Chita

The long-awaited and wildly entertaining memoir of the star of stage and screen, the legendary Chita Riverathree-time Tony Awardwinner, Kennedy Centers honoree, and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.She was born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Riverountil the entertainment world renamed her. But Doloresthe irreverent side of the sensual, dark and ferocious Chitawas always present center stage, and was influential in creating some of Broadway most iconic and acclaimed roles, including Anita in West Side Story the part that made her a starRosie in Bye Bye, Birdie, Velma in Chicago, and Aurora in Kiss of the Spider Woman.Written in gratitude to her longstanding fans and with the hope that new generations may learn from her extraordinary experience, Chita takes us behind the curtain to reveal the highs and lows of one extraordinary showbusiness careerthe creative fermentation, the ego clashes, the miraculous discoveries, the exhilaration when it all went right, and the disappointment when it all went wrong. Chita invites us into workrooms and rehearsal studies, on stage and on set as she works with some of the greatest talents of the age, including Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim, Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, Hal Prince, Liza Minnelli, Sammy Davis Jr, Gwen Verdon, Shirley MacLaine, and many others. We also learn deeply moving, revelatory details about her upbringing and her heritage, and how they indelibly shaped her work and career.This colorful and entertaining memoiras vital and captivating as Chita herselfis the unforgettable and engrossing personal story of a performer who blazed her own trail and inspired countless performers to forge their own unique path to success.