Chita Rivera almost did GYPSY in London

Chita's screen test for a potential movie version of CARNIVAL has been posted on YouTube. It's really just her chatting with Gower Champion but at the 4:30 mark she says she's been asked to star in a London production of GYPSY as Rose! Of course it ended up not happening but imagining a 30 year old Chita Rivera as Rose is fascinating. And it makes sense when you consider that she had worked with Robbins and Sondheim before and had done WEST SIDE STORY and BYE BYE BIRDIE in London so was a known quantity to audiences there.

Anyway, I'd never heard before that this was even a possibility - has anyone else?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdKstEmjE5I

Thank you for posting this. So fascinating how she mentions Rose’s actual age in GYPSY (early 20s to about mid-30s) was how the role was originally written but they altered it once the older Ethel Merman was considered. With Chita, the role would have been properly cast. At least even she agreed that the creative team thinking of adding dance numbers for Rose was absurd.

I just saw this as well! So fascinating. I always wondered how Chita would've been as Rose. Such a shame it didn't happen.

It's also a shame Elaine Stritch got so close to the role in the 70's, but ultimately she wasn't trusted with it. Luckily, it did make room for Lansbury's wonderful portrayal.

Oh, I'd have loved to see that!