Why doesn’t Chita pull a Channing and...

[westcoast_wannabe]

Posted: 4/25/08 at 9:42am

mount a tour of Kiss Of The Spider Woman? A friend of mine just gave me the OBCR and it was love at first listen. I realize there are more than a few logistical issues with a Chita driven revival, but I would love to see the show and Chita is ammazing. She looks great and dances like a women only a fraction of her age. Really it’s probably due for a full fledged revival, but in the meantime I’d love them to remount the Prince production and send it on the road.

[sally1112]

Posted: 4/25/08 at 9:58am

It would probably take more than just her wanting to do it, but I would go see it.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 4/25/08 at 10:21am

Because it wouldn't sell.

Spider Woman may have run 2+ years on Broadway, but it lost money. The subject matter is tough to get people to plunk down $100 for.

And, I have to say that Chita Rivera is not a star west of the Palisades. Audiences don't know who she is, at least not enough to fill 2000 seat theatres every night.

Carol Channing learned a theatrical lesson early on and she learned it from Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. "If you tour, you are going to visit the audiences at their 'home'. When the audiences come to your 'home' (aka NYC/Broadway) they will come visit you." Meaning if they've seen you, they'll come see you again. This explains why Carol Channing remained a huge box office draw for decades even in shows that were less than good like Legends, Lorelei and The Bed Before Yesterday which closed on the road, but had a 12 week pre-Bway tour that did very well.

Julie Harris, John Raitt and Mary Martin also toured a lot and all had major stage careers.

Chita really didn't tour much until she started doing clubs in the 80s and theatrically until the 90s. She toured Zorba in about 1970 and joined the Chicago tour but only for SF and LA.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 4/25/08 at 10:30am

And this why there will never be any more true Broadway stars, cause the actors of today wil not travel the country for six months or more.

[Brick]

Posted: 4/25/08 at 1:55pm

Um, where did people get the impression Broadway stars could get whole productions mounted in anything they wanted simply because they want it?

(Many here called the current GYPSY a vanity project for Patti, which would be odd if it were true considering she was passed-up on so many parts over the last decade.)

So, in short, while I agree it would be great to Chita in this again, no producer would up the money.

[BDrischBDemented]

Posted: 4/25/08 at 2:31pm

IF she REALLY wanted to pull a Channing, she should be in the "West Side Story" revival.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/25/08 at 2:33pm

Another reality is the fact that she no longer can dance in the same capacity she did during the show's original run on Broadway 1993-94 -- 15 years ago. Chita was 60 then; she's 75 now. Yes, 15 years is quite a difference at that age, especially physically. She was starting to show her dance limitations during the 2003 Broadway revival of NINE and the 2005 CHITA RIVERA: A DANCER'S LIFE.

Yes... Chita still has the moves, but not in the same capacity as she did in 1993. Today I don't think she can endure those crazy cage spins in "Gimme Love" or even that harness-helped 'spider web' climb.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 4/25/08 at 3:06pm

"Why doesn’t Chita pull a Channing and mount a tour of Kiss Of The Spider Woman?"

Because Rita Moreno owns the rights and won't let poor Chita open in it.

[AAO26]

Posted: 4/29/08 at 12:50am

not that she would want to do it..

but it could be re-staged,,not as dance intensive and still be interesting...