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Chita: A Memoir – The Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient's Broadway Legacy of Legendary Roles and Trailblazing Impact
The long-awaited and wildly entertaining memoir of the star of stage and screen, the legendary Chita Rivera—three-time Tony Award–winner, Kennedy Centers honoree, and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero—until the entertainment world renamed her. But Dolores—the irreverent side of the sensual, dark and ferocious Chita—was always present center stage, and was influential in creating some of Broadway most iconic and acclaimed roles, including Anita in West Side Story ‚ the part that made her a star—Rosie in Bye Bye, Birdie, Velma in Chicago, and Aurora in Kiss of the Spider Woman. Written in gratitude to her longstanding fans and with the hope that new generations may learn from her extraordinary experience, Chita takes us behind the curtain to reveal the highs and lows of one extraordinary showbusiness career—the creative fermentation, the ego clashes, the miraculous discoveries, the exhilaration when it all went right, and the disappointment when it all went wrong. Chita invites us into workrooms and rehearsal studies, on stage and on set as she works with some of the greatest talents of the age, including Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim, Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, Hal Prince, Liza Minnelli, Sammy Davis Jr, Gwen Verdon, Shirley MacLaine, and many others. We also learn deeply moving, revelatory details about her upbringing and her heritage, and how they indelibly shaped her work and career. This colorful and entertaining memoir—as vital and captivating as Chita herself—is the unforgettable and engrossing personal story of a performer who blazed her own trail and inspired countless performers to forge their own unique path to success.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published April 25, 2023
82 people are currently reading
973 people want to read
About the author
Chita Rivera
4 books6 followersDolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Anderson[a] (January 23, 1933 – January 30, 2024), known professionally as Chita Rivera, was an American actress, singer, and dancer. Rivera received numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, and a Drama League Award. She was the first Latina and the first Latino American to receive a Kennedy Center Honor in 2002, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. She won the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018.
After making her Broadway debut as a dancer in Guys and Dolls (1950), she went on to originate roles in Broadway musicals such as Anita in West Side Story (1957), Velma Kelly in Chicago (1975), and the title role in Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993). She was a ten-time Tony Award nominee, winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical twice for her roles in The Rink (1984) and Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993). She was Tony-nominated for her roles in Bye Bye Birdie (1961), Chicago (1975), Merlin (1983), Jerry's Girls (1986), Nine (2003), and The Visit (2015).
Rivera acted in the film Sweet Charity (1969) and appeared in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978), and Tick, Tick... Boom! (2021). She played Connie Richardson in the CBS sitcom The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1973–1974). She also appeared on television in The Judy Garland Show (1963), The Carol Burnett Show (1971), and Will & Grace (2005). Her autobiography, Chita: A Memoir, was published in 2023. - Wikipedia
After making her Broadway debut as a dancer in Guys and Dolls (1950), she went on to originate roles in Broadway musicals such as Anita in West Side Story (1957), Velma Kelly in Chicago (1975), and the title role in Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993). She was a ten-time Tony Award nominee, winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical twice for her roles in The Rink (1984) and Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993). She was Tony-nominated for her roles in Bye Bye Birdie (1961), Chicago (1975), Merlin (1983), Jerry's Girls (1986), Nine (2003), and The Visit (2015).
Rivera acted in the film Sweet Charity (1969) and appeared in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978), and Tick, Tick... Boom! (2021). She played Connie Richardson in the CBS sitcom The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1973–1974). She also appeared on television in The Judy Garland Show (1963), The Carol Burnett Show (1971), and Will & Grace (2005). Her autobiography, Chita: A Memoir, was published in 2023. - Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
March 7, 2025
Happy International Women’s Day. I hope you all wore purple, the color of royalty. I have on a purple sweater because spring refuses to show its face, and I have in front of me a purple book. Ok, not a purple but a cover depicting Anita’s sultry dress from West Side Story. As soon as the intro to America starts, I am transported to my grandmother’s den, sadly, not the theater. My grandmother could not carry a tune for the life of her but she loved musicals and got to see all the great ones when she lived in New York (thank you, half price tickets). By the time she was retired and living in Florida, she on occasion attended local theater productions of her favorites, but she mainly watched the film version. By the time I was old enough to visit her on my own, staying home and watching musicals became our favorite pastime whenever it was a non beach day. One of our shared favorites: West Side Story. I grew up envisioning Rita Moreno as Anita, but, just as Julie Andrews put her stamp on Eliza Doolittle on Broadway, Chita Rivera did the same with Anita. I am too young and from the wrong time zone to remember the golden age of Broadway. My grandmother gushed about it, and to a certain extent so did my mom. For women’s history month, I gravitate to memoirs to hear the stories of those women who paved the way for so many to shine today. On international women’s day, I honor Chita Rivera.
Born in 1933 and eventually the middle child in her family, Dolores Conchita Figueroa de Rivero grew up in Washington, DC surrounded by siblings and friends, constantly getting into antics with her brothers. Her father Julio passed away in 1940, so her mother Katherine entered the workforce to provide for her five children. This is a groundbreaking woman in her right, and she welcomed her mother Sallie to the home along with two unmarried sisters. The Anderson de Rivero home became a powerful matriarchy; however, at times, Dolores’ antics became too much, and this is what lead her mother to enroll her in ballet classes as a precocious eleven year old. Katherine pawned many of the Julio’s prized items including his guitar and sax in order to have money to fund Dolores’ dance lessons. Perhaps, Katherine knew that her daughter would be a star, even in an era where racism ran rampant in America. The Anderson- de Rivero family lived in an African American neighborhood in Washington. Dolores did not experience racism; her first dance partner Louis Johnson was African American, and she was light enough to “pass” as white. By age sixteen, the two dancing prodigies won scholarships to the School of American Ballet, jump starting their careers. For Dolores, there was no looking back.
Chita writes from what I can only describe as the Latin flair of a woman who has experienced nine decades of life. Even though she only had sketchy memories of her father, Chita identified as Puerto Rican. As take no prisoners, Dolores, her alter ego, this lead to her winning the role of Anita in 1957. Needing a stage name at a time when there were few Hispanic stars anywhere in society, Dolores became Chita. She originally considered O’Hara but she was no O’Hara, hence Rivera, it rhymed. The theater community, even in the 1950s, was a large family. No one was too big a star to hang out with the company at a diner after rehearsal or a show. Even as a young woman, Chita viewed West Side Story as groundbreaking, dealing with a myriad of topics that I will not digress into, and she made that role her own, from the purple dress to stage stopping numbers “America” (still my favorite) and “A Boy Like That” (not my favorite, I’m partial to María). Chita performed this role until she was six months pregnant, which in 1957 is also trailblazing because in the 1950s, even celebrities were told that she could no longer work upon getting pregnant. Go Chita! The father, Tony Mordante, also from the cast, and their daughter Lisa is said to be a unique Jet-Shark, who accused her mom of going Puerto Rican when she got angry. The Latin flair seeps out of these pages and followed Chita for her career, but she appeared prideful to represent boriqua culture.
