BROADWAY SNAP-SHOT
by Russell Bouthiller
Dateline: December 23, 2005
CHITA RIVERA: THE DANCER'S LIFE
What becomes a legend most? Well, in the American theatre, originating a role that gets woven into the fabric of American culture is one surefire way to do it and the inimitable Chita Rivera has done that twice. First, as Anita in Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's WEST SIDE STORY and, later, as Velma in John Kander and Fred Ebb's CHICAGO.
With a book by four-time Tony-winner Terrence McNally and news songs provided by Tony-winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, CHITA RIVERA: THE DANCER'S LIFE presents the story of one of the luckiest gals in showbiz. On Broadway at 17, she hit the boards during the Golden Age of the American Musical and worked with the absolute best in the business. Just half of her credits reads like a dream career for any dancer.
Ms. Rivera appeared in the original productions of CALL ME MADAM, MR. WONDERFUL and CAN CAN and starred opposite Dick Van Dyke in BYE BYE BIRDIE. For her leading roles in Kander and Ebb's THE RINK and KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, she took home the Tony for Best Actress. Her last Broadway engagement was the sensational Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of NINE with Antonio Banderas. As gigs go, Chita got the best.
Directed gracefully by Graciela Daniele, CHITA RIVERA: THE DANCER'S LIFE is not a one-woman show in the fashion of Elaine Stritch at Liberty where the actress stands onstage metaphorically naked and bears her soul. In this production, Rivera performs with a company of eleven dancers, including Liana Ortiz who plays Chita as a young girl, as she pays loving tribute to those who helped shape her career.
The most captivating element of this biographical revue is the star's knack for reaching the audience on common ground and, then, dazzle them with divine talent. You get the sense that she's just one of the gang. This hominess is captured perfectly in Ahrens and Flaherty's Act One number, "Dancing on the Kitchen Table" where Chita recounts through song and dance her early family life with four brothers and sisters.
Framing the show with her Kennedy Center Honor in 2002, CHITA RIVERA: THE DANCER'S LIFE offers a chapter by chapter format, politely skimming over aspects more personal and tearing into the professional ones. Her acknowledgement of the choreographers who shaped her style and career is excellently rendered and her delightful impression of her CHICAGO co-star perfectly captures Gwen Verdon's celebrated vocal wobble.
Perhaps the most exhilarating moment in CHITA RIVERA: THE DANCER'S LIFE is her account of the audition process for WEST SIDE STORY during which Rivera tells of Jerome Robbins' direction. The famous choreographer/director insists that she sell "A Boy Like That" by giving it more anger and when she finally gets it, chills run up and down your spine. CHITA RIVERA: THE DANCER'S LIFE at the Gerald Shoenfeld Theatre is a must see show for anyone who considers themselves a theatre aficionado and a golden opportunity for those who hope to be.