Gloria Estefan Gives You All the Details on Her New Broadway Musical

Updated on 10/20/2015 at 7:00 AM

It's no exaggeration to call Gloria Estefan and her husband, Emilio, Latin heroes. The couple is a staple in our culture, part of every Latina's life — it doesn't matter how old you are or where you grew up, their music was always present around you. So when the Cuban stars announced plans for a Broadway musical based on their life stories, called On Your Feet!, the excitement was palpable. We caught up with Gloria to chat about what we can all expect from the show, now in previews at the Marquis Theatre in Times Square — from what songs are part of the story to the process of finding the cast. Keep scrolling for her must-read quotes, then check out how she celebrated her anniversary with Emilio this year.

On choosing the name for the musical: "The musical is named for a part of the title of one of our biggest and longest lasting hits, 'Get On Your Feet.' But we chose that particular title because it symbolizes the times in both Emilio's and my life where we've had to start over. We had to leave our homeland and find a new life in a new country with a new language, we fought for our musical ideas despite being told that our sound would never have mainstream appeal, then, finally, after being paralyzed in an accident while on tour I had to literally learn to walk again. We have always been getting back 'on our feet' in one way or another."

On why this is the perfect time for this musical: "Over 25 years ago, Broadway producer Jimmy Nederlander had approached us with the idea of doing a Latin-flavored show — not autobiographical, but rather a musical concept incorporating Latin music and stories. We were so busy touring the world at the time that Emilio knew we would not be able to give it the time and attention that a project of that magnitude warranted. But when coproducer Bernie Yuman approached the Nederlanders for this project, they were very excited about the idea of a musical based on our lives. At this point, we have so many experiences under our belts that can connect not only with the Broadway audience but — as our music had done — with an international audience. The story we are telling is a human one of love for each other, love for music, and love for a United States that opened its arms to us and gave us the opportunity to achieve the much referenced 'American Dream.' It is a huge honor and privilege to have our story told on the Great White Way — of all the possible storytelling mediums that exist, a live production, where people actually sing, dance, and act, is the closest to our real lives; the connection that exists between artists on a stage and their audience is what I have lived throughout my professional life."

On finding the right actors to play Gloria and Emilio: "The main thing we were looking for in our actors was honesty in their performances. I wasn't looking for someone to be my clone, but rather that she interpret my life and this beautiful script written by Alex Dinelaris. When I saw that Ana [Villafañe] looked like she could be my daughter, then was enthralled by her singing and blown away by her reading of one of the most difficult scenes in the play, I was sold. Emilio was sold the minute he saw Josh [Segarra] and his good looks. Just kidding, of course, but Josh was involved since the first reading and we watched him quite literally become more and more like Emilio as he observed him every moment we were in the same room. On many occasions I told Ana to put down the magnifying glass because I felt like I was under a microscope. She really knows how to do her homework and is doing a stellar job. She grows more nuanced with each performance."

On her favorite moment in the show: "There are too many moments in the play that I love and never get tired of seeing, but there's one that literally throws me back into the actual experience, and that is when Emilio is helping me to walk again."
On the songs she wanted to make sure were part of the show: "There are many songs that we absolutely had to have in the show, because the fans would be very upset if we didn't include them and we love them. But it was important for us to include certain songs with very traditional rhythms that are in Spanish to maintain the authenticity that we were going for. I was very excited to write new lyrics in English for them, so that non-Spanish speakers would know clearly what was being sung. Part of the brilliance of Alex Dinelaris, our book writer, was in the way he incorporated our songs into the story. Many of the songs were actually written after 1991, where the story in the musical ends, and the way he advances the story through the songs is, in my opinion, very unique to the jukebox musicals that have come before."

On how the show will surprise the audience: "There are so many layers to this musical that I think all audiences — including my biggest fans — will be surprised by. Not to mention it offers the perfect combination of big hits and beautiful songs from my early albums that few people will remember (and most will be hearing for the first time). I hope that each night at On Your Feet!, we make the audience laugh, we make them cry, but most importantly, we make them dance!"