Chita and Rita Moreno appeared together in a Chita-Rita skit to poke fun at both portraying Anita. Chita would have loved to follow up her role as Anita, but she was already acting as Rosie Alvarez in Bye, Bye, Birdie. Even though she acted on screen later in her career, Chita’s place was on stage. She could do it all: dance, sing, and act. She gives readers what they want: an insight to her romances, trying to balance the good Catholic girl with the Latina romantic. She also details all those who shaped her career, leading to the wide range of roles that she made her own over seven decades on Broadway. From iconic roles as Velma Kelly in Chicago to Aurora in Kiss of the Spider Woman to portraying dramatic personas in The Rink and The Visit, Chita Rivera grew to be a star and theater icon. She was even on The Muppet Show and Sesame Street and performed a voice credit in Dora the Explorer. The first two might have been Rita, and, if so, both women would have poked fun at me. Over the course of her life, Chita cites her mother as being the shaping influence in her life as well as countless personalities of the theater community. Toward the end of her run, she won countless lifetime achievement awards as a bridge to the golden age of Broadway, which must have been a high time to be living.
Chita Rivera passed away on January 30, 2024 at the ripe age of 91, Tony Mordante five months later. I did not know this until fact checking for this review, which makes reading it all the more timely, especially after Rita Moreno honored her at the Oscars (which I did not watch). Readers might think that this memoir is a laundry list of achievements, but that is what is a memoir is. In the preface, Chita answers why now, when asked why she first penned her memoirs at the age of ninety. Her response is that she was finally slowing down and thought that it was time to give the fans what they long sought, the spicy and more poignant moments both. Too many older people never get a chance to record their lives for posterity, whether a celebrity or a member of society. They all have stories to tell that contribute to the fabric of the human experience, and I urge all young people to interview and record their grandparents before those stories die with them. Chita Rivera was one of the last links to the dawning days of Broadway as a place to be seen. Her first iconic role is one that I have special memories of and still belt out the songs when cooking in my kitchen. Last year I watched the new version of West Side Story with my daughters, but I still prefer the original, which gained its place in society from notoriety of the Broadway production. Chita Rivera lived a full life and thankfully wrote her memoirs. Even after living her long life with her personal Latina flair, she will be missed.
4+ stars
Born in 1933 and eventually the middle child in her family, Dolores Conchita Figueroa de Rivero grew up in Washington, DC surrounded by siblings and friends, constantly getting into antics with her brothers. Her father Julio passed away in 1940, so her mother Katherine entered the workforce to provide for her five children. This is a groundbreaking woman in her right, and she welcomed her mother Sallie to the home along with two unmarried sisters. The Anderson de Rivero home became a powerful matriarchy; however, at times, Dolores’ antics became too much, and this is what lead her mother to enroll her in ballet classes as a precocious eleven year old. Katherine pawned many of the Julio’s prized items including his guitar and sax in order to have money to fund Dolores’ dance lessons. Perhaps, Katherine knew that her daughter would be a star, even in an era where racism ran rampant in America. The Anderson- de Rivero family lived in an African American neighborhood in Washington. Dolores did not experience racism; her first dance partner Louis Johnson was African American, and she was light enough to “pass” as white. By age sixteen, the two dancing prodigies won scholarships to the School of American Ballet, jump starting their careers. For Dolores, there was no looking back.
Chita writes from what I can only describe as the Latin flair of a woman who has experienced nine decades of life. Even though she only had sketchy memories of her father, Chita identified as Puerto Rican. As take no prisoners, Dolores, her alter ego, this lead to her winning the role of Anita in 1957. Needing a stage name at a time when there were few Hispanic stars anywhere in society, Dolores became Chita. She originally considered O’Hara but she was no O’Hara, hence Rivera, it rhymed. The theater community, even in the 1950s, was a large family. No one was too big a star to hang out with the company at a diner after rehearsal or a show. Even as a young woman, Chita viewed West Side Story as groundbreaking, dealing with a myriad of topics that I will not digress into, and she made that role her own, from the purple dress to stage stopping numbers “America” (still my favorite) and “A Boy Like That” (not my favorite, I’m partial to María). Chita performed this role until she was six months pregnant, which in 1957 is also trailblazing because in the 1950s, even celebrities were told that she could no longer work upon getting pregnant. Go Chita! The father, Tony Mordante, also from the cast, and their daughter Lisa is said to be a unique Jet-Shark, who accused her mom of going Puerto Rican when she got angry. The Latin flair seeps out of these pages and followed Chita for her career, but she appeared prideful to represent boriqua culture.
Chita and Rita Moreno appeared together in a Chita-Rita skit to poke fun at both portraying Anita. Chita would have loved to follow up her role as Anita, but she was already acting as Rosie Alvarez in Bye, Bye, Birdie. Even though she acted on screen later in her career, Chita’s place was on stage. She could do it all: dance, sing, and act. She gives readers what they want: an insight to her romances, trying to balance the good Catholic girl with the Latina romantic. She also details all those who shaped her career, leading to the wide range of roles that she made her own over seven decades on Broadway. From iconic roles as Velma Kelly in Chicago to Aurora in Kiss of the Spider Woman to portraying dramatic personas in The Rink and The Visit, Chita Rivera grew to be a star and theater icon. She was even on The Muppet Show and Sesame Street and performed a voice credit in Dora the Explorer. The first two might have been Rita, and, if so, both women would have poked fun at me. Over the course of her life, Chita cites her mother as being the shaping influence in her life as well as countless personalities of the theater community. Toward the end of her run, she won countless lifetime achievement awards as a bridge to the golden age of Broadway, which must have been a high time to be living.
Chita Rivera passed away on January 30, 2024 at the ripe age of 91, Tony Mordante five months later. I did not know this until fact checking for this review, which makes reading it all the more timely, especially after Rita Moreno honored her at the Oscars (which I did not watch). Readers might think that this memoir is a laundry list of achievements, but that is what is a memoir is. In the preface, Chita answers why now, when asked why she first penned her memoirs at the age of ninety. Her response is that she was finally slowing down and thought that it was time to give the fans what they long sought, the spicy and more poignant moments both. Too many older people never get a chance to record their lives for posterity, whether a celebrity or a member of society. They all have stories to tell that contribute to the fabric of the human experience, and I urge all young people to interview and record their grandparents before those stories die with them. Chita Rivera was one of the last links to the dawning days of Broadway as a place to be seen. Her first iconic role is one that I have special memories of and still belt out the songs when cooking in my kitchen. Last year I watched the new version of West Side Story with my daughters, but I still prefer the original, which gained its place in society from notoriety of the Broadway production. Chita Rivera lived a full life and thankfully wrote her memoirs. Even after living her long life with her personal Latina flair, she will be missed.
