Chita: A Memoir
About this eBook
“This deserves a standing ovation.”—Publishers Weekly
The wildly entertaining memoir of the legendary Chita Rivera—multi–Tony Award winner, Kennedy Center 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 and influential in creating some of Broadway’s most iconic roles, including Anita in West Side Story‚ Rosie in Bye Bye Birdie, Velma in Chicago, Aurora in Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Claire in The Visit.
Written in gratitude to her fans and with the hope that new generations may learn from her experience, Chita takes us backstage to reveal the highs and lows of one extraordinary show business career—the creative fermentation, the ego clashes, the miraculous discoveries. Chita invites us into the room with some of the greatest talents of the age, including Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim, John Kander, Fred Ebb, Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, Hal Prince, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Sammy Davis Jr., Gwen Verdon, Shirley MacLaine, and more.
This colorful memoir is the unforgettable story of a performer who blazed her own trail and inspired countless performers to forge their own paths to success.
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About the author
Chita Rivera (1933–2024) was one of Broadway’s most accomplished and versatile performers. Among her celebrated stage credits are West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie, Chicago, The Rink, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and The Visit. Patrick Pacheco is an Emmy Award-winning television commentator and arts journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, and other publications. Formerly with Ny1 On Stage, he now hosts the interview program Theater, All the Moving Parts on CUNY-TV. He has written for film, television, and the stage both in the United States and abroad, and is the author and editor of the bestselling American Theater Wing, An Oral History: 100 Years, 100 Voices, 100 Million Miracles. He lives in New York City.
