Everyone remembers Chita Rivera as a great dancer. But what you may have forgotten -- or perhaps never even realized -- is what a fabulous actor she is and with what dramatic potency she can belt out a Broadway aria. It's not Rivera's dancing, but her tremendous acting and singing abilities that make her performance in Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life absolutely magnificent.
At the age of 72, Rivera is nothing short of miraculous as the star of a two-hour revue based on her 55-year career in the American musical theatre. She is on stage for virtually the entire show, entertaining us with amusing stories about her life. We learn about her upbringing in Washington, D.C., as a member of a raucous Hispanic family, her strict ballet training, an affair she had with Sammy Davis Jr., how she came to originate the role of Anita in West Side Story, and what she thinks about some of her illustrious colleagues, co-stars, and choreographers, including Elaine Stritch, Bea Arthur, Gwen Verdon, Dick Van Dyke, Donald O'Connor, Peter Gennaro, Jack Cole, Bob Fosse, and Jerome Robbins.
Along the way Rivera wows us with renditions of many of the songs and dances she performed on Broadway. The brief excerpt she sings from "A Boy Like That" is heart-stopping. Her solo interpretation of the duet "Nowadays" -- performed alongside an empty spotlight, in tribute to Verdon -- will move any Broadway buff to tears. And her performance of "All That Jazz" is still better than anyone's.
Assisting Rivera in the show's big choreographic numbers is a small, underused ensemble of technically first-rate yet unappealing-looking dancers. Despite her age, sporting a bouncy hairdo and a sexy black outfit, Rivera is always the sweetest piece of eye candy on the stage. The dancing ensemble, however, makes an invaluable contribution to the proceedings.
While the cast isn't large enough to offer full-scale choreographic re-creations of the landmark Broadway musicals in which Rivera appeared, the show's director-choreographer, Graciela Daniele, has brilliantly woven restaged excerpts from notable Broadway dances of the past into the nostalgic fabric of this production. Though sometimes disappointingly short, the excerpts nonetheless demonstrate how expressively dance was used by the great Broadway choreographers as an integral dramatic element of the musical, capable of communicating in ways words and music alone could not.
The ensemble dancers also treat us to a parade through choreographic history in which they illustrate the stylistic evolution of the dance genre that's come to be known as "Broadway jazz." In addition, the show features inspired new dances -- including a steamy Argentine tango piece -- choreographed by Daniele.
Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life is wittily propelled by Terrence McNally's snappy book, enhanced by gorgeous lighting effects designed by Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, and stylishly energized by the toe-tapping contributions of musical director Mark Hummel (also responsible for musical concepts and arrangements).
Presented by Marty Bell, Aldo Scrofani, Martin Richards, Chase Mishkin, Bernard Abrams/Michael Speyer, Tracy Aron, and Joe McGinnis in association with Stefany Bergson, Scott Prisand/Jennifer Maloney, G. Marlyne Sexton, Judith Ann Abrams/Jamie deRoy, and Addiss/Rittereiser/Carragher
at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 W. 45th St., NYC.
Opened Dec. 11 for an open run. Tue., 7 p.m.; Thu.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Wed. and Sat., 2 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.
(212) 239-6200.
Casting by Mark Simon, CSA.