4+ stars
May 20, 2023
I finished listening to/reading Chita Rivera's memoir the other day and have to admit it was pure catnip to me. Being an old-time theatre/musical fan my entire life, I felt this book was such an extraordinary insider's account of the progression of dance, acting, and musicals from someone who was there from the heyday of its golden age (West Side Story) in the 1950s to the present day (The Visit) in the 2000s.
Chita, or Dolores, as her counterpart is referred to, is a fantastic performer and storyteller, with the help of Patrick Pacheco. It is rare that someone lasts that long in the theatre, but she has and is a living legend, one of the last from the Gold Age of Broadway. And because she has lasted for so long, she has a lot of stories to tell. They're all here, and more. Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie, Chicago, The Rink, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Nine, and The Visit. All talked about, even the flops.
Then there are the people she knew. Jerome Robbins, Hal Prince, Kander and Ebb, Liza Minelli, Dick Van Dyke, Paul Lynde, Stephen Sondheim, Michael Kidd, Bea Arthur, Judy Garland, Elaine Stritch, Gwen Verdon, Bob Fosse, Antonio Banderas, and the list goes on and on. Even when she's being brutally honest about something or someone, Chita remains respectful, which I actually admired.
I actually saw her once when she was performing at 54 Below. The place was packed and was the only one there alone. Then they sat this older man at my table and for a while, we didn't speak, so I broke the ice by asking if he was a big Chita fan and he said yes and we started talking from there. It was after the show that I discovered they had seated Chiata's brother/manager at my table. I know I should have asked him if I could meet her, but I didn't. I think the experience was amusing and always like to tell people I was one degree away from meeting Chita Rivera.
All in all, this is a wonderful memoir. I think anybody who's interested in Broadway, theatre, musicals, dancing, acting, history, or celebrity, knows and loves classic things like myself, will thoroughly enjoy this memoir. And Chita does a good job doing the audiobook. My rating - 5/5
Chita, or Dolores, as her counterpart is referred to, is a fantastic performer and storyteller, with the help of Patrick Pacheco. It is rare that someone lasts that long in the theatre, but she has and is a living legend, one of the last from the Gold Age of Broadway. And because she has lasted for so long, she has a lot of stories to tell. They're all here, and more. Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie, Chicago, The Rink, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Nine, and The Visit. All talked about, even the flops.
Then there are the people she knew. Jerome Robbins, Hal Prince, Kander and Ebb, Liza Minelli, Dick Van Dyke, Paul Lynde, Stephen Sondheim, Michael Kidd, Bea Arthur, Judy Garland, Elaine Stritch, Gwen Verdon, Bob Fosse, Antonio Banderas, and the list goes on and on. Even when she's being brutally honest about something or someone, Chita remains respectful, which I actually admired.
I actually saw her once when she was performing at 54 Below. The place was packed and was the only one there alone. Then they sat this older man at my table and for a while, we didn't speak, so I broke the ice by asking if he was a big Chita fan and he said yes and we started talking from there. It was after the show that I discovered they had seated Chiata's brother/manager at my table. I know I should have asked him if I could meet her, but I didn't. I think the experience was amusing and always like to tell people I was one degree away from meeting Chita Rivera.
All in all, this is a wonderful memoir. I think anybody who's interested in Broadway, theatre, musicals, dancing, acting, history, or celebrity, knows and loves classic things like myself, will thoroughly enjoy this memoir. And Chita does a good job doing the audiobook. My rating - 5/5
January 30, 2024
I’m trying to read more nonfiction this year, as a personal challenge, and this memoir was almost too fantastical to be real! Chita Rivera is an idol to many in my field (musical theatre dance) and it was absolutely incredible to get such an honest and poignant glimpse into her life and mesmerizing career. Plus, the audiobook is narrated by the legend herself so I highly recommend listening to her tell her own story.
July 26, 2023
Chita was a good choice for a book. Upon reading this book. I was surprised that it was short on details and more on name dropping. It was a fast paced read.
February 26, 2024
Fantastic memoir. Made even greater by her passing, right in the middle of my listening. Hearing her use her own voice to tell her stories in her own words was outstanding. So many great anecdotes.
May 6, 2023
Entertaining audiobook.
March 21, 2024
Simply amazing!!! A must-read for any fan of musical theatre.
February 2, 2024
The voice in this book sounds more like the collaborator writer, Patrick Pacheco, than Chita Rivera herself so the feeling of being inside or close to the theater stories is lost to a degree. As a musical theater legend and person of great strength, Chita Rivera is matchless but this book is not her. She appeared several times during the covid pandemic on Seth Rudetsky's web series for the Actor's fund and there she shined much more brightly in her own words.
April 30, 2023
This was a thoroughly engrossing memoir, written by a Broadway legend. I really had a hard time putting this book down!
October 29, 2023
Wonderful book from a living legend!
February 8, 2024
I started this book in January, before Chita passed. I did not realize until I finished it how much of an honor it was to listen to Chita herself read her memoir for the audiobook version. Even though Chita is now gone, she has not only left her legacy, she left a little of herself in the book she wrote and recorded.
Thank you Chita for sharing your story with us. Que decanses en paz.
Thank you Chita for sharing your story with us. Que decanses en paz.
June 29, 2023
I couldn’t put it down. So engaging and full of history and intimacy in a way that didn’t reveal all the details of her life. Amazing read for any lover of Broadway.
June 28, 2023
Chita answers all your questions and reads her memoir with all the verve you would expect. A delight.
April 2, 2024
What an awesome life this woman has lived! It was a treat to experience vicariously the "back stories" of her performances and career.
May 1, 2023
Full review here:
https://jamesgenrebooks.blogspot.com/...
There are so many other things I could add here, but honestly, I'll suggest everyone get a copy and read it. There's a reason Lin-Manuel Miranda calls her out as a legend in In The Heights. This was worth every penny I paid too get it at release.
https://jamesgenrebooks.blogspot.com/...
There are so many other things I could add here, but honestly, I'll suggest everyone get a copy and read it. There's a reason Lin-Manuel Miranda calls her out as a legend in In The Heights. This was worth every penny I paid too get it at release.
March 1, 2025
Didn’t like this memoir. Too many things that hit me wrong. Not sincere in her faith. But it is Catholicism, so that is understandable since there are so many contradictions in this belief system. It isn’t Christian anyway. Sorry Catholics, you need real Christianity.
To refer to Jesus as possibly Italian is not funny. He was Jewish. To live a life you choose and to then call on God when you need something is hypocritical. To believe in physics is hypocritical. To believe your dead father is by you is hypocritical. All of these things go against the Word of God.
