Rivera was married once, to fellow dancer Tony Mordente, and has a daughter.Ībove all, she says, she hopes those reading her memoir will live their lives fearlessly. Similar encouragement came from other mentors and colleagues, including Davis, who told her not to “sell herself short.” Those shows of support, she recalls, ”were a shock at the beginning because it was such a surprise.” In the very first chapters of the book, she writes, Gwen Verdon gave her life-altering words of affirmation. “They are responsible for me being who I am.” “And I’m very, very lucky that I met all these people that made up my life,” said Rivera. Her book includes memories of other Broadway legends like Fred Ebb, John Kander, Liza Minnelli, Leonard Bernstein and more. She also appeared in film and on television. Accolades include a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 Tony Awards, including one for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre Kennedy Center Honors and more, filling up pages and pages at the end of her memoir. Hers became that of a theatre icon, best known for her roles in “West Side Story” (Anita), “Bye Bye Birdie” (Rose) and “Chicago” (Velma). We have one life, and we have to live it as best we can,” said Rivera.
“And I always said, you know, we should have two lives, one to try out and one you’re judged by. “The loves of my life enabled me to explore myself even more,” she said. And I cherish the time that I had with Sammy because he was an amazing person,” she said.įor Rivera, vulnerability in love isn't something to hide. “He was an extraordinary human being who had the same problems as everybody else, but he dealt with them in a different way. Rivera says she decided to go into more detail about their relationship because “it was time to,” and she wanted readers to know her and Sammy better. She talks about their romantic relationship, and the legendary rat pack member’s inner struggles. Rivera dedicates a chapter to the late Sammy Davis Jr., whom she met while working on the Broadway musical “Mr. “If I was going to lose some parts because directors or agents thought my name sounded too south of the border, well, that was their problem,” she writes in the memoir. It was a name that she felt respected her heritage.
Friends knew her as Chita, but it wasn’t until someone recommended that she shorten her name to fit on a show poster that she became Chita Rivera. Rivera was born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero. She’s growing in my head now as we speak.” And she’s been keeping me on track, so I listen to Dolores. She’s been doing all the shows, but Dolores is the one that’s pushed her into it. “Conchita, she’s the one that has been taking all the glory, you know. “I consist of - and I think we all do - I consist of two people: Dolores and Conchita,” said Rivera with a chuckle. In one chapter, Rivera writes that she doesn’t read reviews “or Dolores just might invest in a dozen voodoo dolls.”
She is the unfiltered version of Chita and serves as motivation in times of self-doubt. While Rivera is the memoir's main character, another woman steals scene after scene: her self-proclaimed alter ego, Dolores.
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