She’s 84, but the dancer’s body moves with agile grace, despite the ravages of age. For her — the sheer joy of movement to music never fades. From chorus line gypsy to the center stage star, she remains consumed by dancing.
Chita Rivera turns 85 on Tuesday. She did more than just “turn” on stage at The Sharon on Sunday night in her show with Tommy Tune, 78.
It’s called “Chita&Tune Just In Time.”
This was a dancing, singing and entertainment clinic by a couple of certified Broadway legends who have 12 Tony Awards and numerous other honors between them.
Rivera would slink, shimmy and slide. She moved her arms and shoulders with elongated motions as if swimming upstream in slow motion. Then she pumped her arms and hands up and down and whirled from side to side as if riding a speeding, out of control carousel.
“Dancing is great,” said Rivera, who has spent nearly seven decades on stage. “Dancing keeps you young. You are really helping your spirit when you dance.”
The spirit was willing Sunday and so was the body.
Rivera talked about her groundbreaking roles in such musicals as “West Side Story,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” “The Rink,” “Chicago,” “Kiss of the Spider Woman” and “Sweet Charity.”
“This is the 60th anniversary of ‘West Side Story,’” Rivera said. She reminisced about going to Leonard Bernstein’s New York City apartment where he first played the songs from the ground-breaking musical for her.
“I sat next to him at the piano and he just played,” she said. Rivera played the role of Anita in “West Side Story” and sang a couple of songs, “A Boy Like That” and a rousing “America.”
Then came a soft, introspective number, “It’s Not Exactly Paris.”
Rivera steamed her way through Jacques Brel’s “Carousel,” picking up speed with delirious delight. Then she played the role of a hot-tempered and frustrated mom in “Chief Cook and Bottle Washer” from “The Rink.”
“All That Jazz,” from “Chicago” turned into a showstopper. Rivera was loose and sexy in her movements, and though the voice may not have its youthful juice, the lady knows how to sell a song.
Rivera brings a simmering, gyrating presence to the stage. Tommy Tune, in contrast, is kind of a cool, old-school tapper and hoofer.
Tune stands 6 feet 6 inches tall and towers over Rivera at 5-feet-3. They seemed like Dorothy and the Scarecrow at times, due to the height difference.
Tune possessed a laid back stage personality and silky smooth dancing style. He tapped with elegant precision.
Tune added some breezy Latin spice on “Summer Samba” and was just about perfect in a lazy-day way on “I’ve Got Sand In My Shoes.” He seemed comfy and calm, tapping and singing his way through, “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.”
Rivera and Tune teamed up for songs throughout the evening. They opened wearing three-piece shimmering red ensembles and sang “Just In Time.”
Another highlight came when they appeared with red noses and cardboard crowns while prancing their way through a delightful, “We’re A Couple of Swells.”
Rivera and Tune acted out scenes from “Bye Bye Birdie” and she seemed particularly zestful singing “I’ve Got a Lot of Livin’ To Do.” Tune then joined her on another “Birdie” number, “Rosie.”
This was a night to savor some old school Broadway stars who left an indelible mark on American musical theater.
Rivera, who earned two Tony Awards and 10 nominations, was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 by President Obama. In 2002 she received the coveted Kennedy Center Honor becoming the first Hispanic woman ever chosen to receive the award.
Tommy Tune has won 10 Tonys and has acted, choreographed and directed such plays as “My One and Only,” “Grand Hotel,” “The Will Rogers Follies” and “Nine.”
“Tommy Tune can dance, sing and choreograph a show, as well as direct one. That’s part of the reason he has 10 Tonys,” said Karen Bouffard, a choreographer/dancer in The Villages. “He’s just so smooth on stage.”
Bouffard also praised Rivera.
“She was trained in ballet, but she uses a jazz style,” Bouffard said. “She has tremendous energy and talent, and it’s obvious she loves to dance.”
“It’s remarkable to watch her, because Chita Rivera has been doing it so long,” added Cheri Lindell, who also choreographs shows in The Villages. Rivera started on Broadway in 1951, but “she still has the energy and skill to be a great dancer. She mixes a lot of styles but makes it work.”
“She has eternal youth,” added Diana Arlt, a local singer. “I saw her years ago in New York, and I’m just as excited to see her now.”
Arlt believes there is a reason that Rivera and Tune are still going strong.
“They both have so much spunk and love to dance,” Arlt said. “And that love comes across to the audience.”
