La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts Presents On Your Feet! The Story of Emilo & Gloria Estefan
by: David Elzer
Published: September 18, 2023
LA MIRADA...La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts & McCoy Rigby Entertainment begins its 2023-2024 season with the Southern California regional premiere of a brand-new production of the smash-hit musical, On Your Feet! The Story of Emilo & Gloria Estefan, with music, lyrics & orchestrations by Emilio and Gloria Estefan, musical direction by Daniel Alejandro Gutierrez, and direction & choreography by Luis Salgado. On Your Feet! The Story of Emilo & Gloria Estefan will preview on Friday, October 6 at 8 pm & Saturday, October 7 at 2 pm and will run through Sunday, October 29, 2023 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd in La Mirada.
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! The Story of Emilo & Gloria Estefan is the exhilarating original musical based on the extraordinary life of 26-time Grammy Award-winning husband-and-wife team Gloria and Emilio Estefan, featuring 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! The Story of Emilo & Gloria Estefan made its Broadway bow 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.
On Your Feet! The Story of Emilo & Gloria Estefan is produced by GFour Productions and Evan Bernardin Productions through a special license from Theatrical Rights Worldwide, and is represented by Columbia Artists Theatricals. This exciting new production is directed and choreographed by Luis Salgado, who performed in the original Broadway production of On Your Feet! The Story of Emilo & Gloria Estefan 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! The Story of Emilo & Gloria Estefan in Spanish at GALA Hispanic Theatre in Washington D.C. which The Washington Post praised 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! The Story of Emilo & Gloria Estefan led by Luis Salgado,” Gloria and Emilio Estefan said about today’s announcement. “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.”
Salgado said, “This story exemplifies the American Dream through the eyes and work ethic of Cuban immigrants. The Estefans have given us permission to dare to dream bigger. They allowed their truth to resonate through their music, penetrating all of us, whether you’re Latin or not. This joy is a gift we want to give to our audiences.”
“We are passionate about opening the door of representation on this tour and nurturing a diverse family both backstage and on stage, with creative team members who are joining us from around the world,” he added. Several creative team members from the Washington D.C. production will join the national tour.
About the Creative Team
GLORIA ESTEFAN (Music, Lyrics & Orchestrations) With seven Grammy Awards and more than 100 million albums sold worldwide, Gloria Estefan is the most successful Latin crossover performer in the history of pop music. In addition to her 38 #1 hits across the Billboard charts, Gloria recorded the Oscar-nominated song “Music of My Heart,” and has received numerous honors and awards over the course of her illustrious career. She has been presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame, named BMI Songwriter of the Year, received an American Music Award for Lifetime Achievement, and won an MTV Video Music Award, two ACE Awards and multiple Billboard Awards for her many chart-topping hits. Gloria has also been honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, The Kennedy Center Honors, the Ellis Island Congressional Medal of Honor, and the Hispanic Heritage Award.
EMILIO ESTEFAN (Music, Lyrics & Orchestrations) is a world-renowned music, television and film producer, who has been instrumental in shaping, developing, and directing the careers of his superstar wife, Gloria, as well as Shakira, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, and Jon Secada, among many others. With a resume which includes 19 Grammy Awards, Emilio is one of the most successful producers in the music business, blending Latin, pop, and world rhythms, creating his own unique style and world-wide hits. It is this vision that transcends the music field and spills over into film, television, hotels, and restaurants, among other business endeavors, including becoming the first Cuban-born minority stakeholder in an NFL franchise, the Miami Dolphins. Emilio and Gloria were the 2015 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the first time the honor has been bestowed on a married couple.
ALEXANDER DINELARIS (Book) is an Academy Award and Golden Globe winner for the screenplay of Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). He is the co-creator and executive producer of the series “The One Percent” for MRC, starring Hilary Swank. He is currently adapting the novel, Entering Hades, into a feature film with Michael Fassbender. Alex is also currently adapting his play, Still Life, into a feature film, which he will direct next spring. His film, The Year of the Monarchs, is in development with Mandalay Entertainment. Alexander is the book writer of The Bodyguard musical. Other recent work includes his plays Red Dog Howls (New York Theater Workshop), Still Life (Manhattan Class Company), The Chaos Theories (Shotgun Theater), and In This, Our Time (59e59). Mr. Dinelaris is a proud member of the Writer’s Guild and the Dramatists Guild.
LUIS SALGADO (Director & Choreographer) is an international director, choreographer and educator from Puerto Rico currently based in New York City. Most recently, he directed the world premiere of On Your Feet! in Spanish at GALA Hispanic Theatre in Washington D.C. He was the Assistant Latin Choreographer of In the Heights on Broadway, which won four Tony Awards. He has appeared on Broadway in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, ROCKY, In The Heights, On Your Feet, as well as Off-Broadway shows and Broadway tryouts The Mambo Kings (Frankie Suarez), Fame on 42nd Street (Joe Vegas, understudy), and Aida, among others. Film credits include: American Gangster, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Enchanted, the television remake of Dirty Dancing, and Step Up 2: The Streets (Alejandro), for which he also was assistant choreographer. He is the founder/director of R.Evolución Latina, an affiliate of the non-profit organization Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
The Cast of On Your Feet! The Story of Emilo & Gloria Estefan will be announced shortly.
The Design Team is as follows: Scenic Design by Clifton Chadick, Lighting Design by Ryan J. O’Gara, Costume Design by Jeannette Christensen, Video Design by Patrick W. Lord, Sound Design by Diego Garzón, 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, and Additional Orchestrations and Arrangements by Jorge Casas, Clay Ostwald, and Oscar Hernández.
On Your Feet! The Story of Emilo & Gloria Estefan will preview on Friday, October 6 at 8 pm & Saturday, October 7 at 2 pm (with a press opening on Saturday, October 7 at 8 pm) and will run through Sunday, October 29, 2023 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd in La Mirada.
Performances are Thursdays at 7:30 pm; Fridays at 8 pm; Saturdays at 2 pm & 8 pm and Sundays at 1:30 pm & 6:30 pm. There is no performance on Sunday, October 8 at 6:30 pm.
There will be an Open-Captioned performance on Saturday, October 21 at 2 pm. Talkbacks with the cast and creative team will be on Thursday, October 12 at 7:30 pm and Thursday, October 26 at 7:30 pm.
Tickets range from $19 - $85 (prices subject to change) and can be purchased at La Mirada Theatre’s website www.LaMiradaTheatre.com or by calling the La Mirada Theatre Box Office at (562) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310. Group and military discounts are available. $14 Student Tickets are available. Children under 3 will not be admitted into the theatre.
LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS is located at 14900 La Mirada Boulevard in La Mirada, near the intersection of Rosecrans Avenue, where the 91 and 5 freeways meet. Parking is free.