Шита Ривера: Өмір – Бишінің Тарихы

Broadway musical

Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life is a musical revue based on the life of Chita Rivera, with a book by Terrence McNally, original songs by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, and additional songs from various other composers' catalogs. It earned Rivera her ninth Tony Award nomination (for Best Actress in a Musical).

Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life was conceived by Chita Rivera in 2003, while she appeared in the musical Nine on Broadway. Since Rivera's next project, the Public Theater production of The Visit, had been canceled, Rivera approached that show's book writer, Terrence McNally, with the idea of a musical based upon her life. Rivera's conception was that the musical would open with her dancing to her father's music and then progress through the various stages of her career. McNally and Rivera officially announced in November 2003 that they were working on the show, and that a workshop production would be held in summer of 2004 at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in Florida. Marty Bell and Graciela Daniele were lined up as producer and director, respectively, of the workshop. In 2005, Rivera debuted And Now I Sing, a one woman cabaret at Feinstein's at the Regency in New York City, which ran from February 22 through March 12. Though the show and its venue were both intimate, the reviews were strong. Stephen Holden, in his review for The New York Times, wrote that "her program finds a comfortable mix of sass and sentiment" and noted that in several songs ("Where Am I Going?" from Sweet Charity, for example), she "captures exactly the right tone of dazed determination." The revue, now retiled Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life opened on September 10, 2005, and ran until October 23. An engagement on Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre was confirmed for November 2005 in previews. The Broadway production of Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life began its limited run with a series of previews in November, and officially opened on December 11, 2005, to mixed reviews. The song selection and other aspects of the production were tweaked throughout the run: For example, an opening prologue featuring the dancers warming up before the show was dropped shortly after the show opened, and the number "America" was only added to the show in January 2006. More revisions were required during Rivera's special "birthday week" performances from January 24 through 26, during which her former Bye Bye Birdie co star Dick Van Dyke joined her on stage. The show closed on February 19, 2006, after 72 performances. Rivera then immediately embarked on a national tour, in which many numbers from the Broadway production were cut, and the character of "Young Chita" was eliminated.

The musical first opened at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, where it ran from September 10 to October 23, 2005. It then transferred to the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on Broadway, opening in previews on November 23, 2005, officially on December 11. The show closed after
72 performances and 20 previews. The play's Executive Producers were Marty Bell and Aldo Scrofani (the show credits 19 producers and associates). It was directed and choreographed by Graciela Daniele, with reproductions of original choreography by Jerome Robbins and Bob Fosse reconstructed by Alan Johnson and Tony Stevens, respectively. Mark Hummel was musical director and arranger, as well as the orchestra's conductor, while orchestrations were provided by Danny Troob. Loy Arcenas (sets), Toni Leslie James (costumes), and Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer (lighting) comprised the show's design team. After the show's closing on Broadway, Rivera toured throughout the United States during 2006 and 2007. Major changes were made for the touring version of the show: the numbers "Can Can", "Don't 'Ah Ma' Me", and "Where You Are" were all dropped, as were the Act II opening Tango sequence and the character of "Little Chita/Lisa." Of the Broadway cast, only Richard Amaro, Lloyd Culbreath, and Richard Montoya went on tour with Rivera. Notably, however, Rivera's daughter Lisa Mordente joined the tour as dance captain and female swing. Cities on the tour included Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Boston. The tour concluded on June 10, 2007, in Norfolk, Virginia. After the ending of the tour, Rivera performed a solo cabaret act at the New York cabaret Feinstein's at Loews Regency in 2007 and has continued to perform variations at Feinstein's/54 Below and other venues over the years. Although this is not a recreation of The Dancer's Life, it includes most of the songs and anecdotes featured in the show (including the Ahrens & Flaherty original songs).

In addition to Chita Rivera (playing herself), the original Broadway cast featured Liana Ortiz as both the young Rivera and as Rivera's daughter, Lisa Mordente. The ensemble included Richard Amaro, Lloyd Culbreath, Malinda Farrington, Edgard Gallardo, Deidre Goodwin, Richard Montoya, Lainie Sakakura, Alex Sanchez, and Allyson Tucker. In four performances between January 24, 2006, and January 26, 2006, Rivera was joined by her Bye Bye Birdie co star, Dick Van Dyke, in celebration of Rivera's birthday.

The Broadway production received one Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for Chita Rivera, Rivera's ninth. Rivera lost to LaChanze of The Color Purple.

While the show won a great deal of praise for its 72 year old star's performance, the "non Chita" aspects of the show received little critical acclaim. In his review for TalkinBroadway. com, Matthew Murray referred to the show as a "stretch mark pocked retrospective," and called Terrence McNally's libretto "scattered" and Graciela Daniele's direction "busy but uninspired," while calling Rivera "terrific." David Rooney of Variety called the show "never less than enjoyable but too rarely exhilarating." He went on to say that McNally "[comes] off like a bumbling novice at theatricalizing a showbiz legend's life." Ben Brantley of The New York Times said "the production elements often dim rather than enhance Ms. Rivera's natural incandescence. Never entirely, though. Which means that The Dancer's Life remains a must have ticket for aficionados of the American musical."