NEW YORK — Chita Rivera continues to prove that age is just a number as she gets set to appear in the last show of the current Broadway season.
The 82-year old actress stars in John Kander and Fred Ebb’s “The Visit,” which opens Thursday at the Lyceum Theatre.
The two-time Tony winner and Kennedy Center honoree has enjoyed a long and illustrious career onstage, including originating the role of Anita in “West Side Story” in 1957, Velma in the 1977 version of “Chicago” and the title character in “Kiss of the Spider Woman.”
Rivera began dancing at 7, began working professionally at 15, and has not slowed down ever since.
“I wouldn’t know what to do if I wasn’t moving or telling a story to you or singing a song,” she said. “That’s the spirit of my life and I’m really so lucky to be able to do what I love, even at this time in my life.”
But Rivera does feel people make a bigger deal about her age than they should.
“Everybody seems to think I should be crawling around like this,” the actress said while making a stiff, funny face. “No, it doesn’t happen.”
Instead, she feels age is just a state of mind.
“I think very energetic and lively and just kind of wish people wouldn’t judge what you do by your ag e.”
But Rivera say s her daughter provides the best perspective about it, saying: “Shut up mom, it’s a compliment.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.