Sheffield Lyceum – until 19 October 2019
Reviewed by Lottie Davis-Browne
3***
Five years following its Broadway debut the bio-musical On Your Feet – the story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan – is off on tour following it’s West End debut earlier this year. The chart topping song promise that the Rhythm is Going to Get You – this show certainly delivers on that, although in-between the songs the beat is often much slower paced, often a little bland in places.
This opening performance at Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre we had several major cast changes…..sometimes this has proved a blessing in disguise in some musicals (for example – the first time I saw Wicked at Apollo Victoria it was Emma Hatton as the famous green witch – understudy at the time and a new name in the world of theatre to me – but she blew my socks off with her performance, later taking over the lead role) but as much as I tried to like Francesca Lara Gordon in the role of Gloria Estefan, there were several times where her voice wasn’t quite powerful enough in some of the bigger belter hits. Whilst she worked well with leading man George Ioannides (as Emilio Estefan) with the duo having a believable chemistry; vocally Gordon lacked the stamina for such a demanding vocal role at times, but her voice on slower numbers had more power to it. Gordon delivered the more challenging notes better when backed by the ensemble.
Sergio Trujillo’s choreography is catchy and addictive to the point where you almost feel like getting up and joining in – which – word of warning to those on end stalls seats near the front – you do get pulled up to dance by the cast members at one point – luckily I’d already grabbed my walking aids ready for the interval dash so the cast member who approached me moved to the person behind (that would have been an awkward abrupt end to Act One if I’d not been on the ball!), with the live band on stage and the athletic moves in perfect unison you can’t help but tap your toes along to the beat. Whilst the choreography can seem a little repetitive at times, it’s such high energy that it is impossible not to want to dance to the beat.
The story starts in 1990 with a dance number from Gloria’s backing dancers, leading backstage to Gloria, her son Nayib and Emilio, and flashbacks to her younger days playing the guitar and singing to send a recording to her dad, José Fajardo, who is stationed in Vietnam in 1966. Growing up in the Little Havana neighbourhood of Miami, with her mother – Gloria Fajardo and Grandma, Consuelo Garcia, Gloria is eventually introduced by her Grandma to Emilio – who at the time was part of a group called Miami Latin Boys – and after Gloria (who at the time was studying psychology) is invited to play one of the songs she has written at one of the bands rehearsals. She soon joins the band, but whilst they rehearse Tuesdays’ and Saturday’s she only commits to weekends so not to interfere with her studies.
Whilst at first Gloria is reluctant to be in the spotlight, with the guidance of Emilio she soon feels more confident and the pair start to fall in love with each other. Some forty years later and the pair are still happily married. The story shows the battle the renamed band (Miami Sound Machine) face when trying to get their music played – they’re either turned away for singing in English or for being too Latino sounding. When they struggle to get their records played on radio, they turn to the nightclub scene and soon hit the big time.
The most memorable part of Gloria’s career of course was the tour bus crash on the 20th March 1990, which left her critically injured, suffering from a fractured spine when their coach collided with a semi truck during heavy snowfall. It was feared she would never walk again following a nine hour surgery to insert two permanent titanium rods into her back stabilise the joints. Following a years intensive physiotherapy, Gloria regained her strength and learned to walk again, returning to the tour she’d had to cancel following the tragedy. Ironically, Gloria fondly refers to the accident as her “rebirth” and it gave her a new sense of life, continuing to perform for decades to come to her millions of “EstaFANS”.
The story concludes in 1991 with her triumphant return to the stage at The American Music Awards. Whilst a must die hard fans, or for a nostalgic night out, it may not appeal to younger musical theatre fans although it’s worth noting that Hollie Ceasar had stepped in to play the role of Gloria’s Grandma for this evenings performance and gave a stellar performance – for me it was this performance that turned this review from a two star to a three star to me. So if you’re a die hard EstaFAN then get on your feet for this nostalgic performance, but if like me you remember the music but didn’t buy the records first time round, maybe give this one a miss.