On Your Feet Deserves a Standing Ovation

The first (and only) musical about Gloria Estefan is the new West Side Story (yeah, I went there). 

Photo by Matthew Murphy

We hear electrified instruments; a blistering trumpet fills the air, and suddenly! A thin fabric screen is whisked away to reveal the awesome power of the new Miami Sound Machine, enveloping the Orpheum in a glorious melee of brass instruments and island rhythms.

Photo by Matthew Murphy

Every time I hear the heated rhythms and funky basslines of Conga, I flash back to when I was 8 years old, waking up for school to the 106.7 FM WJJY radio station. The smooth voice of the DJ would come on and all of a sudden - that fiesty beat that instantly infected my feet and got me straight out of bed.

Photo by Matthew Murphy

Of all the music I loved during my childhood - which is based almost entirely on what was played on that radio station, seeing that it was before the internet, streaming, Kazaa, or even CDs were available in my rural small town - that of Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine remains among my very favorite. Go down the list of songs - Anything for You, Don't Wanna Lose You, Everlasting Love, Get On Your Feet, Rhythm is Gonna Get You, Turn the Beat Around - and you can't find a loser among the bunch.

Photo by Matthew Murphy

This is one of the main reasons I was so excited that On Your Feet, the first-ever musical about Gloria Estefan (self-produced by the artist with her husband Emilio), was coming to Minneapolis this winter. The show progresses through the full story of her life, from her childhood to singing as a teenager in Miami clubs to a self-hustled meteoric rise to fame in the 1980s and beyond, giving a fun and engaging look at a story that is truly the American dream. It includes many fascinating details about Gloria's life that were new to me, including the fact that her mother was a famous entertainer in Cuba (and almost the Spanish language voiceover for Shirley Temple in Hollywood) before fleeing to the U.S.; that her father suffered from multiple sclerosis contracted by contact with Agent Orange after fighting in the Vietnam War; that Gloria negotiated a whopping $50 million record contract in the 1980s, more than even *Madonna* made at the time; and that she survived a near-paralysis after a devastating bus accident in 1990.

Photo by Matthew Murphy

It's a dramatic, engaging story about racism in the music industry, family conflict, a total love for music and art, the power of love over immense difficulty, and ultimately a testament to the rewards of hard work and strong faith in yourself and your family. It reminded me a lot of West Side Story, in fact, and I think On Your Feet is a show that hasn't gotten enough credit for how good it is across all levels. With all of the concern about authenticity regarding West Side Story and its portrayal of the Latinx community, why not look to On Your Feet as a more modern substitute? It may not have that exact same, lush Bernstein score, but no matter - the musicality (screeching brass from the Miami Sound Machine) is still fierce and tropical as hell; the dancing (a vibrant mix of island dances like the salsa, cha cha cha and mambo, and a dance leader who I swear hand to god is the Latinx Gene Kelly) is certainly powerful enough to compete; and most importantly the story is a true one, told by the people who experienced it in an honest and respectful way. All things considered, isn't that at least worth a second look?

Photo by Matthew Murphy

I thought the cast entire of On Your Feet was terrific, beginning with Christie Prades as Gloria Estefan. She has a sparkling presence, radiating joy just the way the real Gloria does on stage - and she doesn't mess around with the bullet train-paced enunciation on songs like Conga, which are much harder to pull off convincingly and cleanly than you might think. Eddie Noel is completely charming as Emilio Estefan, with a buttery baritone voice and heartwarming presence that is convincing as Gloria's spousal rock. Nancy Ticotin is fabuloso as Gloria's mother Gloria Fajardo; her showstopping solos and bittersweet characterization reminded me a lot of Rita Moreno in West Side Story. Alma Cuervo was an instant audience favorite as Gloria's grandmother Consuelo, and her rock solid support of Gloria from the beginning brought me back to Abuela Claudia's gorgeous solos in In The Heights. And nothing in this show could work without the deliciously on-point on-stage band meant to rival the Miami Sound Machine. Music Director Clay Ostwald conducts them to dizzying heights, and if On Your Feet had been just a concert of this band, I'd have been happy with even that.

Photo by Matthew Murphy

This show's production design has all the harbingers of tropical settings; palm tree silhouetted sunset scrims, vibrant colored backdrops and sets, and open air concert arenas shore up the action throughout the plot. The costumes are varied and colorful, with an entertaining range of 1980s coastal style reminiscent of the best of Miami Vice. The lighting flashes us through the span of years in mere minutes, transitioning us gracefully through various high points of Estefan's career. But most importantly, the sound design allows us to hear every instrument of that glorious band and every syllable Prades sings. There were a couple of small glitches with the sound mixing on opening night - which was to be expected with a touring show, and I am sure are corrected now - but overall I was really impressed with how well and clearly we were able to hear all of the moving parts.

Photo by Matthew Murphy

I went into On Your Feet with high expectations and left the theater even happier than I entered. I think this has been an extremely underrated show (maybe because it's a story about Latinx people told by themselves? Maybe because it's the highest amount of non-white actors I've seen on a Broadway stage since Hamilton? who knows) and it really deserves a closer look and a wider fan base than it's gotten so far. What Gloria Estefan did for popular music - in opening cross pollination between the Latin and U.S. musical markets, bringing a more global sound to American pop, melanizing the highly waspy white world of pop music (especially for women), bringing her own enormous live band on tour, demanding high value contracts as part of her worth and setting the stage for women in music to earn big dollar figures like the men did - is not to be underestimated, at all. The fact that this living legend had to fund create and fund a show about her own story to get it on stage says a lot about what kind of narratives we value in the world of theater and pop culture. All of the ways Gloria Estefan has defied, and continues to defy, stereotypes and assumptions deserves to be widely known. I had an absolute blast at On Your Feet and I think anyone could. It's a family friendly show with amazing music, beautiful dancing, and a story that will amaze you. It's only at Hennepin Theater Trust through January 27, so go ASAP to get your tickets before this underestimated gem is gone. Click here for more information or to get your tickets.

Photo by Matthew Murphy