Broadway Legend Chita Rivera Weighs In on Diversity, HAMILTON, and 'Gifted' Lin-Manuel Miranda

While discussing her current show, "Chita and Tune: Just In Time", Broadway's Chita Rivera gave her thoughts on the current state of the theatre.

Speaking with an Arizona news outlet, Chita described her touring show with dance icon, Tommy Tune, which visits Arizona Musicfest this week.

"Here's this 7-foot-tall man dancing with this 5-foot-4 woman who thinks she's 7 feet tall, trying desperately to stretch myself," Rivera says of dancing with the notoriously tall Broadway legend, Tune.

When asked about the wild success of Hamilton, Chita says, "I've only seen it once, but I definitely want to go back several times," she says. "I want to go back to see the choreography, because it all blends so magnificently, and I was so bent on hearing every single word."

When it comes to the musical's beloved composer, Chita says, "I think Lin-Manuel deserves absolutely everything that he's getting. He is an extremely gifted guy, a very fine human being, and loves the theater. Loves it."

Chita also offered her perspective on the current push for greater diversity in casting. "I have played all different nationalities, and I deeply believe that the play is the thing," she says. "The person who does that role better than anyone else is the person who should get that role, regardless of their background or heritage. It's the person who does the part the way that the librettist wants it done."