The legendary Chita Rivera is 75 years old today!
Always a class act, Chita emerged from ballet school in New York into the glittering lights of Broadway and, still in her teens, landed a part in one of the biggest shows of the day Call Me Madam. This was soon followed by high profile roles in Guys and Dolls and Can-Can, and a starring role in West Side Story - which really launched her in the public eye as an all-round sensation of musical theatre.
Indeed, Chita Rivera is regarded by many theatre aficionados as a "living legend", has received two Tony awards, and is the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award.
Chita is due to appear in London as part of the Michael Feinstein season at the Shaw Theatre (although her legendary unpredictability, and the fact she cancelled a similar London appearance last autumn leads some observers to wonder if she will actually turn up).
But in person, on stage or on screen she is indeed a sensation, as this (shaky) video of a TV appearance with Gwen Verdon shows...
Chita Rivera website
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a message - I value your comments!
[NB Bear with me if there is a delay - thanks to spammers I might need to approve comments]