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Take a look back on Chita Rivera performing "Buenos Aires" from Evita in a throwback video! The video is from the 1982 television special, Broadway Plays Washington on Kennedy Center Tonight. Hosted by Debbie Reynolds, the special celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Washington DC performing arts center. According to IMDb, the broadcast also featured performances from Bea Arthur, Christine Ebersole, Pearl Bailey, Helen Hayes, Ken Page, Andrea McCardle, John Cullum, Martin Charnin, and more. <div style="background-color:#f4f4f4;...

A touching dedication at the end of Kiss of the Spider Woman reads simply: “For Fred, Terrence and Chita.” That would be lyricist Fred Ebb, playwright Terrence McNally and original star Chita Rivera, key figures behind the 1993 Broadway musical, alongside composer John Kander and stage director Harold Prince. The show won seven Tony Awards and ran for just over two years, though critics and audiences were divided, and it’s mostly considered a second-tier musical by the standards of Kander and Ebb, the celebrated team behind Cabaret and Chicago.

Bill Condon sets himself a tough assignment trying to transform the tricky material into a great movie musical, but thanks in part to laudable work from his three leads, he occasionally comes close. The writer-director revisits an idea that worked well in his screenplay for 2002’s Chicago — paralleling squalor and splendor, with central characters stuck in grim reality seeking escape through Golden Age Hollywood musical fantasy.

Last night’s 77th Annual Tony Awards featured some terrific musical performances. We’ve compiled them all, so take a look and decide for yourself which shows should have taken home trophies, and which performance left you most excited about planning a trip to Broadway.

In no particular order:

Water For Elephants: “Anywhere Another Train” and “The Road Don’t Make You Young”

Related: ‘The Outsiders’ Wins Best Musical At Tonys: Full Winners List

Illinoise: “The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us”

Related: Sarah Paulson On Winning Her First Tony Award & How Theaters “Bear Witness to Relentless Interrogation Of Human Experience”

Cabaret: “Willkommen”

Related: Jonathan Groff Breaks Down In Tears After Tony Awards Win, Tells Daniel Radcliffe & Lindsay Mendez: “You Are More Than Old Friends, You Are Soulmates”

Merrily We Roll Along: “Old Friends”

Related: Daniel Radcliffe Thanks A Crying Jonathan Groff After...

Ariana DeBose, remembering the late West Side Story star, presented a Chita Rivera tribute at the Tony Awards. At the end of the homage, the awards show host would take the stage and recreate the iconic “America” musical number.

“In January, we lost one of theaters’ brightest lights, the irreplaceable Chita Rivera,” DeBose said as she took the stage with her voice cracking.

Rivera was remembered by Brian Stokes Mitchell, Audra McDonald, and Bebe Neuwirth.

“Anyone who knew Chita had a great friend and an even greater role model,” Mitchell said. “Everything I know about being a Broadway lead, I learned from [Chita]. The iconic characters that she created are unforgettable.”

Related: 2024 Tony Awards Winners List

Mitchell then took everyone down memory lane, remembering Rivera’s roles like Rose in Bye Bye Birdie, Velma Kelly in Chicago, and Anita in West Side Story.

“Chita redefined what it meant to be a Latina in showbusiness,...

Center Theatre Group presented the North American premiere of Matthew Bourne’s Romeo + Juliet on Wednesday evening, and when it ended, the entire Ahmanson Theatre audience was on its feet offering a standing ovation. After the dance company had taken final bows — with Paris Fitzpatrick’s Romeo and Monique Jonas’ Juliet receiving the love while covered in (spoiler alert!) blood-drenched white ensembles — Melissa McCarthy and Adam Shankman sat back down in their orchestra seats in row F.

The good friends, who arrived together, proceeded to stay seated for another 10 minutes or so to process what they’d seen through tear-filled eyes. “I just love a comedy,” Shankman said to The Hollywood Reporter in the lobby moments later. He was kidding, of course, as the show offers a surprising, dramatic and somewhat violent twist to the classic story of star-crossed lovers.

“It was magnificent,” continued Shankman, who broke out as...

