Legendary Broadway icon, actress/singer/dancer Chita Rivera, will treat fans to an intimate evening of music, performing songs from her illustrious career including numbers from her most celebrated musicals including WEST SIDEY STORY, CHICAGO, KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, BYE BYE BIRDIE, THE RINK and more.The accomplished performer has won two Tony Awards as Best Leading Actress in a Musical and received seven additional Tony nominations.
She recently starred in the Broadway and touring productions of Chita Rivera: A DANCER’S LIFE, a dazzling new musical celebrating her spectacular career, written by Terence McNally and directed by Graciela Daniele. 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). She also starred in the revival of the 2003 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. Rivera's first appearance (age 17) was in the chorus of 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), Bob Fosse’s original 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. She has toured in BORN YESTERDAY, THE ROSE TATTOO, THREEPENNY OPERA, SWEET CHARITY, KISS ME KATE, ZORBA and CAN-CAN with The Rockettes.
Ms. Rivera was awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2009. She received the coveted Kennedy Center Honor in Washington, DC in December 2002 and is the first Hispanic ever chosen to receive this award. Rivera recently recorded and released a new solo CD entitled “And Now I Swing”.
Few entertainers today are as talented as Ben Vereen. For over 40 years, Ben has showcased his versatility and creativity with legendary performances that transcend time and have been woven into the fabric of this country's artistic legacy.
On Broadway, Ben Vereen has appeared in WICKED, FOSSE, I’M NOT RAPPAPORT, HAIR, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, PIPPIN, GRIND, JELLY’S LAST JAM and A CHRISTMAS CAROL. His role in Bob Fosse’s original 1972 Broadway production of PIPPIN garnered him both the prestigious Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for "Best Actor in a Musical."
Worldwide, Vereen has received international acclaim for his portrayal of Chicken George in the legendary 1976 TV mini-series ROOTS and Louis Armstrong in LOUIS ARMSTRONG: Chicago Style. Ben's television guest appearances include Grey's Anatomy, for which he won the Prism Award, House of Payne, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, OZ, Touched By An Angel, The Nanny, Star Trek - The Next Generation, The Jamie Fox Show and more.
Additional credits include Anne Rice's Feast of All Saints (Showtime), Intruders They Are Among Us (Emmy nomination), Faerie Tale Theatre's Puss N' Boots with Gregory Hines, The Jesse Owens Story, Ellis Island (Golden Globe Nomination) and Lost in London. His own network television shows are Ben Vereen: His Roots (Seven Emmy Awards), Tenspeed and Brownshoe and You Write the Songs. Vereen was also nominated for an NAACP Image Award for his performance in the Hallmark movie An Accidental Friendship. His silver screen credits include Sweet Charity, All That Jazz, Funny Lady (Golden Globe nomination), Why Do Fools Fall in Love and And Then Came Love starring Vanessa William. In the early 90s, he released a number of well-received children's sing-along musical videos.
Vereen's gift of time has benefited many organizations including Ballet Florida, the American Red Cross, the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Association and the American Heart Association. In 1989, he spearheaded his own organization, Celebrities for a Drug Free America, which raised more than $300,000 for drug rehabilitation centers, educational programs and inner city community-based projects. For his humanitarian contributions, he has received a number of awards including Israel's Cultural and Humanitarian Awards, three NAACP Image Awards, an Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award and a Victory Award. He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Arizona, Emerson College, St. Francis College, and Columbia College in Chicago. In 2001, Medgar Evers College created the Ben Vereen Scholarship for the Performing Arts, and in 2004, he received an Achievement in Excellence Award from his alma mater, the High School of the Performing Arts.
Presently, Vereen has a recurring role on the CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother. Earlier this year, he released his solo CD “Steppin' Out Live with Ben Vereen” and staged a triumphant return to Broadway with his concert Ben Vereen on Broadway at Town Hall.
Chita Rivera and Ben Vereen will be at the Seminole Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida on Thursday October 27, 2011.