Chita knew nothing substantial about the truth God has revealed to us. Jesus said “I am the Way The Truth and The Life”. Don’t see how she could have believed that when she didn’t really see anything wrong with living a sinful life. We all sin and can even as Christians lose our fellowship with the Lord. But never our relationship. It isn’t okay to sin and Christians have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit for a lot of reasons.
Catholics, like every other false religion do not. Every religion says do, do, do. Jesus says done. He paid the penalty for our sins and was resurrected from the dead. His body, not His soul and spirit. They never died. All false religions believe works are added to the shed blood of Jesus for one to be saved. Not so!!
I felt this book also was focused on so many of the wrong things. So little was said about the people we know, like Natalie Wood. A brief comment on her in West Side Story, and she was the star. This happened a lot. I found it boring much of the time. Sorry she didn’t come to the knowledge of the truth. It is impossible for Catholicism to offer salvation as a free gift. Their belief in purgatory proves that.
People are so blinded. I hate that is the case, but it is! Other things talked about that goes against God. But it didn’t make a difference to Chita. Her beliefs are known by her now to have been damning. So, so painful to think about her sufferings in the next life. And all those in hell. I’m not judging, I’m agreeing with the God of the Bible. Most do not understand the difference. To change ti Judaism is not the answer. They don’t believe in Jesus, unless they convert to Christianity.
There is one way to be saved. But we have to believe rightly about Jesus. A lot of people do not. CathyR
To refer to Jesus as possibly Italian is not funny. He was Jewish. To live a life you choose and to then call on God when you need something is hypocritical. To believe in physics is hypocritical. To believe your dead father is by you is hypocritical. All of these things go against the Word of God.
Chita knew nothing substantial about the truth God has revealed to us. Jesus said “I am the Way The Truth and The Life”. Don’t see how she could have believed that when she didn’t really see anything wrong with living a sinful life. We all sin and can even as Christians lose our fellowship with the Lord. But never our relationship. It isn’t okay to sin and Christians have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit for a lot of reasons.
Catholics, like every other false religion do not. Every religion says do, do, do. Jesus says done. He paid the penalty for our sins and was resurrected from the dead. His body, not His soul and spirit. They never died. All false religions believe works are added to the shed blood of Jesus for one to be saved. Not so!!
I felt this book also was focused on so many of the wrong things. So little was said about the people we know, like Natalie Wood. A brief comment on her in West Side Story, and she was the star. This happened a lot. I found it boring much of the time. Sorry she didn’t come to the knowledge of the truth. It is impossible for Catholicism to offer salvation as a free gift. Their belief in purgatory proves that.
People are so blinded. I hate that is the case, but it is! Other things talked about that goes against God. But it didn’t make a difference to Chita. Her beliefs are known by her now to have been damning. So, so painful to think about her sufferings in the next life. And all those in hell. I’m not judging, I’m agreeing with the God of the Bible. Most do not understand the difference. To change ti Judaism is not the answer. They don’t believe in Jesus, unless they convert to Christianity.
There is one way to be saved. But we have to believe rightly about Jesus. A lot of people do not. CathyR
May 15, 2023
I ordered this book to read right after seeing an interview with Chita talking about the release of her memoir. I remember seeing her perform as Charity Hope Valentine in the national touring production of Sweet Charity when it was in Chicago in the late 60's and have been a fan of hers since. I was also privileged to have seen her and Gwen Verdon in the original production of Chicago in 1975 on Broadway as well as Merlin and The Kiss of the Spider Woman.
What an amazing person and performer. Hard to believe she is now 90 years old. What an incredible career that includes originating the role of Anita in the original West Side Story and Rose Alvarez in Bye Bye Birdie!
As a long time Broadway aficionado this book was pure heaven to read. Thank you Rita for being who you are!
What an amazing person and performer. Hard to believe she is now 90 years old. What an incredible career that includes originating the role of Anita in the original West Side Story and Rose Alvarez in Bye Bye Birdie!
As a long time Broadway aficionado this book was pure heaven to read. Thank you Rita for being who you are!
April 4, 2023
Thank you to HarperOne and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
Chita Rivera's new memoir provides a glimpse into her family life as well as a peek behind-the-scenes of the Golden Age of musical theatre and beyond. Her experiences give readers the opportunity to hear firsthand about the atmosphere of New York during those formative years. I particularly enjoyed her personal insights from working with choreographers such as Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, and Rob Marshall. I was fortunate enough to see her perform in the revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood that she mentions toward the end of the book, and she commands the stage with such skill and professionalism. I would highly recommend this book for any musical theater professional or anyone else who loves theatre.
Chita Rivera's new memoir provides a glimpse into her family life as well as a peek behind-the-scenes of the Golden Age of musical theatre and beyond. Her experiences give readers the opportunity to hear firsthand about the atmosphere of New York during those formative years. I particularly enjoyed her personal insights from working with choreographers such as Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, and Rob Marshall. I was fortunate enough to see her perform in the revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood that she mentions toward the end of the book, and she commands the stage with such skill and professionalism. I would highly recommend this book for any musical theater professional or anyone else who loves theatre.
May 10, 2023
If you’re a fan of musical theatre, especially from 1950 and beyond, then you will appreciate this autobiography from Chita Rivera. Not only does she speak of her experiences working in so many classic shows, but of her relationships with so many of the iconic composers, choreographers, directors, and other actors of that time period as well. When she speaks of Lenny, Steve, Bobby, and Freddy (as in Bernstein, Sondheim, Fosse, and Ebb) just to mention a few, you realize that her life has spanned a major era in musical theatre and she has been working steadily in it the entire time, starting at age 15. I always enjoy listening autobiographies read by the author, and this one did not disappoint.
May 6, 2023
Wonderful Memior
“Chita: A Memoir” is a wonderful journey through the ups and downs of the life of Chita Rivera, told with honesty and humor. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about her life and the stories behind her roles in both successful and unsuccessful shows. Highly recommended!
“Chita: A Memoir” is a wonderful journey through the ups and downs of the life of Chita Rivera, told with honesty and humor. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about her life and the stories behind her roles in both successful and unsuccessful shows. Highly recommended!
May 6, 2023
So good.
Just enough new info. Just enough backstage story. Just enough dish. Lots of stars. Lots. Honest without being ruthless or hurtful.
It’s a passionate account of a fabulous life in the theater. I’ve seen her many times and her performances never fail to bring me joy.
Congrats to Chita Rivera on this wonderful achievement.
Just enough new info. Just enough backstage story. Just enough dish. Lots of stars. Lots. Honest without being ruthless or hurtful.
It’s a passionate account of a fabulous life in the theater. I’ve seen her many times and her performances never fail to bring me joy.
