Chita Rivera to play Sydney

Two-Time Tony Award winner Chita Rivera will perform songs from her legendary Broadway career with an intimate evening of music in Chita Rivera: My Broadway coming to Sydney and playing the York Theatre at the Seymour Centre on June 22.

Two-Time Tony Award winner Chita Rivera will perform songs from her legendary Broadway career with an intimate evening of music in Chita Rivera: My Broadway coming to Sydney and playing the York Theatre at the Seymour Centre on June 22.

Accompanied by her longtime musical director Michael Croiter on percussion and guitar, Michael Patrick Walker on the piano, and Dave Ellis on the Double Bass, Ms Rivera will perform selections from her most celebrated musicals, including numbers from West Side Story (‘America’), Sweet Charity (‘Where Am I Going?’ and ‘Big Spender’), Chicago (‘All That Jazz’ and ‘Nowadays’), Kiss of the Spider Woman, Bye, Bye, Birdie and The Rink, and featuring the music of Leonard Bernstein, John Kander & Fred Ebb, Charles Strouse, Stephen Sondheim and Cy Coleman among others.

Chita Rivera is an accomplished and versatile actress, singer and dancer who has won two Tony Awards as Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Rink) and received seven additional Tony nominations.

Chita has performed her critically-acclaimed concert dates around the world in such cities as New York, London, Monte Carlo, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Toronto, Amsterdam, San Francisco, Cannes, Chicago and San Juan among many others.

On October 13, 2009, Chita released a new solo studio CD entitled And Now I Swing (Yellow Sound label), whichpays homage to her stage legacy while also displaying her passion for jazz.

From classic theatre songs to jazz standards, all tracks featured on this new album have received new arrangements recorded by New York’s finest musicians, reimagining some of Chita’s favourite tunes.

She recently starred in the Broadway and touring productions of The Dancer’s Life, a dazzling new musical celebrating her spectacular career, written by Terence McNally and directed by Graciela Daniele.

She recreated her starring role in The Visit, the new Kander/Ebb/McNally musical at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA (originally done at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago in 2001) for which she received the 2009 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress.

Chita Rivera will perform at the York Theatre on Wednesday, June 22. Bookings: (02) 9351 7940.