NEWS | FEATURES | PREVIEWS | EVENTS

originally published: 03/21/2023 

PHOTO BY DJ Corey

(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) will present a brand new production of the smash-hit musical On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan. This inspiring true story about heart, heritage and two people who believed in their talent—and each other—has already won the hearts of audiences and critics alike. On Your Feet! will have three performances at MPAC Saturday and Sunday, April 15-16.

On Your Feet!, the exhilarating original musical based on the extraordinary life of 26-time Grammy Award-winning husband-and-wife team Gloria and Emilio Estefan, features a book by Academy Award and Golden Globe winner Alexander Dinelaris and a score made up of some of the most loved and iconic songs of the past quarter-century including “Rhythm is Gonna Get You,” “Conga,” “Get On Your Feet,” “Don’t Want To Lose You Now,” “1-2-3” and “Coming Out of the Dark.” Having begun in Chicago in the summer of 2015, On Your Feet! made its Broadway debut that November, played for two years, and received seven Outer Critics Circle Award nominations, three Drama League Award nominations and a Tony Award^® nomination for Best Choreography.

This exciting new production is directed and choreographed by Luis Salgado, who performed in the original Broadway production of On Your Feet! and was the Assistant Latin Choreographer of In the Heights on Broadway, which won four Tony Awards. In May 2022, Salgado directed and choreographed the world premiere of On Your Feet! in Spanish at GALA Hispanic Theatre in Washington D.C. which The Washington Post praised production as “boisterous .. and dreamlike.”

“We are absolutely thrilled that our musical will once again be shared with audiences across the United States in this brand-new production of On Your Feet! led by Luis Salgado,” Gloria and Emilio Estefan said.  “We've had tremendous fun sharing our story on the stage since our show first hit Broadway in 2015 and it is our hope that we can continue to inspire and uplift people with its celebratory message, especially at a time when we all need it so much.”

Gaby Albo stars as Gloria Estefan and Samuel Garnica as Emilio Estefan. Also in the cast are Francisca Tapia as Gloria Fajardo, Adriel Orlando Garcia as José Fajardo, Adela Romero as Consuelo, Lauren Danielle Horgan as Rebecca, Katie McCollum as Young Gloria, and Javier Iván as Young Emilio and Nayib. The ensemble of On Your Feet! includes Facundo Agustín, Miguel Flores, Arquímides González, Emilee Hassanzadeh, Marielisa Lugo, Madelin Marchant, Miranda Pepin, Reynel Reynaldo, Ralphie Rivera de Jesús, Angelliz M. Rosado Ramos, Rodolfo Santamarina, Kristen Tarragó, Sebastian Treviño, Zaiedd Vélez and Marina Vidal.

 

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The On Your Feet! band, led by Music Director Daniel Gutierrez (also on keyboard), features Jaime Ibacache Palma (guitar), Jaime Rodriguez (drums), Danny Santiago (bass), Manny Marquez (percussion), Pedro Carrero (trombone) and Linda Briceño (trumpet). This world class group of musicians includes GRAMMY winners and nominees, multi-instrumentalists, and artists who have performed with pop and rock legends. 

“We’re bringing a multicultural group of people to our new national tour. I’m proud of this cast and of the musicians who are joining us from around the world: Puerto Rico, Cuba, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Mexico and everywhere in between. We are so proud of this dynamic company,” said Luis Salgado. “The representation in our cast is truly a rainbow of possibilities. We mean it when we say, ‘This is what an American looks like.’ My heart is pumping with excitement that we are bringing this talented group of people across the United States,” Salgado added.

Performances take place Saturday, April 15 at 8:00pm; Sunday, April 16 at 2:00pm & 7:00pm. Tickets range from $69-$109 and are available for purchase online.

The On Your Feet! creative team includes scenic design by Clifton Chadick, lighting design by Christopher Annas-Lee, costume design by Jeannette Christensen, video design by Patrick W. Lord, sound design by Diego Garzón, hair and wig design by Bobbie Zlotnik, casting by Kate Lumpkin Casting, music direction by Daniel Alejandro Gutierrez, musical supervision by Clay Ostwald, music, lyrics and orchestrations by Emilio and Gloria Estefan, arrangements by Lon Hoyt, additional orchestrations and arrangements by Jorge Casas, Clay Ostwald, and Oscar Hernández. Assisting Salgado are Associate Director Claudia Mulet and Associate Choreographer Shani Talmor.

On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan is produced by GFour Productions, Evan Bernardin Productions, Salgado Productions, Midnight Theatricals, Jeremiah J. Harris & Alexander Donnelly, Ordinary Magic, Marc David Levine, Sam & Rob Sutton and GRP Entertainment. It is produced through a special license from Theatrical Rights Worldwide, and represented by Columbia Artists Theatricals. 

Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) is located at 100 South Street in Morristown, New Jersey.  MPAC, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, presents a wide range of programs that entertain, enrich, and educate the diverse population of the region and enhance the economic vitality of Northern New Jersey. The 2022-2023 season is made possible, in part, by a grant the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as support received from the F.M. Kirby Foundation, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation and numerous corporations, foundations and individuals. Mayo Performing Arts Center was named 2016 Outstanding Historic Theatre by the League of Historic American Theatres, and is ranked in the top 50 mid-sized performing arts centers by Pollstar Magazine.