Congrats to Chita Rivera on this wonderful achievement.
March 4, 2024
I cannot recommend this book enough! What a life, what a legacy, and told with such honesty and humor. The broadway gossip is legendary! She gives you everything, truly.
May 9, 2023
Mixed notices for this very theater-heavy memoir that scrimps on much of her private life and tries to convince us that she's really not the mean, horrible diva that he has the reputation for. But by the end of the book you don't want to cross "Delores," her catting demeaning alter-ego (and her real first name) that often wants to "slap people."
Rivera's main problem is that she is a true diva who holds grudges forever and rehashes so many aspects of her life that you have to roll your eyes when she mentions the same incident or phrase the fifth or sixth time. She certainly thinks she's a big star, an "icon" as she counts herself, yet she humble brags through everything, trying to convince us she's just "one of the boys" and that her cast members adore her by gathering around her dressing room door before each performance. "I've never thought of myself as a great singer," she writes. "My humility actually made me a better singer than I thought I was." Seriously? Did she write that while admiring her Tony Awards for her musical performances?
She should have talked about her lack of experience as an actual actor. She at one point brags about her ability to take on dramatic non-musical roles and mentions a bit of her TV work. But there's nothing in the book to indicate she had any training in acting or how she acquired her abilities in that area. She just wants to talk about her really being a dancer!
The biggest question for her is always why she wasn't in the original West Side Story movie, since she created the role of Anita on Broadway. At first she says she was upset when she heard the news, then part-way through the book she reveals that she actually turned down the movie role when asked to do a screen test while she was off doing another show. Later in the book she repeats (multiple times) her anger at others over not being cast in the film THAT SHE TURNED DOWN THE CHANCE TO BE IN and tries to brush off her very obvious rivalry with Rita Moreno.
This happens again with Bye Bye Birdie, Chicago, and other productions where more famous people took over her original characters. This woman is not nice, and intentionally throws a number of her competitors and co-workers under the bus.
She does get specific about a few of her sexual affairs (including details about her time with Sammy Davis Jr. that includes more negatives about him than she states about herself), but that's the "Delores" side of her. Chita, she claims, is a pure innocent soft-spoken Catholic girl that tries to keep the rules of the faith.
While it's fairly well written, there are a number of factual errors in the book and some of her biased opinions don't reflect reality (especially about the 1980s). One of my favorite mistakes is when she found herself in a motel in Dayton, Ohio "watching the traffic lights outside the window turning from red to yellow to green." Um, that's not how they turn in most of America!
Rivera also spends some time writing about racial discrimination but doesn't really take a solid stand since she was actually treated pretty well. After she reveals that she has some black in her mixed-race ancestry, she unfortunately uses a capital B, which many books are doing today no matter how grammatically incorrect it is. Why lower case for white and upper case for black?
She tries to ride the fence by pulling her punches or wanting to say something more about a topic but doesn't, yet the anger is simmering below the surface. I'm not buying this split personality of Delores vs Chita. It seems like a gimmick to make excuses for her doing all sorts of naughty and nasty things. Does she deserve respect for her work? Yes. But none of those that she talked down to or chewed out deserve to be treated that way, especially by a woman who is doing it out of bitterness.
A repeated phrase in her memoir is "women solve problems." That is her view of the world because her dad died young and her mother ran a big family, but it's not something that others would agree with. She treats men as objects (especially longing for the handsome Italian types) but assumes they are mostly to be manipulated. Yet the evidence shows that most of her career belongs to men who solved problems that were often created by her!
Much of this made me wonder what we're in for when Barbra Streisand releases her book later in the year. Chita has that treat-me-like-a-queen vibe pulsing in her blood but is not anywhere near the success stories across media that she wants to be. While there are some good stories here and parts of it are worth reading, the star of this show should have been made the title of the book--Delores.
Rivera's main problem is that she is a true diva who holds grudges forever and rehashes so many aspects of her life that you have to roll your eyes when she mentions the same incident or phrase the fifth or sixth time. She certainly thinks she's a big star, an "icon" as she counts herself, yet she humble brags through everything, trying to convince us she's just "one of the boys" and that her cast members adore her by gathering around her dressing room door before each performance. "I've never thought of myself as a great singer," she writes. "My humility actually made me a better singer than I thought I was." Seriously? Did she write that while admiring her Tony Awards for her musical performances?
She should have talked about her lack of experience as an actual actor. She at one point brags about her ability to take on dramatic non-musical roles and mentions a bit of her TV work. But there's nothing in the book to indicate she had any training in acting or how she acquired her abilities in that area. She just wants to talk about her really being a dancer!
The biggest question for her is always why she wasn't in the original West Side Story movie, since she created the role of Anita on Broadway. At first she says she was upset when she heard the news, then part-way through the book she reveals that she actually turned down the movie role when asked to do a screen test while she was off doing another show. Later in the book she repeats (multiple times) her anger at others over not being cast in the film THAT SHE TURNED DOWN THE CHANCE TO BE IN and tries to brush off her very obvious rivalry with Rita Moreno.
This happens again with Bye Bye Birdie, Chicago, and other productions where more famous people took over her original characters. This woman is not nice, and intentionally throws a number of her competitors and co-workers under the bus.
She does get specific about a few of her sexual affairs (including details about her time with Sammy Davis Jr. that includes more negatives about him than she states about herself), but that's the "Delores" side of her. Chita, she claims, is a pure innocent soft-spoken Catholic girl that tries to keep the rules of the faith.
While it's fairly well written, there are a number of factual errors in the book and some of her biased opinions don't reflect reality (especially about the 1980s). One of my favorite mistakes is when she found herself in a motel in Dayton, Ohio "watching the traffic lights outside the window turning from red to yellow to green." Um, that's not how they turn in most of America!
Rivera also spends some time writing about racial discrimination but doesn't really take a solid stand since she was actually treated pretty well. After she reveals that she has some black in her mixed-race ancestry, she unfortunately uses a capital B, which many books are doing today no matter how grammatically incorrect it is. Why lower case for white and upper case for black?
She tries to ride the fence by pulling her punches or wanting to say something more about a topic but doesn't, yet the anger is simmering below the surface. I'm not buying this split personality of Delores vs Chita. It seems like a gimmick to make excuses for her doing all sorts of naughty and nasty things. Does she deserve respect for her work? Yes. But none of those that she talked down to or chewed out deserve to be treated that way, especially by a woman who is doing it out of bitterness.
A repeated phrase in her memoir is "women solve problems." That is her view of the world because her dad died young and her mother ran a big family, but it's not something that others would agree with. She treats men as objects (especially longing for the handsome Italian types) but assumes they are mostly to be manipulated. Yet the evidence shows that most of her career belongs to men who solved problems that were often created by her!
