Atlanta Lyric Theatre Presents Presents Chita Rivera in 'My Broadway', 5/7

Presented by Atlanta Lyric Theatre, on Friday, May 7th, Chita Rivera will perform for one night only at the Earl Smith Strand Theatre in Marietta in honor of Atlanta Lyric Theatre's 30th anniversary year fundraising celebration. Featuring a medley of songs highlighting her legendary Broadway career, this performance continues Rivera's tour of her self-titled concert, Chita Rivera: My Broadway. 

Rivera will be accompanied by a group of Broadway's finest musicians led by musical director Michael Croiter and will perform selections from her most celebrated musicals, including numbers from West Side Story ("America"), Sweet Charity ("Where Am I Going?" and "Big Spender"), Chicago ("All That Jazz" and "Nowadays"), Kiss of the Spider Woman, Bye Bye, Birdie and The Rink, and featuring the music of Leonard Bernstein, John Kander & Fred Ebb, Charles Strouse, Stephen Sondheim and Cy Coleman among others.

As a two-time Tony winner (both for Best Leading Actress in Kiss of the Spider Woman and The Rink), Chita Rivera is revered as one of Broadway's most accomplished stars. Rivera started her career as a ballerina but soon fell in love with the Broadway stage after landing a principal dancing role in Call Me Madam. Following her Broadway debut, Rivera appeared in numerous other shows including classics such as Guys and Dolls, Can-Can and Mr. Wonderful. However, it was after her portrayal of Anita in the Broadway premiere of West Side Story that Rivera cemented her place in Broadway history. Rivera reprised her famed role as Anita in the London production of West Side Story as well. Other starring roles include Bye Bye Birdie, Sweet Charity, The Rose Tattoo, Threepenny Opera, and Kiss Me Kate. More recently she starred in the revival of the Broadway musical Nine with actor Antonio Banderas. Her honors off the stage include receiving the The Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama on August 12, 2009 and becoming the first Hispanic to be awarded the coveted Kennedy Center Honor in Washington, DC in December, 2002.

Atlanta Lyric Theatre is offering a variety of ticket packages for this special event. Show-only tickets range from $50-$75; however, for $125 ticket holders will receive premium show seating and access to an after-event champagne toast. A VIP package, priced at $250, provides show goers with pre-show cocktails, heavy hors d'oeuvres, preferred seating and access to the after-event including a photo opportunity with Chita. Tickets are on sale now! For tickets to this celebratory event that will be held at the Earl Strand Theatre at 117 North Park Square, Marietta, Georgia, call 404-377-9948 or visit www.atlantalyrictheatre.com.

About Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Atlanta Lyric Theatre was formed in 1980 by Tedi and Robert Langdon and Sally Knap as the Southeastern Savoyards, a repertory theatre company dedicated to presenting the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. The company's first production, Gilbert & Sullivan's The Mikado, was performed at Emory University in December 1980. Later, the company's productions were moved to the Marist School, the 14th Street Playhouse, Center Stage Theater, and then to the Robert Ferst Center for the Arts on the campus of Georgia Tech. In 2009, the Atlanta Lyric Theatre moved their performances to The Strand Theatre, a noted landmark on the historic Marietta Square in Cobb County. The Strand Theatre began as a motion picture house in 1935. The Strand provided movie entertainment to thousands until it closed its doors as a movie house in 1976. After sitting dark for over 30 years, the 1935 Art Deco theatre was renovated and reopened in 2009 with the Atlanta Lyric Theatre's production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. More information about the theater company can be found at www.atlantalyrictheatre.com.

About Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera is an accomplished and versatile actress, singer and dancer who has won two Tony Awards as Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Rink) and received seven additional Tony nominations. Chita has performed her critically-acclaimed concert dates around the world in such cities as New York, London, Monte Carlo, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Toronto, Amsterdam, San Francisco, Cannes, Chicago and San Juan among many others. On October 13, 2009, Chita released a new solo studio CD entitled AND NOW I SWING (Yellow Sound label), which pays homage to her stage legacy while also displaying her passion for jazz. From classic theater songs to jazz standards, all tracks featured on this new album have received new arrangements recorded by New York's finest musicians, reimagining some of Chita's favorite tunes. She recently starred in the Broadway and touring productions of The Dancer's Life, a dazzling new musical celebrating her spectacular career, written by Terence McNally and directed by Graciela Daniele. Last year she recreated her starring role in The Visit, the new Kander/Ebb/McNally musical at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA (originally done at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago in 2001) for which she received the 2009 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress. Chita received The Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama on August 12, 2009 and also received the coveted Kennedy Center Honor in Washington, DC in December, 2002, and was the first Hispanic ever chosen to receive this award. She also starred in 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, Chicago, Jerry's Girls and (original Broadway casts) 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.

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