Chita Rivera Says 'It's A Pity' When Performers Rely On Lip-Sincying

At a TV critics' meeting Sunday to promote her upcoming PBS special, musical theatre legend Chita Rivera, had a thing or two to say about young artists who opt out from singing live when the scene requires a lot of dancing. The two-time Tony Award winner (for “Kiss of the Spider Woman” and “The Rink”), who received her 10th Tony nomination earlier this year, for “The Visit,” insists she’s still on stage thanks to her proper breath-control training and talented young stars should definitely do the same: learn how.

Although Rivera didn’t name names, she did say it was very obvious and such a shame. "It's a pity, because they could be so much stronger because they're so gifted," she explained. And even though her Broadway show, “The Visit,” produced by John Kander and Fred Ebb, had a brief run, she says it’s going off to Singapore, Beijing and possibly London.

At the moment Rivera is working on her PBS special, “Chita Rivera: A Lot of Livin' to Do," which will be an hour long and will feature Dick Van Dyke, Ben Vereen, and Broadway songs such as “All That Jazz,” and “A Boy Like That.” The special will air next November 6 as part of PBS' "Great Performances" showcase.