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Chita Rivera, <\/em>who died on Tuesday at the age of 91<\/em><\/a>, was known for her extraordinary artistry. Yet, it is hard to comprehend the full scope of her talent because, like so many Broadway performers of her generation, much of her best work was not captured on-screen. Her Anita in the landmark 1957 Broadway production of \u201cWest Side Story\u201d? Rita Moreno took it on in the Hollywood adaptation. Rose in the hit \u201cBye Bye Birdie,\u201d from 1960? That role went to Janet Leigh in the movie. Only in 1969 did Rivera make her feature-film debut, in \u201cSweet Charity,\u201d almost two decades after her Broadway debut. Thankfully, we have variety shows, TV specials and unofficial fan videos to help us patch together a compelling video portrait. Her life force bursts through in every second.<\/em><\/p>\n Here\u2019s a look back at some of those indelible moments.<\/em><\/p>\n 1962<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Although this song is closely associated with its writer, Steve Allen, Rivera made it her own in this appearance on \u201cThe Ed Sullivan Show\u201d in 1962. The dancers welcome her by singing \u201cHey, Chita! Like, wow!\u201d and that pretty much sums it all up. Rivera did not need a whole show to make an impact: She could deliver a knockout punch in just a few minutes. Not only did the era\u2019s variety shows provide perfect settings for those self-contained gems, but they also introduced her to a national audience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Rivera easily held her own against the best, including Judy Garland. The two women performed a duet of this song from \u201cHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying\u201d on Garland\u2019s variety show in January 1964. On that same episode, Rivera also blew the roof off the studio with \u201cI Got Plenty O\u2019 Nuttin\u2019,\u201d<\/a> a number from \u201cPorgy and Bess\u201d reimagined as a va-va-voom dance extravaganza choreographed by Peter Gennaro.<\/p>\n 1965<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Triple threat? Make that a quadruple one, because Rivera possessed the elusive quality known as charisma that is necessary to drive cabaret acts and variety shows. That is where you could fully experience her explosiveness as a pure entertainer, where she matched the elite likes of Ann-Margret and Liza Minnelli. Devised by Jack Cole, whom Rivera called \u201cthe quintessential West Coast choreographer,\u201d this intoxicating performance <\/span>turned up on a 1965 episode of ABC\u2019s \u201cThe Hollywood Palace.\u201d (Rivera\u2019s \u201cPretty for Me,\u201d<\/a> three years later on the same show, ranks among the most fabulously camp numbers ever seen on television.\u201d)<\/p>\n 1969<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n It feels incredible, in hindsight, that it took so long for Rivera to be cast in a movie. After playing the title role during the first national tour of \u201cSweet Charity\u201d in 1967, she was not entirely happy to be cast in the supporting role of Nickie for the Bob Fosse adaptation two years later. But it was something, and she even got to lead a big rooftop number. In this classic barnstormer, the best friends Charity (Shirley MacLaine), Helene (Paula Kelly) and Nickie dance up their dreams of escaping their current reality as taxi dancers. The number is so exhilaratingly that by the end you are convinced that absolutely nothing could stand in their way. And, of course, it\u2019s Rivera who is leading the charge.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Rivera and Gwen Verdon sang a two-song medley from \u201cChicago\u201d on \u201cThe Mike Douglas Show\u201d in June 1976. By then they had been playing Velma and Roxie \u2014 roles they originated \u2014 for a year, and knew the characters and Fosse\u2019s moves inside out. This is pure, unadulterated Broadway fabulousness: bask in it. (Make sure to stick around for the post-performance interview.)<\/p>\n 1982<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Brent Carver set up Rivera\u2019s big number at the 1993 Tony Awards, where they represented the Kander and Ebb musical \u201cKiss of the Spider Woman.\u201d This was a fitting framing since, Rivera wrote in her memoir, Carver helped her find her character, a fantastical diva who happens to be a figment of his character\u2019s imagination. The show marked Rivera\u2019s triumphant return to Broadway after seven years away, and she won her second Tony.<\/p>\n 2000<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Rivera had a long association with Kander and Ebb, but this song from her solo act is not actually from one of their shows, much less one she appeared in. Rather it\u2019s from the movie \u201cFunny Lady,\u201d which means that she had to go against the memory of Barbra Streisand. No problem! This is just a sterling illustration of Rivera acting a number as much as singing it. The song revs up in the most thrilling way, and Rivera rises to the challenge.<\/p>\n 2003<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Rivera put on a French accent in 2003 to portray the aging showgirl Liliane La Fleur (created by Liliane Montevecchi) in a revival of the Maury Yeston-Arthur Kopit musical \u201cNine.\u201d Naturally, she made a meal of this nostalgic ode to a faded era of entertainment and glamour.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n