Two-time Tony Award-Winner CHITA RIVERA Joins SETH RUDETSKY for Broadway @ The Wallis
By: Julie Musbach Jan. 31, 2018
Two-time Tony Award-winner Chita Rivera will perform two concerts at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (The Wallis) for one night only alongside Sirius XM Radio host and music director Seth Rudetsky (Broadway's Disaster!) on Thursday, March 29 at 7:30pm and 9:30pm. Part of the acclaimed Broadway @ The Wallis series, the unscripted evening features a seamless mix of intimate behind-the-scenes stories from the ten-time Tony Award-nominated actress, singer and dancer-prompted by Rudetsky's probing, funny, revealing questions-as well as Rivera performing greatest hits from her vast musical theater repertoire, including songs from her legendary roles of Anita in West Side Story, Rose in Bye Bye Birdie and Velma in Chicago. The 'Broadway @' series is produced by Mark Cortale.
"To have the original Broadway Anita from West Side Story on our stage is a joy and a privilege," said Paul Crewes, The Wallis' Artistic Director. "Chita represents Broadway at its height. To see her and Seth working together will be a unique and wonderful experience."About the Artists:Chita Rivera, an accomplished and versatile actress/singer/dancer, has won two Tony Awards as Best Leading Actress in a Musical and received eight additional Tony nominations for an exceptional 10 Tony nominations. She recently starred in The Visit, the final John Kander/Fred Ebb/Terrence McNally musical directed by John Doyle and choreographed by Graciela Daniele on Broadway (2015), following the acclaimed production at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in the summer of 2014. She starred in the Broadway revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, the Broadway and touring productions of The Dancer's Life, a dazzling new musical celebrating her spectacular career, written by Terrence McNally and directed by Graciela Daniele and the revival of the Broadway musical Nine with Antonio Banderas. She trained as a ballerina (from age 11) before receiving a scholarship to the School of American 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 original Broadway premiere of West Side Story brought her stardom, which she repeated in London. Her career is highlighted by starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, The Rink (Tony Award), Chicago, Jerry's Girls, Kiss of the Spider Woman (Tony Award), and the original Broadway casts of 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-Canwith The Rockettes. Chita was awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2009. She received the coveted Kennedy Center Honor in 2002 and became the first Hispanic woman ever chosen to receive this award. In November, 2016 she headlined at Carnegie Hall and in 2015, Great Performances aired their special Chita Rivera: A Lot of Livin' To Do, a retrospective of her extraordinary life and career nationally on PBS. Her current solo CD is entitled And Now I Swing. Chita is currently on a concert tour with Tommy Tune in Chita & Tune: Just In Time. Her most treasured production is her daughter, singer/dancer/choreographer Lisa Mordente.
About the Broadway series:
The Art House in Provincetown, MA, under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Mark Cortale, is the original home to the internationally acclaimed Broadway @ The Art House series hosted by Seth Rudetsky. The series which enters its eighth season this coming summer has presented Broadway superstars including Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, Patti LuPone, Sutton Foster, Chita Rivera and Neil Patrick Harris. The Broadway @ series premiered in 2013 in New Orleans, in Australia (Sydney and Melbourne) with Megan Mullaly and in London's West End with Patti LuPone at the Leicester Square Theater. The series has travelled to Fort Lauderdale (The Broward Center), Philadelphia (The Kimmel Center), San Francisco (The Herbst Theatre) and launched last season in Chicago and Scottsdale with Audra McDonald (Steppenwolf Theatre & Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts). More information at markcortalepresents.com.
About the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts:
Since opening its doors in October 2013, The Wallis has produced or presented more than 150 dance, theatre, opera, classical music and family programs to an ever-expanding audience. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Paul Crewes and Managing Director Rachel Fine, The Wallis brings audiences world-class theater, dance and music, performed by many of the world's most talented and sought-after artists. Featuring eclectic programming that mirrors the diverse landscape of Los Angeles and its notability as the entertainment capital of the world, The Wallis offers original and revered works from across the U.S. and around the globe. The mission of The Wallis is to create, present and celebrate unique performing arts events and educational programs that reflect the rich cultural diversity of our community. Nominated for 47 Ovation Awards, four L.A. Drama Critic's Circle Awards and the recipient of six architectural awards, The Wallis is a breathtaking 70,000-square-foot venue that celebrates the classic and the modern and was designed by Zoltan E. Pali, FAIA of Studio Pali Fekete architects. The building features the restored, original 1933 Beverly Hills Post Office (on the National Register of Historic Places) that serves as the theater's dramatic yet welcoming lobby, and houses the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater, GRoW at The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education (a gift of Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family and the Annenberg Foundation) and the contemporary 500-seat, state-of-the-art Bram Goldsmith Theater. Together, these structures embrace the city's history and its future, creating a performing arts destination for L.A.-area visitors and residents alike.
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