“ON YOUR FEET”, IS A SHOW YOU SHOULD SEE NOW!
By Lisa Wiseman
Broadway Grand Rapids brought a little bit of Miami heat to DeVos Performance Hall with the premiere of the Emilio & Gloria Estefan musical biography, On Your Feet!
Directed by Jerry Mitchell and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo, On Your Feet boasts an extremely talented cast and is jam packed with high energy and passion. You will have trouble sitting still in your seat through the whole production.
Christie Prades and Eddie Noel shine as the Cuban-American power couple. Emilio and Gloria Estefan overcame racial barriers and fought to bring their rhythmic beats and Latin-infused pop music to mainstream America to become one of the biggest music sensations of the 1980’s. With songs like “Conga”, “Rhythm is Gonna Get You”, “1-2-3” and others, Get On Your Feet! definitely lives up to its name.
Oscar-winning author Alexander Dinelaris takes us from Miami to Cuba in small flashbacks as we meet the young Gloria and also the young Emilio. Their portrayers, Ana-Sofia Rodriguez and JeanPaul Medina Solano will wow you with their amazing performances.
Gloria and Emilio meet when Emilio asks a 17-year old Gloria to try out for this band, The Miami Latin Boys. When she auditions by singing “Anything For You,” inspired by her abuela, Consuelo, Emilio invites her to join the band, which they rechristen The Miami Sound Machine and the rest is musical history.
As they begin to find success recording Spanish language music like “Oye Mi Canto” and “Mi Tierra”, they find it difficult when they want to do a crossover single. The record company refuses to back them, wanting to keep them in the Latino market. Not to be deterred, the couple produce the single “Dr. Beat” themselves and hand deliver it to dance clubs and have friends flood the radio stations with requests until their producer takes notice and backs them on what will become their biggest hit, the ever popular “Conga”. As the first half ends, we see the cast conga off the stage for a little audience participation.
In the second half, we see Gloria’s star begin to rise but it costs her a relationship with her mother, played by Nancy Ticotin. Gloria continues to try and repair the fractured relationship, but before she can do that, tragedy strikes. The tour bus is in an accident that results in a spinal cord injury that nearly paralyzes Gloria and leaves her unable to perform. But strength and determination gets Gloria back on her feet as she reunites with her mother and gets love and support from her family and millions of fans worldwide. At the request of Dick Clark, she makes her comeback appearance at The American Music Awards, singing the inspirational song, “Coming Out of the Dark”, to, as Emilio puts it, “show the world that you’re back….show YOU that you’re back!”
On Your Feet! is a show that appeals to all ages, all cultures, and all families. It is inspiring, it is heartwarming, and it will move not only your feet, but also, your soul.
On Your Feet! runs through Sunday, February 24, with tickets starting at $38.00. Go online to www.ticketmaster.com or www.broadwaygrandrapids.com for more information or to see what exciting shows are coming for the 2019-2020 season!
