Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Chita and Kristin

Time to catch you guy(s) up on my life! Been busy, but I do have some things to share...

I saw Chita Rivera's one-woman show, Chita Rivera: My Broadway, and I thought I'd share some musings.

-Chita referred to Jerome Robbins (West Side Story choreographer) quite endearingly, which is interesting seeing as people (in)famously talk about how hard he is to work with.
-Chita talked about Catherine Zeta Jones, who we all know played Velma Kelly in the film version of Chicago (and, which you should know, Chita cameo'd in! And just in case you weren't sure of the connection because you're not Broadway-oriented, Chita originated the role of Velma Kelly in the original, Bob Fosse-helmed production of Chicago). Chita says she told Catherine that she could "keep her Oscar" as long as Chita could keep "her vamp" from All That Jazz.

-Chita called Rob Marshall an "up and coming director" and referenced his recent movie, Nine. She played Judi Dench's part in the 2003 Broadway revival, which netted Chita a Tony Award nomination.

-Chita paid a lot of tribue to Kander & Ebb, the duo behind Chita-musicals like Chicago, The Rink, and The Kiss of the Spider Woman. She says she's hoping to bring their latest (The Visit) to Broadway this year!

-At 77, Chita is still so full of life. She can kick higher than some twenty-somethings and certainly has an amazing screen presence.

-Chita also paid tribute to fellow famed dancer, the late Gwen Verdon. She did a touching "Nowadays" tribute to her deceased friend.

and all that jazz!

I also saw the new Broadway revival of Promises, Promises. I'm running out of time, but let's just say...
-Katie Finneran for the win!
-Sean Hayes can play straight! (Take that, Newsweek!)
-Kristin Chenoweth was so snubbed! (And I'm not just saying that because I met her at the stagedoor!)
-Based on The Apartment, it really benefits from such a cute, funny, and touching book.

Check it out if you can!

6 comments:

  1. Damn you for seeing Cheno live. Ugh, jealous!!! And Chita is the only person to get a Tony nod for playing herself, which probably means she's got to be awesome. I know she was sad when she lost the role of Anita, but I know you're a Moreno girl...still no arguments, I'm sure they're both excellent.

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  2. Hey Jude,
    I’m hosting the My Best Post blog-a-thon. It goes from May 21st-23rd.
    Want to know the best part? You’ve already written your entry.
    Just send me a link to your best/favorite/underrated blog post! Thanks!

    http://he-shot-cyrus.blogspot.com/2010/04/big-announcement-revealed.html

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  3. Simon - If you do, tell me your thoughts!

    Andrew - Chita is more special than Rita, just in the Broadway/legendary sense. Don't get me wrong, I love Rita Moreno but when it comes down to it, you can't beat Chita's amazing decades of work!

    Elgringo - Done and done!

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  4. Hey Jude, I didn't see your e-mail but there's still time.
    Send the link again to: heshotcyrus@hotmail.com
    Put something in the subject line this time. :)

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  5. Elgringo - I'm always forgetting those subjects... next time!

    ReplyDelete