BWW Reviews: Tony Winner CHITA RIVERA Recounts Legendary Career in One-Woman Cabaret

It's always such a wonderful treat to witness a living legend speak candidly and honestly about their experiences, looking back fondly at a multi-decade career that few could even dare replicate. Orange County residents now have such an opportunity with none other than two-time Tony Award winning diva extraordinaire Chita Rivera, in a charming one-woman cabaret show titled Chita Rivera: My Broadway, now playing at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts' Samueli Theater in Costa Mesa through Sunday, November 13. Still spry, spunky, and jazz-kickin' at 78 years old, this pioneering Broadway superstar, a recipient of 2009's Presidential Medal of Freedom, presents a bawdy, yet no-frills cabaret show that is not only chock-full of her memorable hits but is also peppered with lots of dishy details of her life in the theater.

Much more intimate than her previous Broadway and touring show A Dancer's Life, Rivera's roughly 75 minute set—backed by a jazz trio led by her musical director Michael Croiter—recounts in story and song her staggering, enviable string of successes on Broadway, including her 1952 debut in CALL ME MADAM, her star-making role as Anita in the original Broadway cast of WEST SIDE STORY, her film debut alongside Shirley MacLaine in SWEET CHARITY, her first Tony-winning role opposite Liza Minnelli in the THE RINK, and, of course, her second Tony-winning role in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN. She's featured in BYE BYE BIRDIE, GUY AND DOLLS, and CAN-CAN. And lest we forget, this very woman originated the role of the vivacious Velma Kelly opposite the one and only Gwen Verdon (as Roxie Hart) in the original Broadway production of CHICAGO. Bow down, kids. This lady is the real deal.

Along the way, Rivera's trajectory had her working with the who's who of Broadway powerhouses—a list that includes the likes of Sondheim, Bernstein, Berlin, Coleman and, of course, John Kander and Fred Ebb. It is the latter duo that would prove to be the biggest, most influential songwriting team for her. "Without them," she admits of Kander and Ebb, "I wouldn't be standing here right now." Her affection for the duo doesn't feel like an understatement in the least, as demonstrated by the multiple Kander & Ebb compositions that made her cabaret's set list. It's a fan-pleasing one at that, touching on songs like "A Boy Like That" and "America" from WEST SIDE STORY, which, is shocking to her that it's celebrating its 54th Anniversary. "When you've lived your whole life as a 35-year old," explains Rivera while wearing a lovely red number on Opening Night, "you don't really think about how [old] you really feel anymore."

Whether tackling a playful samba or a heavy torch song, Rivera unequivocally still proves she's quite entertaining. She's playful and Dancing with the Stars-ready in her fun medley of "Sweet Happy Life" and "Mas Que Nada." She's a hilarious comedienne channeling a trio of hookers in "Camille, Collette, Fifi," a song from her first Broadway show SEVENTH HEAVEN. Rivera also reminds us what a stirring, great dramatic actress she is singing a very heartfelt rendition of "I Don't Remember You" a Kander & Ebb song from the musical THE HAPPY TIME. She even delves into some dark material, including a spooky, anxiety-plagued "Carousel" by Jacques Brel, which once again, displays her wonderful, seasoned musical theater talents.

But, naturally, Rivera feels most snug and at home curled up in a Kander and Ebb tune. She revisits THE RINK with a fun, buoyant "Chief Cook and Bottle Washer" preceded by the gorgeous "Love and Love Alone" from Kander and Ebb's unproduced show THE VISIT (which she will stage alongside John Cullum in a one-night-only Actors Fund benefit concert on November 30 at the Ambassador Theatre in NYC). She even dons a top hot and cane during the finalé one-two punch of "Nowadays" and "All That Jazz" in honor of her good friend Verdon. Shimmying and shaking with the va-va-va-voom-ness of a woman half her age, Rivera explains it succinctly: "To make me stand still is impossible." Amen, Ms. Rivera.

Though the fan-boy in me couldn't help but be in awe that Rivera is literally singing her signature songs just a few feet away from me—a perk in these intimate cabarets at the smaller Samueli Theater—the show, in a way, feels more akin to your hot, famous grandma regaling friends with stories by candlelight, with a few jazz-backed "spontaneous" songs thrown in for color. Looking back with great fondness and reverence of her renowned career, Rivera's musical performances that have been sprinkled into this intimate affair are the dessert offerings rather than items in the main course. All in all, though, this enjoyable feast is worth tasting if only to hear the treasure trove of personal recollections right out of the mouth of a living legend herself. Like Rivera, this show is absolutely beguiling.

Photo by Laura Marie Duncan.

Follow this reviewer on Twitter: @cre8iveMLQ

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Tickets to Chita Rivera: My Broadway are $72. Student and Senior Rush Tickets, available 1 hour prior to the performances are available for $15 per valid I.D.

The Segerstrom Center for the Arts' 2011-2012 Cabaret Series continues with Tony winner Paulo Szot (Dec. 15-18); and Grammy winning Jazz artist Steve Tyrell (Jan. 5-8, 2012). As of press time, the rescheduled performance date for Stephen Sondheim: In Conversation featuring Christine Ebersole and Brian Stokes Mitchell has not been set.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.SCFTA.org.

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