Much of this made me wonder what we're in for when Barbra Streisand releases her book later in the year. Chita has that treat-me-like-a-queen vibe pulsing in her blood but is not anywhere near the success stories across media that she wants to be. While there are some good stories here and parts of it are worth reading, the star of this show should have been made the title of the book--Delores.
November 16, 2023
Years ago, there was an advertisement for fur, “What Becomes a Legend Most?” For Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Anderson, best known as Chita Rivera, this razzle-dazzle memoir/autobiography is far more becoming than all the high-end luxury goodies that money can buy. Hardworking, full of energy and talent, she cut a big wide swath in the entertainment world: predominantly live theater, but also movies and television. There are a few basic facts about her theatrical career and contributions that need to be acknowledged. In the following musicals Chita was the original star who created the singing, dancing and acting personas for: Anita in West Side Story; Velma Kelly in Chicago; Spider Woman in Kiss of the Spider Woman; Rose Alvarez in Bye Bye Birdie; and she created her own one-woman shows.
She regales us with her early life and that of her family and the ethnic mix of her family's background. Looking back at her young rambunctious childhood, Chita realizes that she always had a strong personality and artistic side. Her professional life was performing during live theater's golden days, its slumps and its resurgence. We get to know how a production grows, evolves, often overcoming the negative critical reviews and the naysayers among producers, directors, and others. In recounting how a live production grows, she brings us up close to how, in different ways, directors, clothing, scenic and lighting designers help a performer develop and flesh out their character.
There are also her candid stories about many well-known people, including her love affairs with several, but she does it with class and a lot of heart. And, Chita has a great big heart and just as much compassion, plus personal experience and knowledge about showbiz which enabled her to understand what it was like for Liza Minelli to be the daughter of Judy Garland. Two performers, who happened to be mother and daughter, with lots of talent and lots of psychological baggage. Bob Fosse was another multi-talented, multi-troubled dancer, choreographer and director who Chita worked with, and pays homage to. It took a while for Chita to have a great big heart for herself, to connect and recognize her own talent and let it burst through on the stage.
As the years went by, she had a coterie of friends and supporters who were in the business, upon whom she could depend, and they could depend on her, and it was a who’s who of creative people (Gwen Verdon, Fred Webb, John Kander, Leonard Bernstein, Sammy Davis Jr., Bea Arthur, and …). It takes a remarkable personality to withstand the slings, arrows and accolades that get thrown at performers.
Her marvelous sense of humor shines through in her awareness of who she was and who she could be. There are many one-line zingers that she leveled at the unprepared person who said something preposterous or discriminatory. In describing past incidents she will write what Dolores, her alter ego, was thinking and might have said. Usually, it is Chita, the more temperate one, who speaks up. Both parts of her personality, Dolores and Chita often mentally duke it out about ethics and religion because both of them are Roman Catholic. But when Dolores lets loose, watch out! Chita is proud of the ethnic mix of her family, especially her Puerto Rican roots and culture. Chita recognizes discrimination--unequal and unfair treatment based on race, religion, gender, ethnicity.
In her performances Chita Rivera has thrilled and delighted thousands of people, and she has equaled that in this joyful memoir.
Reviewed by Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & Fiction
She regales us with her early life and that of her family and the ethnic mix of her family's background. Looking back at her young rambunctious childhood, Chita realizes that she always had a strong personality and artistic side. Her professional life was performing during live theater's golden days, its slumps and its resurgence. We get to know how a production grows, evolves, often overcoming the negative critical reviews and the naysayers among producers, directors, and others. In recounting how a live production grows, she brings us up close to how, in different ways, directors, clothing, scenic and lighting designers help a performer develop and flesh out their character.
There are also her candid stories about many well-known people, including her love affairs with several, but she does it with class and a lot of heart. And, Chita has a great big heart and just as much compassion, plus personal experience and knowledge about showbiz which enabled her to understand what it was like for Liza Minelli to be the daughter of Judy Garland. Two performers, who happened to be mother and daughter, with lots of talent and lots of psychological baggage. Bob Fosse was another multi-talented, multi-troubled dancer, choreographer and director who Chita worked with, and pays homage to. It took a while for Chita to have a great big heart for herself, to connect and recognize her own talent and let it burst through on the stage.
As the years went by, she had a coterie of friends and supporters who were in the business, upon whom she could depend, and they could depend on her, and it was a who’s who of creative people (Gwen Verdon, Fred Webb, John Kander, Leonard Bernstein, Sammy Davis Jr., Bea Arthur, and …). It takes a remarkable personality to withstand the slings, arrows and accolades that get thrown at performers.
Her marvelous sense of humor shines through in her awareness of who she was and who she could be. There are many one-line zingers that she leveled at the unprepared person who said something preposterous or discriminatory. In describing past incidents she will write what Dolores, her alter ego, was thinking and might have said. Usually, it is Chita, the more temperate one, who speaks up. Both parts of her personality, Dolores and Chita often mentally duke it out about ethics and religion because both of them are Roman Catholic. But when Dolores lets loose, watch out! Chita is proud of the ethnic mix of her family, especially her Puerto Rican roots and culture. Chita recognizes discrimination--unequal and unfair treatment based on race, religion, gender, ethnicity.
In her performances Chita Rivera has thrilled and delighted thousands of people, and she has equaled that in this joyful memoir.
Reviewed by Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & Fiction
March 26, 2024
"I wasn't crazy about ['Spanish Rose'], which satirized Mae's racism. It's what minorities have to put up with all the time, this sense that we aren't as "American" as whites. Asian Americans are forever being asked "Where are you really from?" even though their family might be five or six generations in this country." - page 128
"I didn't know it then, but what I was doing was getting control of the stereotype--what minorities have had to do in show business throughout history." - page 129
""Consonants think, Chita, vowels feel."" - page 151
"But the wig? I hated it. It had this white streak running right up the middle. I begged for a replacement.
"But Chita, I want Nickie to be cheap," [Fosse] told me.
"Yeah, but do I have to look it?" I pleaded. "Can't I just act cheap?"
Bobby remained adamant, and my hair looks part skunk in the [Sweet Charity] film." - page 155
"Fred Ebb was one of the funniest guys I'd ever met. But like most people blessed with wit, his humor hid a dark and depressive side." - page 165
"Like most great directors, he was not afraid of silence, confident that the stage presence of the actor or dancer could fill the void. Let the audience come to you, was [Fosse's] mantra. Don't even try to meet them halfway." - page 188
"I have to admit that I wasn't too crazy about the [Chicago] revival when it first opened. When I was asked about it, I always politely said, "It's not the block I lived on." I didn't want to be insulting....I just didn't think that it came anywhere close to the radiance of the original version. I have to admit that some wonderful stuff was still intact--the songs, and Bobby and Freddy's script. But it was if they'd forgotten the nail polish, eyelashes, and lipstick by eliminating the contributions of Tony Walton and Patricia Zipprodt. The fabulousness was gone." - page ?
