Seth Rudetsky is unquestionably the best advocate for musical theatre today. He’s also a very accomplished musician. He writers regularly for Playbill online. He also has his own show on Sirius XM. (Classic underachiever!) Chita Rivera is a Broadway legend having starred in such shows as the original production of Chicago, a little musical called West Side Story and Kiss of the Spider Woman. On Thursday night, Chita Rivera and Seth Rudetsky team up for two performances of Broadway @ The Wallis: Chita Rivera. Rudetsky will serve as both interviewer and accompanist as Rivera revisits her illustrious career.
When I spoke to Rudetsky about his most recent book, (Seth’s Broadway Diary #3), he told me that one of the performances he’d most like to have seen was Rivera’s in West Side Story. Look for our two-part interview with Rivera in which we get her reaction to that wish of Rudetsky’s and some incredible stories and insights from the woman just announced to be a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Tony Awards.
For those attending either the 7:30 or 9:30 performance on Thursday, you can expect a healthy dose of insider Broadway discussion and a mix of both songs you’d want to hear from Rivera and songs that might surprise you. (This is similar to the event held earlier this year where Rudetsky had Patti LuPone as his guest.) I would anticipate that the two shows would not be identical. So for you über fans of Chita Rivera, perhaps tickets to both shows would be advised.
