Broadway Legend In Career-Spanning Musical

Direct from Broadway, two-time Tony Award-winner Chita Rivera is coming to the Wilshire Theatre-Beverly Hills, in a dazzling new musical that celebrates her astonishing career for only eight performances from Tuesday, March 27 to Sunday, April 1.

“Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life,” a musical celebrating the life and career of one of America’s most beloved stage performers, is written by four time Tony Award-winner Terrence McNally, and directed and choreographed by Graciela Daniele.

This musical, featuring a cast of Broadway’s most talented singers and dancers, offers its audience a rare look into that moment when great musical numbers in the theatre were born, as related and performed by the woman for whom they were created.

“Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life” is a magical tour through landmark creations in the American theater that were helmed by some of the greatest talents in its history, including Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, Bob Fosse, Gower Champion and Michael Kidd and features new songs by the Tony Award-winning team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. Along the way, Rivera and company will celebrate some of her most stunning and legendary Broadway performances — from “West Side Story” to “Chicago” to “Kiss Of The Spider Woman.”

Chita Rivera has not only been called the original “triple threat” for her impeccable combination of dancing, singing and acting, but Newsweek also declared that “Chita is the greatest musical theater dancer ever.” Rivera has won two Tony Awards® and has been nominated for the prestigious honor six additional times. Rivera trained as a ballerina throughout her childhood and accepted a scholarship to the American School of Ballet at age 17. Her performance as Anita in the Broadway premier of “West Side Story” catapulted Rivera to fame in 1957 and later roles in “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Kiss Me Kate,” “Born Yesterday,” “The Rose Tattoo” and “Sweet Charity” allowed her career to flourish. Today at age 74, the versatile performer and recipient of the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor is able to pay tribute to all those who helped her rise to fame in her autobiographical production, “The Dancer’s Life.”

Tickets for Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life, priced at $25 to $75 can be purchased through Ticketmaster online at ticketmaster.com, by phone at Ticketmaster at (213) 480-3232 or (213 365-3500 and all Ticketmaster outlets.

Performances are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. The Wilshire Theatre-Beverly Hills, 8440 Wilshire Blvd.