One-of-a-kind costumes, awards, photographs, and ephemera from the extraordinary career of Broadway legend Chita Rivera (1933-2024) were auctioned online at Bonhams this week.
Auction highlights included Rivera’s Tony Award for her performance in Kander and Ebb’s Kiss of the Spider Woman which sold for $70,350 (an item originally estimated at estimated at $10,000 – 15,000), an original Al Hirschfeld illustration of the musical Chicago which sold for $40,960, a Presidential Medal of Freedom which sold for $8,320, and a decorative box gifted to Rivera by Bob Fosse which sold for $3,840.
Other notable items included original scripts from the musicals Bye, Bye Birdie, Chicago, and West Side Story, as well as Tony nomination certificates, an original signed agent agreement for her casting in West Side Story, and a costume plan from Can-Can.
Additionally, the sale offered costumes, props, and scripts from some of her most memorable performances, including Rivera’s white top hat from “Nowadays”, the closing song of Chicago.
The collection also featured a large number of Rivera’s photographs and correspondence from fellow Broadway, television, and film stars. This includes a holiday card from Sammy Davis Jr. as well as letters and telegrams from celebrities like Jerome Robbins, Hal Prince, Dick Van Dyke, Rosie O’Donnell, and Debbie Allen.
A towering figure in the world of musical theater, Rivera redefined the art of performance as one of the first true triple threats, performing in more than 20 Broadway musicals over six decades including the renowned original productions of West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie, and Chicago. All That Jazz: The Estate of Chita Rivera will present over 250 lots that tell the story of her trailblazing career.
Rivera, a Puerto Rican actor-singer-dancer, skyrocketed to stardom when she originated the role of Anita in the Broadway production of West Side Story in 1957, one of the most beloved and influential musicals of the 20th century. She would go on to originate several other iconic roles including Rosie in Bye Bye Birdie, 1960 and Velma Kelly in Chicago, 1975 and turn in Tony Award winning performances in The Rink, 1984 and Kiss of the Spider Woman, 1993. In addition to her two wins, Rivera was nominated for eight other Tonys and received a special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre in 2018. She was lauded for her magnetic stage presence and the way she seamlessly blended charismatic singing and dancing with raw emotion and impeccable technique. In 2002, Rivera became the first Hispanic American woman to receive Kennedy Center Honors and in 2009, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