"I was touched that Rob [Marshall] also incited me to make a cameo appearance in the [Chicago] film as one of the inmates, although I think I looked like Cher in drag." - page 194
"Looking back, I wonder if part of the problem was that Liza had become a star so young. She didn't have a chance to come up through the chorus. That's ket for absorbing the discipline and responsibilities of a performer tot he creators of a show, to peers, and to the audience. When you are part of an ensemble, you learn to have each other's back...As a member of a company, you're never alone and that can be a tremendous comfort when feelings of loneliness threaten to crush the spirit. Theatre can be a gateway drug, too." - page ?
"I didn't know it then, but what I was doing was getting control of the stereotype--what minorities have had to do in show business throughout history." - page 129
""Consonants think, Chita, vowels feel."" - page 151
"But the wig? I hated it. It had this white streak running right up the middle. I begged for a replacement.
"But Chita, I want Nickie to be cheap," [Fosse] told me.
"Yeah, but do I have to look it?" I pleaded. "Can't I just act cheap?"
Bobby remained adamant, and my hair looks part skunk in the [Sweet Charity] film." - page 155
"Fred Ebb was one of the funniest guys I'd ever met. But like most people blessed with wit, his humor hid a dark and depressive side." - page 165
"Like most great directors, he was not afraid of silence, confident that the stage presence of the actor or dancer could fill the void. Let the audience come to you, was [Fosse's] mantra. Don't even try to meet them halfway." - page 188
"I have to admit that I wasn't too crazy about the [Chicago] revival when it first opened. When I was asked about it, I always politely said, "It's not the block I lived on." I didn't want to be insulting....I just didn't think that it came anywhere close to the radiance of the original version. I have to admit that some wonderful stuff was still intact--the songs, and Bobby and Freddy's script. But it was if they'd forgotten the nail polish, eyelashes, and lipstick by eliminating the contributions of Tony Walton and Patricia Zipprodt. The fabulousness was gone." - page ?
"I was touched that Rob [Marshall] also incited me to make a cameo appearance in the [Chicago] film as one of the inmates, although I think I looked like Cher in drag." - page 194
"Looking back, I wonder if part of the problem was that Liza had become a star so young. She didn't have a chance to come up through the chorus. That's ket for absorbing the discipline and responsibilities of a performer tot he creators of a show, to peers, and to the audience. When you are part of an ensemble, you learn to have each other's back...As a member of a company, you're never alone and that can be a tremendous comfort when feelings of loneliness threaten to crush the spirit. Theatre can be a gateway drug, too." - page ?
Read
May 5, 2023I've always been interested in Chita Rivera's career. She is a Broadway legend and the woman has lived a life (ninety years old!). While Chita does not hold back (well she does but her alter ego Dolores doesn't), she is straightforward in a way that doesn't make you uncomfortable, unlike some other theatre memoirs I could mention (*cough*Shy*cough*). Definitely a nice addition to my memoir shelf.
RMCWR:
She does not agree with the film's decision to add the Shark men to "America" in West Side Story.
She turned down an offer to screen test for the film role of Anita with zero hesitation.
Bye Bye Birdie--the first rock'n'roll musical to hit Broadway? Not Hair? (She refers to that as a tribal-rock musical.)
It's too long to quote but I love what she says on p.130 regarding others playing roles she created.
FINALLY a definition of what a Teddy Boy is. I have been wondering since the first time I read Circle of Friends. (Though it might be different in Ireland.) In England at least Teddy Boys are gangs and reviews of West Side made comparisons between the Teds and the Sharks and the Jets.
Really appreciate her thoughts on the theatrical use of the word "gypsy".
Seems she is the only woman Fosse didn't try to sleep with...which disappoints her a little...
Well, since she said it first...I agree that in her cameo of the Chicago film she looks like Cher in drag.
"Some shows are star-kissed and others are snake-bitten."
I love that she refers to her daughter as the only living Shark-Jet. And I didn't realize she had also been nominated for a Tony.
I will never stop being jealous that my cousin got to see her (and Antonio Banderas) on Broadway in Nine.
"I don't do misery very well."
It literally takes four pages in the back of the book to list all of the major awards she has won.
She thanks librarians in her acknowledgements!
RMCWR:
She does not agree with the film's decision to add the Shark men to "America" in West Side Story.
She turned down an offer to screen test for the film role of Anita with zero hesitation.
Bye Bye Birdie--the first rock'n'roll musical to hit Broadway? Not Hair? (She refers to that as a tribal-rock musical.)
It's too long to quote but I love what she says on p.130 regarding others playing roles she created.
FINALLY a definition of what a Teddy Boy is. I have been wondering since the first time I read Circle of Friends. (Though it might be different in Ireland.) In England at least Teddy Boys are gangs and reviews of West Side made comparisons between the Teds and the Sharks and the Jets.
Really appreciate her thoughts on the theatrical use of the word "gypsy".
Seems she is the only woman Fosse didn't try to sleep with...which disappoints her a little...
Well, since she said it first...I agree that in her cameo of the Chicago film she looks like Cher in drag.
"Some shows are star-kissed and others are snake-bitten."
I love that she refers to her daughter as the only living Shark-Jet. And I didn't realize she had also been nominated for a Tony.
I will never stop being jealous that my cousin got to see her (and Antonio Banderas) on Broadway in Nine.
"I don't do misery very well."
It literally takes four pages in the back of the book to list all of the major awards she has won.
She thanks librarians in her acknowledgements!
June 1, 2025
I have to accept the fact that autobiographies aren't my thing. Especially when they don't follow chronologically. They are often loaded with name-dropping, false humility, and a reluctance to call somebody an asshole directly, so there's a lot of tip-toeing around it until it's clear that the person is an asshole.
In her defense, Chita Rivera had an amazing career; (much more varied than I realized.) At one point, she says that people don't immediately think of her as a Broadway diva. (This is where we're supposed to shout, "Yes, we do! We love you, Chita!") But the reality is Chita Rivera doesn't initially come to mind when rattling off Merman, Lansbury, Lupone, Minelli, MacDonald... For me, Chita was the Jack Nicholson of Broadway. You knew EXACTLY what you were in for with every performance.
I'm sure there are many who are aghast that I would feel this way. Que sera.
This book could be truncated into a list.
1. I know (or have worked with) everybody and I will name them...
2. I am very easy to get along with (except when may alter-ego Dolores gets her dander up.)
3. I have slept with everyone (but I'm a good Catholic girl.)
4. My casts all love me.
5. I'm very humble; (did I tell you about the Tonys I've won?)
6. Part of my allure is that I've outlived everyone.
7. I'm the most loyal person you'll ever meet (until I share your secrets in my book.)
You get the picture. To be honest, there were some fun spots and some stories that made me a little weepy. But it was all too much. A little goes a long way.
