Chita Rivera to Celebrate 65-Year Career in Brooklyn This Month

On Stage at Kingsborough, a leading performing arts presenter located at Brooklyn's Kingsborough Community College presents its 2016-2017 season, featuring world class artists from around the globe.

On Stage at Kingsborough brings internationally renowned performing artists to Southern Brooklyn with an eclectic roster spanning multiple genres including music, dance, theatre and family programming. The full season runs through May 20, 2017.

On Saturday, November 19th at 8:00pm come celebrate the one and only Chita Rivera in a unique solo concert event.

The two-time Tony winner will recreate signature moments from her legendary 65-year career with numbers from West Side Story, Sweet Charity, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Bye, Bye, Birdie, and The Rink. In addition, she will perform a special tribute to her dear friends John Kander and Fred Ebb, alongside of the timeless music of Leonard Bernstein, Charles Strouse, Jerry Herman, and Stephen Sondheim, accompanied by her long-time trio.

A theatrical icon and one of Broadway's greatest triple-threat talents, Chita Rivera has won two Tony Awards as Best Leading Actress in a Musical and received eight additional Tony nominations for an exceptional 10 Tony Award nominations. She recently starred in The Visit, the final John Kander/Fred Ebb/Terrence McNally musical directed by John Doyle and choreographed by Graciela Daniele on Broadway (2015) following the acclaimed production at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in the summer of 2014.

She starred in the Broadway revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, the Broadway and touring productions of The Dancer's Life, a dazzling new musical celebrating her spectacular career, written by Terrence McNally and directed by Graciela Daniele and the revival of the Broadway musical Nine with Antonio Banderas.

She trained as a ballerina (from age 11) before receiving a scholarship to the American School of Ballet from legendary George Balanchine. Chita's first appearance (age 17) was as a principal dancer in Call Me Madam. Her electric performance as Anita in the Broadway premiere of West Side Story (1957) brought her stardom, which she repeated in London.

Her career is highlighted by starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, The Rink (Tony Award), Chicago, Jerry's Girls, Kiss of the Spider Woman (Tony Award), and the original Broadway casts of Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Seventh Heaven and Mr. Wonderful. On tour: Born Yesterday, The Rose Tattoo, Call Me Madam, Threepenny Opera, Sweet Charity, Kiss Me Kate, Zorba, Can-Can with The Rockettes.

Chita was awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in August, 2009. She received the coveted Kennedy Center Honor in Washington, DC in December, 2002 and became the first Hispanic woman ever chosen to receive this award. In In 2015, Great Performances aired their special Chita Rivera: A Lot of Livin' To Do, a retrospective of her extraordinary life and career nationally on PBS. Chita's current solo CD is entitled And Now I Swing.

IF YOU GO:

November 19, 2016

8:00 PM

Chita Rivera: A Legendary Celebration

Music - Cabaret

Tickets: $$35 - $40

Media Sponsor: El Diario

To purchase tickets click here

"On Stage at Kingsborough is bringing high caliber performances to the southernmost tip of Brooklyn. We are a destination for all New Yorkers passionate about the arts, while additionally providing local residents with access to great programs in their backyard. This season's lineup features artists from around the globe who are masters of their form. From Russian ballet to Broadway stars and the best in American jazz, cabaret, theatre and more, there is something to suit all tastes," said Anna Becker, Executive Director of On Stage at Kingsborough.

On Stage at Kingsborough (OSK) brings artistically and culturally diverse, multi-disciplinary performances from masters of the form to the varied communities within and surrounding Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn. We strive to create an environment where the arts are an accessible and integral part of life, and the Arts Center is a community gathering place for interaction and inspiration. We present world-class dance, cabaret, theatre, music, and family performances in the Leon M. Goldstein Performing Arts Center and Kingsborough Community College's Lighthouse from September to May, and our Hot Summer Nights! free outdoor concert series at Kingsborough Community College's bandshell every July. Our school-time shows welcome classes from local public and private schools, a majority of which serves economically-disadvantaged or special needs populations. The 2016-2017 season reflects our commitment to present world-class artists in exclusive Brooklyn engagements.