Chita Rivera, the legendary Broadway performer, has passed away at the age of 91.

The celebrated entertainer, winner of multiple Tony Awards, had a highly successful theater career that spanned almost seven decades.

Known for her iconic roles, such as Anita in West Side Story, Velma in Chicago, and Rose in Bye Bye Birdie, Rivera began her Broadway journey in the 1950s, securing roles in productions like Can-Can and Mr. Wonderful.

Joining the original cast of West Side Story in 1957 marked a pivotal moment in her career, propelling her to Broadway stardom. Shortly afterward, she earned a Tony Award nomination for the musical Bye Bye Birdie alongside Dick Van Dyke.

Rivera’s longtime publicist, Merle Frimark, confirmed her passing to CNN, stating that she died peacefully in New York on Tuesday after a brief illness.

With a remarkable 10 Tony Award nominations and wins for The Rink and Kiss of the Spider Woman,...

President Joe Biden praised Chita Rivera as a performer who “brought joy to millions and captured the grit and grace of America.”

“A mesmerizing dancer, singer, and actor, Chita’s work was more than entertainment – it reflects part of who we are as Americans and as human beings, and it has helped shape how we see each other and our world,” Biden said in a statement released by the White House today. “Chita knew what great Americans know – it’s not how hard you get knocked down, it’s how quickly you get back up. Her dazzling charm will live on in the soul of our nation.”

Rivera died on Tuesday after a brief illness. She was 91.

In the statement, Biden recognized Rivera’s work, including “originating the roles of iconic strong women in classics from West Side Story, to Bye Bye, Birdie, to Chicago, to Kiss of the Spider Woman,...

Chita Rivera, the sultry singer, dancer and actress who commanded the Broadway stage for more than a half-century, has died. She was 91.

Rivera died peacefully in New York on Tuesday, following a brief illness, her daughter, Lisa Mordente, shared in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.

Known for her long, sleek legs, smoldering green eyes and lusty singing voice, the two-time Tony Award winner originated some of musical theater’s most iconic characters.

When West Side Story bowed in 1957, it was Rivera singing about life in America as the fiery Puerto Rican transplant Anita. As Rose Grant, the long-suffering girlfriend of songwriter Albert Peterson, Rivera received top billing over Dick Van Dyke in 1960’s Bye Bye Birdie. In 1975, she made the stage sizzle with “All That Jazz” as Velma Kelly in Chicago. And the 1993 musical adaptation of Kiss of the Spider Woman put her in the spotlight as the sexy Spider Woman.

Chita Rivera has sadly passed away at the age of 91.

The Tony-winning entertainer was a legend of the stage, originating the roles of Anita in West Side Story, Rose in Bye Bye Birdie, Velma Kelly in Chicago, and Aurora in Kiss of the Spider Woman, just to name a few.

Chita‘s death was confirmed by her daughter Lisa Mordente.

Keep reading to find out more…

The late actress died “after a brief illness.”

“She is also survived by her siblings Julio, Armando and Lola del Rivero, (her older sister Carmen predeceased her), along with her many nieces, nephews and friends. Her funeral will be private. A memorial service will be announced in due course,” Lisa said in a statement (via People).

Chita‘s friend Merle Frimark added, “It is with immense personal sorrow that I announce the death of the beloved Broadway icon Chita Rivera. My dear friend of...

by Nathaniel R

Memoir alert! For those of you who love showbiz biographies, take note that "Chita: A Memoir" is now on sale. The legendary dancer and multiple Tony winner Chita Rivera, turned 90 earlier this year. She was spurred to write the memoir (with the help of Patrick Pacheco) during the pandemic when there was so much down time.

Rivera and Pacheco are smart and know to drop the goods immediately; The very first chapter is on how she landed the legend-making role of "Anita" in Broadway's original incarnation of West Side Story... aka the greatest musical ever written. "Anita" is one of those roles. If you deliver, your career will never be the same again (just ask Rita Moreno and Ariana DeBose) but it all started with Chita.

Having just started the book, we can't speak to how often the memoir will return to the iconic musical but we...