On Your Feet
On Broadway at the Marquis Theatre

 

Not everyone has a story worth telling, but that is just not the case with Gloria and Emilio Estefan.  Their roots in Cuba left far behind; they cultivated their talents and pursued their dreams, never giving up, and are living proof that hard work pays off.  This is part musical, part concert, part love story and 100% pure inspiration.

The story starts in 1990 Washington DC at the height of their success where Emilio is explaining to Gloria that they have to give up their “day off” to get to New York to meet with Sony Records.  This will set a life changing series of events in motion, but first we go back to the beginning.

It’s 1966 and we see a young Gloria (Alexandria Suarez) growing up in the Miami Projects with her family.  She literally transforms from little girl into a young woman before our eyes on stage.  She’s got a lot of responsibility helping to care for her father who is a Vietnam veteran, and is confined to a wheelchair with multiple sclerosis and takes care of her younger sister Rebecca (Genny Lis Padilla).

Emilio (Josh Segarra) meets Gloria (Ana Villafañe) in 1975.  He had heard about the pretty young girl who could write songs and sing and wants hear her music.  Gloria grew up with music in her heart, but her family wants more for her, and she was actually studying to be a psychiatrist. Gloria’s Abuela Consuelo (Alma Cuervo) believes in her musical talent, but her mother Gloria (Andréa Burns), does not like it one bit.   Gloria finally agrees to visit Emilio and his Miami Latin Boys practice session dragging along the entire family including her sister Rebecca as backup vocal.   There is immediate synergy when Gloria Sings “Anything for You” and a love affair of music and heart begins.  

Believe it or not, the music that put them on the map, namely "Dr Beat" and "Conga" was rejected by their record producer telling them they could not cross over from the Latin to the US market.  Emilio was relentless, and put the music on the charts entirely through self-promotion and eventually gained the respect and the record deal they deserved.  Somewhere in between all of this there is a marriage, and a son Nayib is born (Eduardo Hernandez, played by standby Kevin Tellez on the night I attended).  It’s metaphysical, but you know. 

Under a new brand, Gloria Estefan and The Miami Sound Machine   release their next big hit “On Your Feet".     Their careers are soaring when Gloria  goes home to visit to find her sister in with the wrong crowd.  She takes her on the road sending her mother into a rage that leaves them estranged for years.  Before we know it we return to the beginning of the story in Washington, DC the night before tragedy strikes the band when their tour bus is hit by a tractor-trailer on their way to New York.

Gloria is nearly fatally injured, requiring back fusion surgery that could leave her paralyzed for life.  Her mother comes to her side, a moment that many of us can relate to, but in this case luckily it’s not too late.   She does make it through and endures a long and painful journey to recovery.  As driven as she is, she still has a fear of getting back on stage until Emilio uses that power of persuasion of his to show her that she has to make a comeback.  He sings "I Don’t Want To Lose You Now" to her and then gathers all of her fan mail after the accident and plasters the walls with them. He hands her a letter, and she reads it, and then another and another.  They are full of love and prayers and she stops thinking about herself when she sees that others need and depend on her.  It’s an emotional finale when we see Gloria in all her glory on the stage singing “Coming Out Of The Dark” which is exactly what she did.  This show is bursting at the seams with many of Gloria Estefan’s hit songs played by an orchestra filled with original members of The Miami Sound Machine.

There was keen attention to detail in selecting this amazing cast, and Segarra and Villafañe are a magical duo. Villafañe is the essence of Gloria in look and sound and Segarra is one smoking hot latin lover. The young players are outstanding.  An angelic Alexandria Suarez is a perfect fit for the young Gloria and while I did not get to see Eduardo Hernandez as the Young Emilio/Nayib, his standby Kevin Tellez was an absolute firecracker.  The lovely Andréa Burns, whose voice has been lighting up the Broadway stage for decades, takes the role of Gloria’s mother with a powerful and commanding voice. Other surprises?  If you are sitting in an aisle seat be prepared to join a conga line at intermission, and also to be dancing in your seat at the energetic finish which is a collage of musical hits.  Is never taking no for an answer the key to success and maybe even happiness?   It would seem so for these two.  Get out of your seat and get to On Your Feet.  For tickets and more information visit http://onyourfeetmusical.com/ and see how to get discount tickets here  -ThisbroadSway 11/11/15