Based on the satirical play by Friedrich Durrenmatt as adapted by Maurice Valency, The Visit is about greed, love, and one woman's carefully plotted revenge. The oft-widowed Claire Zachanassian (Chita Rivera), richest woman in the world, returns to the hardship-stricken town of her birth. The locals pray that her wealth will bring them a new lease on life, but her arrival carries a dreadful price. Tony Award winner Roger Rees co-stars as Anton Schell, the man who scorned Claire years ago. Sardonic and morally complex, The Visit asks "What can your heart afford?"
The excellent Roger Rees gives a nuanced, moving performance as the older Anton, and John Riddle embodies masculine grace playing him as a young man. But as Riddle and Veintimilla watch and shadow the more mature stars -- dancing and sometimes singing -- the mood becomes one of melancholy longing, bordering on melodrama. This seems at odds with the Brechtian vibe established by the severe-looking townsfolk surrounding them...In 100 minutes, Doyle thoughtfully touches on a range of subjects: mortality, bigotry, greed, revenge, regret...Ultimately, the show's most valuable asset is Rivera. Walking with a cane, the 82-year-old powerhouse expertly conveys her character's fragility and acerbic wit. Yet even while playing a woman who has been broken by bitterness, Rivera can't help but be a transcendent force. Her presence alone makes The Visit worth the trip.
It's Chita Rivera's world: We just live in it. This works out very well for the Kander and Ebb musical 'The Visit,' in which the charismatic star plays a billionairess who buys her hometown...It being by John Kander and the late Fred Ebb...delights in uncovering greed, hypocrisy and the perversion of justice. Admittedly, this isn't their strongest score...The ensemble is impeccable, save for Rees, who looked visibly uncomfortable at a recent performance and whose singing is serviceable at best. But 'The Visit' is Claire, and Rivera...'I'm unkillable,' Claire says. And you may find yourself wishing Rivera could also go on forever.
1999 | New York |
Reading New York |
2001 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production [Cancelled] Broadway |
2001 | Chicago (Regional) |
World Premiere Chicago (Regional) |
2004 | Off-Broadway |
Original Off-Broadway Production [Cancelled] Off-Broadway |
2007 | Arlington, VA (Regional) |
Signature Theatre Production Arlington, VA (Regional) |
2008 | Arlington, VA (Regional) |
Kander & Ebb Celebration Production Arlington, VA (Regional) |
2014 | Williamstown, MA (Regional) |
Williamstown Theatre Festival Production Williamstown, MA (Regional) |
2015 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Chita Rivera |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Terence McNally |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | John Doyle |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lyrics | Fred Ebb |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music | John Kander |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Musical | The Visit |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Set Design | Scott Pask |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Chita Rivera |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Roger Rees |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | The Visit |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Chita Rivera |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | The Visit |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design | Japhy Weideman |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | The Visit |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Terrence McNally |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Japhy Weideman |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Carlos Arana |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Bruno Wang Productions |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Taylor Cleghorn |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Sandi Moran |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Mark Lee |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Ed Filipowski |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Blodgett Calvin Family |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Gabrielle Palitz |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Weatherby & Fishman LLC |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Marguerite Hoffman |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Jeremy Youett |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Terry Loftis |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Veenerick & Katherine Vos Van Liempt |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | 42nd club |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Silva Theatrical |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Williamstown Theatre Festival |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | The Shubert Organization |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Kate Cannova |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Peter Stern |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | The Visit |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Tom Kirdahy |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Edgar Bronfman, Jr. |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Tom Smedes |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Hugh Hayes |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Ted Snowdon |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Judith Ann Abrams |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Rich Affannato |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Hunter Arnold |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Carl Daikeler |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Ken Davenport |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Bharat Mitra |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Bhavani Lev |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Peter May |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Fred Ebb |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | John Kander |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Chita Rivera |
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