On Your Feet!
Drury Lane Theatre transports its audience back to the vibrant 1980s, a Golden Age of Music when the electrifying sounds of New Wave, infectious Synth-pop, and MTV-driven Pop reshaped the musical landscape and brought us high-energy, eclectic music videos. Based on the book by Alexander Dinelaris, an Academy Award winner who co-wrote the screenplay for the film "Birdman," the jukebox musical "On Your Feet!" - the Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan, tells the story of Gloria (Fajardo) Estefan and Emilio Estefan, of the Miami Sound Machine, during their early days in Miami. We get a glimpse into Gloria's early years as a child inspired to be a singer, burdened with caring for her ill father, and dealing with the stress of her mother's hindrance to her dream of becoming a star. Her mother, also named Gloria Fajardo, was an accomplished singer in her own right, but her father hindered her career. Known as Big Gloria, her father refused to let her go to Hollywood to become the Spanish version of Shirley Temple, which led to her not supporting her daughter's dream. With the warm guidance of her beloved grandmother, Consuelo Gloria's life takes an unexpected turn when she meets Emilio, the charismatic leader of a boy band, the Miami Latin Boys. Her incredible musical talent inspires him to encourage the group to rebrand as the electrifying Miami Sound Machine, which included adding Gloria as their lead singer. The play goes through a series of flashbacks, showing Gloria as a child in Cuba, singing and dancing, and then, when her family fled to Miami, highlighting Gloria's mother's (Claudia Quesada) lost dreams of performing and her dissatisfaction with her mother, Consuelo (Ana Maria Alvarez) helping her daughter pursue her dreams when she wasn't there to support and defining her against her father's denial.
The group's success brought its own challenges, primarily the issue of "crossover" into the English-speaking market. Executives believed their sound was "too Latin for Americans and too American for Latins." Throughout the play, we mostly learn more about Gloria's musical achievements and challenges. As she tries to overcome obstacles, she is fighting exhaustion, upset about living out of a suitcase, and in need of some rest. The devastating bus accident that fractured her vertebrae landed her in the hospital with the possibility that she would never walk again. She survived and made a stunning comeback, highlighted by her performance at the American Music Awards.
Drury's 25-member cast, featuring Samuel Garnica (Emilo) and Gaby Albo (Gloria), as leads. They provided great chemistry on stage. Clauida Quesada was outstanding as Gloria's mother, Gloria Fajardo. She played that strong, resilient Latino mother part to perfection, and Ana Maria Alvarez was a star-stealer in her role as Consuelo. I'm always impressed with child actors performing on the big stage, and last night, Talia Josephson and Angel Hikari Salgad were amazing. The show is packed with the hits that defined their career, including: "Conga, 1-2-3, Anything For You, Rhythm Is Gonna Get You, Coming Out of the Dark" (the song she wrote about her recovery), and of course, Get on Your Feet. There is also a deeply moving song titled "If I Never Got To Tell You" that is sure to bring tears to your eyes. Emphasizing themes of family, ambition, resilience, and cultural pride, the entire cast radiated energy and passion, delivering a vibrant, captivating performance that kept the audience on their feet. It can be described as a political outcry regarding the current immigration crisis. Still, I loved the line, "Whether you like it or not, this is what an American looks like," in the play—a line originally used when Emilio was trying to get the band to cross over into the English-language market. I was genuinely disappointed with the sound quality, which came across as flat and dull. During some of the singing performances, it struggled to convey the high energy on stage, weakening the vocals and the lively choreography.
I may be overly critical, but the dancing on stage had room for improvement. It didn't capture the sensual essence that makes Salsa, Bachata, and Rumba so enchanting. Embodying more distinctive Cuban hip motion could enhance performance and bring out more of the passionate energy that defines Latin dance. Elevating the sound and the dance sequences could take this already electrifying performance to soaring new heights! With Brenda’s endorsement, “On Your Feet!” receives a resounding Highly Recommended stating it’s a breathtaking celebration of Gloria and Emilio Estefan's music and legacy.
⭐⭐⭐ 1/2 STARS
Drury Lane Theatre
On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan
Book by Alexander Dinelaris
Featuring Music Produced & Recorded By Emilio & Gloria Estefan
& Miami Sound Machine
Directed & Choreographed by Luis Salgado
Thanks for visting our website. For tickets, click on the above logo and for additional reviews, click below.