In her defense, Chita Rivera had an amazing career; (much more varied than I realized.) At one point, she says that people don't immediately think of her as a Broadway diva. (This is where we're supposed to shout, "Yes, we do! We love you, Chita!") But the reality is Chita Rivera doesn't initially come to mind when rattling off Merman, Lansbury, Lupone, Minelli, MacDonald... For me, Chita was the Jack Nicholson of Broadway. You knew EXACTLY what you were in for with every performance.
I'm sure there are many who are aghast that I would feel this way. Que sera.
This book could be truncated into a list.
1. I know (or have worked with) everybody and I will name them...
2. I am very easy to get along with (except when may alter-ego Dolores gets her dander up.)
3. I have slept with everyone (but I'm a good Catholic girl.)
4. My casts all love me.
5. I'm very humble; (did I tell you about the Tonys I've won?)
6. Part of my allure is that I've outlived everyone.
7. I'm the most loyal person you'll ever meet (until I share your secrets in my book.)
You get the picture. To be honest, there were some fun spots and some stories that made me a little weepy. But it was all too much. A little goes a long way.
May 21, 2023
An interesting life. This biography has enough insider info to satisfy Broadway fans yet is easily accessible to those less familiar with the business. She writes only lovingly of past loves, which is classy. She starts the book with West Side Story and perhaps her most iconic role, Anita, and then goes back to the beginning and pretty much follows chronologically. She spends the most time on shows most people associate with her, such as Chicago and Bye, Bye Birdie. For some reason, I forgot I saw her in Nine with Antonio Banderas.
I appreciate Rivera's philosophy of theatre, especially as she began when the tradition was 6-12 months on Broadway then 12 months touring the country. (When was the last time you saw a star in your hometown in the role that made them famous?) "I didn't - and still don't - differentiate between Broadway and the road... audiences are audiences. They come into the theater, whether in New York City or Keokuk, Iowa, with the same hopes and expectations: to be entertained, and to tell the performers, as someone once said, 'Move me, astonish me, break my heart.'"
Rivera also has this advice for performers, but I think it applies to anyone starting out in any profession: You never know who may be out there in the audience. The more you get around, the more chances you might have to be noticed. You almost always have feelings of not being enough. What takes the edge off is being accepted by those whom you admire. Be willing to be foolish.
I appreciate Rivera's philosophy of theatre, especially as she began when the tradition was 6-12 months on Broadway then 12 months touring the country. (When was the last time you saw a star in your hometown in the role that made them famous?) "I didn't - and still don't - differentiate between Broadway and the road... audiences are audiences. They come into the theater, whether in New York City or Keokuk, Iowa, with the same hopes and expectations: to be entertained, and to tell the performers, as someone once said, 'Move me, astonish me, break my heart.'"
Rivera also has this advice for performers, but I think it applies to anyone starting out in any profession: You never know who may be out there in the audience. The more you get around, the more chances you might have to be noticed. You almost always have feelings of not being enough. What takes the edge off is being accepted by those whom you admire. Be willing to be foolish.
February 17, 2024
Anita in WEST SIDE STORY; Rose in BYE,BYE BIRDIE; Velma Kelly in CHICAGO; Anna in THE RINK, (not a huge hit, but a musical I absolutely love); Aurora in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN;: all of these roles have one thing in common: they were originated by the iconic Chita Rivera.
Anyone who knows me is well aware that I have had a lifelong love affair with the Broadway musical. So it's no big surprise that I absolutely loved this treasure of an autobiography. Although I am quite familiar with the scores to almost all of the musicals in which she has appeared, I knew surprisingly little about the woman herself. So hearing about her life was a wonderful discovery. My favorite portions of the book were those that dealt with her work, and the theater legens surrounding it, but I was also happy to discover Dolores (Chita) herself: kind, compassionate, fiery, not ashamed to discuss her catholicism, driven, honest, and just plain terrific.
You probably know that Chita Rivera left this world on January 30 at 91. I'm so happy that the last gift she gave us was this wonderful book and it was a thrill to hear her read it.
Anyone who knows me is well aware that I have had a lifelong love affair with the Broadway musical. So it's no big surprise that I absolutely loved this treasure of an autobiography. Although I am quite familiar with the scores to almost all of the musicals in which she has appeared, I knew surprisingly little about the woman herself. So hearing about her life was a wonderful discovery. My favorite portions of the book were those that dealt with her work, and the theater legens surrounding it, but I was also happy to discover Dolores (Chita) herself: kind, compassionate, fiery, not ashamed to discuss her catholicism, driven, honest, and just plain terrific.
You probably know that Chita Rivera left this world on January 30 at 91. I'm so happy that the last gift she gave us was this wonderful book and it was a thrill to hear her read it.
May 8, 2023
Chita Rivera catapulted to fame playing Anita in the 1957 musical “West Side Story” on Broadway.
But please don’t confuse the 90-year-old diva with the actress Rita Moreno, who played the same role in the 1961 film.
When people tell her that they loved her in the movie, “I straighten them out,” Rivera writes in her new memoir, “Chita” (HarperOne).
“Then [I] politely say, ‘I was the original Anita.’”
Still, she admits she felt a “pang of resentment” when she saw Moreno on screen in a replica of the ruffled purple frock that Rivera made famous.
“How dare she?” Rivera seethed. “That is my dress!”
Kissing her “cute” co-star Dick Van Dyke on stage every night in the Broadway smash “Bye Bye Birdie” helped lessen the pain.
“Those sorts of things can be a perk of acting,” she writes.
“But you can’t get carried away.”
Read the rest of my review at the NY Post! (This book was wildly entertaining and did not scrimp on the delicious details and gossip!) https://nypost.com/2023/04/29/chita-r...
But please don’t confuse the 90-year-old diva with the actress Rita Moreno, who played the same role in the 1961 film.
When people tell her that they loved her in the movie, “I straighten them out,” Rivera writes in her new memoir, “Chita” (HarperOne).
“Then [I] politely say, ‘I was the original Anita.’”
Still, she admits she felt a “pang of resentment” when she saw Moreno on screen in a replica of the ruffled purple frock that Rivera made famous.
“How dare she?” Rivera seethed. “That is my dress!”
Kissing her “cute” co-star Dick Van Dyke on stage every night in the Broadway smash “Bye Bye Birdie” helped lessen the pain.
“Those sorts of things can be a perk of acting,” she writes.
“But you can’t get carried away.”
Read the rest of my review at the NY Post! (This book was wildly entertaining and did not scrimp on the delicious details and gossip!) https://nypost.com/2023/04/29/chita-r...
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