and jazz pianist.-Life and career:He was born Seymour Kaufman on June 14, 1929, in New York City to Eastern European Jewish parents, and was raised in the Bronx. His mother, Ida was an apartment landlady and his father was a brickmason...
) - Nowadays (from ChicagoChicago (musical)Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
- Lyrics by Ebb/Music by Kander)
Act II
- Adios Nonino, Detresse, Calambre (Tangos)(Music by Ástor PiazzollaÁstor PiazzollaÁstor Pantaleón Piazzolla was an Argentine tango composer and bandoneón player. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music...
) - More Than You Know (Lyrics by Edward EliscuEdward EliscuEdward Eliscu was a lyricist, playwright, producer and actor. He attended the City College of New York where he attained a Bachelor of Science degree. He then began acting in Broadway plays...
/Music by Billy RoseBilly RoseWilliam "Billy" Rose was an American impresario, theatrical showman and lyricist. He is credited with many famous songs, notably "Me and My Shadow" , "It Happened in Monterey" and "It's Only a Paper Moon"...
) - A Woman the World Has Never Seen
- Class (from Chicago- Lyrics by Ebb/Music by Kander)
- Chief Cook & Bottlewasher (from The Rink- Lyrics by Ebb/Music by Kander)
- Kiss of the Spider Woman (from Kiss of the Spider WomanKiss of the Spider Woman (musical)Kiss of the Spider Woman is a musical with music by John Kander and Fred Ebb, with the book by Terrence McNally. It is based on the Manuel Puig novel El Beso de la Mujer Araña...
- Lyrics by Ebb/Music by Kander) - Where You Are (from Kiss of the Spider Woman- Lyrics by Ebb/Music by Kander)
- All That Jazz (from Chicago- Lyrics by Ebb/Music by Kander)
Cast
In addition to Chita RiveraChita Rivera
Chita Rivera is an American actress, dancer, and singer best known for her roles in musical theater. She is the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award...
(playing herself), the original Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
cast featured Liana Ortiz as both the young Rivera and as Rivera's daughter, Lisa Mordente
Lisa Mordente
Lisa Mordente is an American actress, singer, and dancer.Born in New Hyde Park, New York to choreographer and television director Tony Mordente and actress/dancer Chita Rivera , Mordente made her Broadway debut opposite Alexis Smith in the short-lived 1978 musical...
. The ensemble included Richard Amaro, Lloyd Culbreath, Malinda Farrington, Edgard Gallardo, Deidre Goodwin, Richard Montoya, Lainie Sakakura, Alex Sanchez, and Allyson Tucker.
In four performances between January 24, 2006 and January 26, 2006, Rivera was joined by her Bye Bye Birdie co-star, Dick Van Dyke
Dick Van Dyke
Richard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer with a career spanning six decades. He is the older brother of Jerry Van Dyke, and father of Barry Van Dyke...
, in celebration of Rivera's birthday.
Award nominations
The Broadway production received one Tony AwardTony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera is an American actress, dancer, and singer best known for her roles in musical theater. She is the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award...
, Rivera's ninth. Rivera lost to LaChanze
LaChanze
LaChanze is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical in 2006 for her role in The Color Purple....
of The Color Purple
The Color Purple
The Color Purple is an acclaimed 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker. It received the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction...
.
Critical reception
While the show won a great deal of praise for its 72-year-old star's performance, the "non-Chita" aspects of the show received little critical acclaim. In his review for TalkinBroadway.com, Matthew Murray referred to the show as a "stretch-mark-pocked retrospective," and called McNally's libretto "scattered" and Daniele's direction "busy but uninspired," while calling Rivera "terrific." David Rooney of VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
called the show "never less than enjoyable but too rarely exhilarating." He went on to say that McNally "[comes] off like a bumbling novice at theatricalizing a showbiz legend's life." And Ben Brantley
Ben Brantley
Benjamin D. "Ben" Brantley is an American journalist and the chief theater critic of The New York Times.-Life and career:...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said "the production elements often dim rather than enhance Ms. Rivera's natural incandescence. Never entirely, though. Which means that The Dancer's Life remains a must-have ticket for aficionados of the American musical."