Chita Rivera to perform her Broadway triumphs in song

Just as Anita in "West Side Story" likes to be in America, Chita Rivera likes to be on stage.

Bay area residents are in for a treat when the legendary Broadway actress and two-time Tony Award winner performs selections from her most celebrated musicals Sunday at Ruth Eckerd Hall, including "West Side Story," "Sweet Charity," "Chicago," "Kiss of the Spider Woman," "Bye, Bye, Birdie" and "The Rink," accompanied by an 11-piece orchestra.

Sorry folks, no chorus line kicks here.

"I've been kicking these legs forever," she laughed during a recent telephone interview. "I just want to stand with my band and sing."

And no, she won't tell you her age.

"I'm as old as you want me to be," she quipped.

For the record, published reports have her at 76, but you'd never know it to look at her.

Rivera hit the stage in 1957 and never looked back when her iconic performance as Anita (singing "America") in the Broadway premiere of "West Side Story" brought her stardom.

"It's wild," she said. "I've had such great shows and worked with so many fabulous people. You have to be pretty stupid not to say thank you."

More than 50 years after that memorable performance, Rivera is still at it.

"If you're lucky enough to do it, you do it," she said. "I'm reminded every time I do it, I've really been fortunate."

In August, Rivera was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. It was a moment that left the gregarious performer speechless.

"I'm sitting behind Bishop Desmond Tutu and you think 'What am I doing here?'" she said. "I was weak in the knees."

Looking back at her fabulous career, Rivera admits she wasn't a dreamer. She started ballet classes as a kid, and went from lessons to auditions, and back again, she said.

"You're busy working on it," she said. "Your head is down and you're in it."

ON TOUR

WHAT: Chita Rivera in "My Broadway"

WHEN: 2 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: Ruth Eckerd Hall, 111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater

TICKETS: $35, $45; call (727) 791-7400