Tony-winning triple threat Chita Rivera, recipient of the 2018 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, is part of the lineup for PBS’ A Capitol Fourth, which will be broadcast July 4 beginning at 8 PM ET. John Stamos hosts.
Rivera will introduce a tribute to the work of late composer Leonard Bernstein on the 100th anniversary of his birthday (he was born August 25, 1918). The segment will feature Bernstein’s “Tonight” from West Side Story performed by Grammy-winning violinist Joshua Bell with the National Symphony Orchestra. Rivera created the role of Anita in the original Broadway production of West Side Story.
Broadcast live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, America’s national Independence Day celebration also features Jimmy Buffett with the cast of Broadway's recent Escape to Margaritaville, The Beach Boys, three-time Grammy winners Pentatonix, Motown stars The Temptations, country music singer-songwriter Luke Combs, country music star and American Idol alum Lauren Alaina, 12-time Grammy-winning gospel legend CeCe Winans, multi-platinum pop singer and songwriter Andy Grammer, The Voice Season 14 finalist Kyla Jade, gospel singer Jade (who will open the show with “The Star-Spangled Banner”), and Renée Fleming, Tony-nominated for her performance as Nettie Fowler in the Broadway revival of Carousel, who will perform the musical’s anthem “You'll Never Walk Alone,” as a tribute to our men and women in uniform.
The National Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Jack Everly.
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The evening also features a tribute to The Beach Boys, who will be honored for their musical career as the fifth-ever recipients of A Capitol Fourth’s National Artistic Achievement Award. Past honorees include Gloria Estefan, Stevie Wonder, Reba McEntire, and John Williams. Stamos, a longtime Beach Boys friend and frequent collaborator, will present the award to the group.
The concert will also be live-streamed on PBS, YouTube, and Facebook and will be made available as Video on Demand through July 18.
Rivera has been a special guest performer on Playbill's Broadway on the High Seas cruises. Cabins are now on sale for Playbill’s Broadway on the Rhône River 2 cruise April 7–14, 2019, featuring Melissa Errico, Rebecca Luker, Marc Kudisch, and Seth Rudetsky. Call Playbill Travel for tickets at 866-455-6789 or visit PlaybillTravel.com.
