Joel Grey receives Lifetime Achievement Award at Chita Rivera Awards
The Chita Rivera Awards were announced this week with an extra special Lifetime Achievement Award being presented to the beloved Tony, Academy and Golden Globe Award winner Joel Grey.
Grey, best known for his role as the Master of Ceremonies in both the stage and 1972 film adaptation of Cabaret officially came out as gay man in 2015. He has had a storied career in television, film and the stage, most recently serving as Director of the National Yiddish Theater Folksbiene’s production of Fiddler on the Roof.
Presented at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, the Chita Rivera Awards were produced by Joe Lanteri, Founder and Executive Director of the New York City Dance Alliance Foundation Inc., in conjunction with Patricia Watt. The Awards were hosted by Charlotte d’Amboise and Bianca Marroquín.
In keeping with the mission of the Chita Rivera Awards, nominators considered outstanding choreography, featured dancers, and ensemble in shows on Broadway and Off Broadway, as well as outstanding choreography in film that opened pre-Covid as well as in the 2021-2022 season. The following is a list of nominees and winners.
2022 CHITA RIVERA AWARD WINNERS
Winners are starred ** and in bold.
BROADWAY
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY IN A BROADWAY SHOW
Camille A. Brown, for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf
Warren Carlyle, The Music Man
**Bill T. Jones, Garrett Coleman, Jason Oremus, Paradise Square
Annie-B Parson, American Utopia
Sonya Tayeh, Moulin Rouge
Christopher Wheeldon, MJ, The Musical
OUTSTANDING MALE DANCER IN A BROADWAY SHOW (tie)
Sidney DuPont, Paradise Square
**Myles Frost, MJ the Musical
**Jared Grimes, Funny Girl
Hugh Jackman, The Music Man
AJ Shively, Paradise Square
Tony Yazbeck, Flying Over Sunset
OUTSTANDING FEMALE DANCER IN A BROADWAY SHOW
Sutton Foster, The Music Man
Robyn Hurder, Moulin Rouge
**Tendayi Kuumba, for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf
Heather Lang, Jagged Little Pill
Adrienne Warren, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE IN A BROADWAY SHOW
American Utopia
**for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf
MJ, The Musical
Moulin Rouge
Paradise Square
The Music Man
OFF BROADWAY SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS
The 2022 Chita Rivera Awards celebrated excellence in Off-Broadway musical theater
by presenting two special awards.
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY IN AN OFF BROADWAY SHOW
**Josh Prince, Trevor
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE IN AN OFF BROADWAY SHOW
**The Wrong Man
CHOREOGRAPHY IN FILM
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY FOR A THEATRICAL RELEASE
Cinderella
Choreographer: Ashley Wallen; (Assistant Choreographer: Jenny Griffin)
Everyone’s Talking About Jamie
Choreographer: Kate Prince; (Assistant Choreographer: Tommy Franzen)
In The Heights
Choreographer: Christopher Scott; (3 Associate and 3 Assistant Choreographers)
**tick… tick… Boom!
Choreographer: Ryan Heffington; (Associate Choreographer: Ryan Spencer)
West Side Story
Choreographed: Justin Peck; (Associate Choreographer: Craig Salstein)
(Original choreography by: Jerome Robbins; Original Broadway Production Co-Choreographed by: Peter Gennaro)
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A DOCUMENTARY RELEASE (tie)
Ballerina Boys – The Trocaderos
Directors: Chana Gazit and Martie Barylick
Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters
Directors: Tom Hurwitz and Rosalynde LeBlanc
Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker
Director: Oliver Bokelberg
**First Try
Director: Josh Prince
**Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back
Director: John Carluccio
