Titled "Chita Rivera: A Lot of Livin' to Do," the program, part of the "Great Performances" series, includes a wealth of archival footage and new interviews with colleagues Dick Van Dyke, John Kander, Carol Lawrence and Ben Vereen. Broadcast time is 9 PM ET; check local listings.
Rivera's concert features songs from West Side Story; Sweet Charity; Chicago; Kiss of the Spider Woman; Bye Bye Birdie; The Rink; and her most recent Broadway outing in Kander and Ebb's The Visit.
The evening also includes a special tribute to Rivera's friends and collaborators John Kander, Fred Ebb and Terrence McNally.
Rivera is joined by music director Michael Croiter and an 11-piece orchestra featuring associate music director/pianist Michael Patrick Walker and bassist Jim Donica.
A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom as well as the Kennedy Center Honor (the first Latina woman ever chosen to receive this award), Rivera has won two Tony Awards as Best Leading Actress in a Musical and received eight additional Tony nominations. She is well known for her starring roles in the above-named original Broadway productions, as well as The Dancer’s Life and the revivals of Nine and The Mystery of Edwin Drood, among others.
