The Broadway stage lost one of its greatest stars when Chita Rivera passed away at the age of 91. I was very fortunate to see her in a number of classic Broadway productions. The very first Broadway show I ever saw was the original production of the musical “Chicago” back in 1976 which featured Chita Rivera, Gwen Verdon and Jerry Orbach. It was spectacular and life changing and whetted my appetite for the many Broadway shows I have seen since.

I was also fortunate to catch her performance in Kander and Ebb’s “Kiss of the Spider Woman” as well as the Arthur Kopit and Maury Yeston “Nine.” The final performance I caught of hers was back in 2015 when she starred at 82 years old in the amazing musical adaptation of “The Visit,” the Kander-Ebb-McNally musical based on Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s satirical play about greed and revenge.

From the New York Times obituary: ‘As a singer and actress, Ms. Rivera was largely self-taught, though she received an on-the-job education from some of the foremost pedagogues in the pantheon: the choreographers Bob Fosse and Jerome Robbins, the composer Leonard Bernstein, the songwriting team of John Kander and Fred Ebb, and the playwright Terrence McNally.’ 

She was a luminous talent that was the center of every production she was in and her loss is deeply mourned by every Broadway fan. We will miss you dearly, Chita.