Chita Rivera to Kick Off Concert Tour in Florida 1/17; Addt'l Dates Announced

Two-Time Tony Award winner Chita Rivera will perform songs from her legendary Broadway career in her own concert Chita Rivera: MY BROADWAY. The tour kicks off on Sunday, January 17 at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida. Rivera will be accompanied by an 11-piece orchestra, led by musical director Michael Croiter, and will perform selections from her most celebrated musicals, including numbers from West Side Story ("America"), Sweet Charity ("Where Am I Going?" and "Big Spender"), Chicago ("All That Jazz" and "Nowadays"), Kiss of the Spider Woman, Bye, Bye, Birdie and The Rink, and featuring the music of Leonard Bernstein, John Kander & Fred Ebb, Charles Strouse, Stephen Sondheim and Cy Coleman among others.

Chita Rivera is an accomplished and versatile actress, singer and dancer who has won two Tony Awards as Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Rink) and received seven additional Tony nominations. Chita has performed her critically-acclaimed concert dates around the world in such cities as New York, London, Monte Carlo, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Toronto, Amsterdam, San Francisco, Cannes, Chicago and San Juan among many others. On October 13, 2009, Chita released a new solo studio CD entitled AND NOW I SWING (Yellow Sound label), which pays homage to her stage legacy while also displaying her passion for jazz. From classic theater songs to jazz standards, all tracks featured on this new album have received new arrangements recorded by New York's finest musicians, reimagining some of Chita's favorite tunes. She recently starred in the Broadway and touring productions of The Dancer's Life, a dazzling new musical celebrating her spectacular career, written by Terence McNally and directed by Graciela Daniele. Last year she recreated her starring role in The Visit, the new Kander/Ebb/McNally musical at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA (originally done at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago in 2001) for which she received the 2009 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress. Chita received The Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama on August 12, 2009 and also received the coveted Kennedy Center Honor in Washington, DC in December, 2002, and was the first Hispanic ever chosen to receive this award. She also starred in the revival of the Broadway musical Nine with Antonio Banderas. She trained as a ballerina (from age 11) before receiving a scholarship to the American School of Ballet from legendary George Balanchine. Chita's first appearance (age 17) was as a principal dancer in Call Me Madam. Her electric performance as Anita in the Broadway premiere of West Side Story (1957) brought her stardom, which she repeated in London. Her career is highlighted by starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, Chicago, Jerry's Girls and (original Broadway casts) Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Seventh Heaven and Mr. Wonderful. On tour: Born Yesterday, The Rose Tattoo, Call Me Madam, Threepenny Opera, Sweet Charity, Kiss Me Kate, Zorba, Can-Can with The Rockettes.

The current tour schedules stops in:

January 20 - Sarasota, Florida - Van Wezel Performing Arts Center
April 9 - Naples, FL - Philharmonic Center
April 11 - Melbourne, FL - King Center
April 13 - West Palm Beach, FL - Kravis Center
April 15/16 - Stuart, FL - Lyric Theatre
April 18 - Key West, FL - Tennessee Williams Theatre
April 19 - Miami Beach, FL - Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theatre
April 29 - Newport News, VA - Ferguson Center for the Arts
May 1 - Brookville, LI, NY - Tilles Center for the Performing arts (with the Long Island Philharmonic)
May 4 - Buffalo, NY - Center for the Arts

More dates to be announced.

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