As previously announced, the tour of The Dancer's Life is scheduled to kick off Jan. 2, 2007, at the Miami Performing Arts Center in Miami, FL. The production will now also play the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in Palm Beach, FL, from April 17-22, 2007. Additional dates are expected.
The 2006-2007 season at the Kravis Center will also include Annie (Oct. 17-22), The Rat Pat Live from Las Vegas (Nov. 7-12), Movin' Out (Jan. 9-14, 2007), Sweet Charity (starring Molly Ringwald) (March 6-11) and the aforementioned Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life (April 17-22).
The Dancer's Life began previews at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre Nov. 23, 2005. The musical, which officially opened Dec. 11, 2005, played 20 previews and 72 regular performances before closing Feb. 19, 2006.
Boasting a book by Terrence McNally and direction/choreography by Graciela Daniele, the production starred Rivera with Liana Ortiz as Little Chita/Lisa. The ensemble comprised Richard Amaro, Lloyd Culbreath, Malinda Farrington, Edgard Gallardo, Deirdre Goodwin, Richard Montoya, Lainie Sakakura, Alex Sanchez and Allyson Tucker. Cleve Asbury and Madeleine Kelly were 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 featured 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 were "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 Dancer's Life included 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).
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.
