MELBOURNE, Fla. – The rhythm is gonna get Central Florida theatergoers when “On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan” congas into local venues.
Ensemble member Miguel Flores and the rest of the cast are excited to bring the show to different Central Florida performing arts centers throughout the month of March, especially in Gloria Estefan’s home state.
“I think it goes beyond the jukebox musical,” said Flores, part of the cast traveling to Melbourne, Daytona Beach and The Villages. “It’s great for people to know the story behind the music and to be able to know how much it took for (Emilio and Gloria Estefan) to get to where they are.”
He said the story behind the music is just as important as the music itself. When the Latin pop stars were coming up, the crossover between English and Spanish songs and artists was not as prevalent as it is today.
“A lot of people did not know that part of their story,” Flores said. “So it’s good for them to see and to see and to meet all the characters. Like her mother, her sister, the people that were there for her.”
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It’s a journey he can also relate to as a Puerto Rican-born artist.
“To come from Puerto Rico... to the U.S. and be able to participate in musical theater and share our stories coming from us... I think it’s a beautiful experience and a great opportunity to be able to show that we are all human beings going through the same struggles, and we can all overcome them if we are, you know, focused on the things that we want and the goals that we have for us,” he said.
Growing up on the island, he remembers listening to Emilio and Gloria Estefan.
“I knew about her story, I knew about their music, and it’s kind of fun for me to be able to be on the stage performing songs that I used to sing at home or like, you know, during car rides or a birthday party,” Flores said.
He said it’s something he shares with the rest of the cast, who all hail from different parts of Latin America, like Argentina, Chile and Cuba.
“So all to come together to this music that we all grew up listening to in different countries, it’s an amazing experience and it’s fun,” Flores said. “We just have a blast onstage. And I think it translates and the audience becomes part of the show.”
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“On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan” will be at the following Central Florida venues:
Melbourne
Venue: Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts
Time: March 12-13 at 7:30 p.m.
Buy tickets and find more information here.
Daytona Beach
Venue: Peabody Auditorium
Time: March 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Buy tickets and find more information here.
The Villages
Venue: Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center
Time: March 18 at 7:30 p.m. and March 19 at 2:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m.
Buy tickets and find more information here.
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