Chita Rivera understudy steals show with memorable performance in center stage mistake

Chita Rivera's obituary included a photo of Liane Plane, her understudy, and a common mix-up has been acknowledged.

Yesterday, The Post featured a classic photo of the original Broadway production of "West Side Story" alongside an obituary for the late Chita Rivera, who passed away at the age of 91. However, the woman in the cropped image was not Rivera, but Liane Plane, who was actually Rivera's understudy in the role of Anita.

This mix-up has been a common mistake for many years, with major publications and photo agencies consistently mislabeling the iconic photo. Since the late 1950s, when "West Side Story" first opened and the image was first featured in Life magazine, it has been consistently misattributed.

Despite the confusion, Plane loved being a part of the popular photo, even though it was often mislabeled. She had a successful career on Broadway, appearing in the original cast of "Candide" in 1956 and "Redhead" in 1959. She was also a soloist with the American Ballet Theatre and appeared on television in the 1960s.

Plane's granddaughter had the opportunity to meet Chita Rivera, who described Plane as "always fabulous." Marooney, Plane's daughter, spoke of her mother as a passionate advocate for the arts and someone who was never boring.

The Post acknowledges the error and presents the full, un-cropped picture as a tribute to both Chita Rivera and Liane Plane, two Broadway legends.

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