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Hundreds of Aspiring Dancers Expected to Attend Chita's Final Weekend
By Andrew Gans
17 Feb 2006
Playbill.com has learned that several hundred aspiring dancers are expected to attend the final performances of Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life, which ends its run at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre Feb. 19.
The attendance is due to The Broadway Gives Back Fund, which was recently started by dancers in the new musical, which salutes the life and career of the legendary Rivera. Dancers from the show have agreed to subsidize tickets to the final shows for students and up-and-coming performers.
Cast member Lainie Sakakura, who initiated the project, said in a statement, "We believe that every young dancer should see this show before it ends its Broadway run. If anyone aspires to perform on Broadway, and they could see only one show, The Dancer's Life is it!"
To benefit from The Broadway Gives Back Fund, visit the show's official website at www.thedancerslife.com where interested theatergoers will be asked to write the cast a note about why he or she would like to attend the show and how much he or she can afford to pay.
Remaining show times for Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life are Friday at 8 PM, Saturday at 2 and 8 PM and Sunday at 3 PM.
Boasting a book by Terrence McNally and direction/choreography by Graciela Daniele, the production stars Rivera with Liana Ortiz as Little Chita/Lisa. The ensemble comprises Richard Amaro, Lloyd Culbreath, Malinda Farrington, Edgard Gallardo, Deirdre Goodwin, Richard Montoya, Lainie Sakakura, Alex Sanchez and Allyson Tucker. Cleve Asbury and Madeleine Kelly are swings.
Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life, according to production notes, is a "tour through landmark creations in the American theatre that were helmed by some of the greatest talents in its history, including Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, Bob Fosse, Gower Champion and Michael Kidd." The production features new songs by Ragtime's Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty with numbers from West Side Story, Chicago and Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Among the songs heard in the production are "Dancing on the Kitchen Table," "Something to Dance About," "I'm Available," "Camille, Colette, Fifi," "Garbage," "Can-Can," "Mr. Wonderful," "A Boy Like That," "Dance at the Gym," "Somewhere," "Put on a Happy Face," "Rosie," "Don't 'Ah Ma' Me," "Big Spender," "Nowadays," "More Than You Know," "A Woman the World Has Never Seen," "Class," "Chief Cook & Bottlewasher," "Kiss of the Spider Woman," "Where You Are" and "All That Jazz."
The creative team for the new production includes Loy Arcenas (scenic design), Toni-Leslie James (costume design), Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer (lighting design), Scott Lehrer (sound design), Mark Hummel (musical direction) and Danny Troob (orchestrations).
Writer McNally said in a statement, "Chita Rivera is our strongest link to the Golden Age of the American Musical. She worked with all the great choreographers and composers and was present at the creation of such seminal masterpieces as The Dance at the Gym from West Side Story when the talent in the room was a veritable Mount Rushmore of the American theatre: Bernstein, Sondheim, Robbins, Laurents and Prince. I hope our show reminds audiences of what that level of theatre was like and what it still can be if the talent, the technique and the passion are there. Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life looks back in order to look forward."
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.
Tickets for Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life are priced $55-$100. The Schoenfeld Theatre is located in Manhattan at 236 West 45th Street.
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