Chita Rivera brings her intimate cabaret act “Chita: A Legendary Celebration” to Club Helsinki

HUDSON — Dancer and Broadway musical star Chita Rivera brings her intimate cabaret act “Chita: A Legendary Celebration” to Club Helsinki Hudson for two shows on Saturday, November 16, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Rivera will be accompanied by her long-time trio and special guest singer/dancer/choreographer Lisa Mordente, who also happens to be Chita’s daughter.

Fresh off a weeklong residency at Feinstein’s/54 Below in Manhattan, the Tony Award-winner will recreate signature moments from her legendary career, including numbers from “West Side Story”; “Sweet Charity”; “Chicago”; “Kiss of the Spider Woman”; “Bye, Bye, Birdie”; “The Rink” and “The Visit.” The program will also include a tribute to Kander & Ebb and songs by Leonard Bernstein, Charles Strouse & Lee Adams, Jerry Herman, and Stephen Sondheim.

A theatrical icon and one of Broadway’s greatest triple-threat talents, Chita Rivera is one of the most nominated performers in Tony Award history, having earned 10 nominations, won twice, and received the 2018 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. She defeated Liza Minnelli and Bernadette Peters in 1984 for Best Actress in a Musical her role in “The Rink” at the Tonys; in 1993, Chita again won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Aurora in “Kiss of the Spider Woman” (once again beating out Bernadette Peters).

If you’re not familiar with her work, this montage of TV and theatrical appearances serves as a great introduction to Chita Rivera’s most famous roles and her outstanding talent as a singer, actor, and dancer.

In 2001, the Drama League honored Chita Rivera in a star-studded salute to the Broadway legend, featuring Alan Cumming, Carol Lawrence, Elaine Stritch, Dick Van Dyke, Lisa Mordente, Arthur Laurents, Scott Ellis, Russell Nype, Dorothy Louden, Jason Danieley, Ann Reinking, John Kander, Fred Ebb, Liza Minnelli and others.

A versatile actress/singer/dancer, Rivera 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; the Broadway revival of “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”; the Broadway and touring productions of “The Dancer’s Life,” a 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.

Rivera trained as a ballerina (from age nine) before receiving a scholarship to the School of American Ballet from the legendary choreographer George Balanchine. Rivera’s first appearance (age 17) was as a principal dancer in “Call Me Madam.”

It was Rivera’s electric performance as Anita in the original Broadway production of “West Side Story” that brought her stardom.

Rivera was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2009 and received the coveted Kennedy Center Honor in 2002 (the first Hispanic woman and the first Latina-American to receive the honor). In 2019, Rivera performed her solo concert at London’s Cadogan Hall; in 2018 she was honored as a Living Landmark by the New York Landmarks Conservancy; in 2016 she headlined at Carnegie Hall and 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 was profiled on CBS Sunday Morning in 2013; she discussed her Broadway career on InnerVIEWS with Ernie Manouse in 2011. She was interviewed backstage at the Newport Jazz Festival in 2000; Chita made her Carnegie Hall debut just three years ago, demonstrating to the sold-out crowd that she’s still got it all.

Remember - for reservations in the Restaurant or in the club call 518.828.4800. To purchase tickets online go here. For the most up-to-date concert information, always visit Club Helsinki Hudson.