Coined as a jukebox musical, “On Your Feet!” centers on the music and life of singing sensation, Gloria Maria Milagrosa Fajardo Garcia, better known as Gloria Estefan. The story spans from her youth as a Cuban refugee in Miami to her rise as a global pop music icon and the significant life events in between.
The show premiered in the summer of 2015 at the Oriental Theater in Chicago to rave reviews. A few months later, it graced Broadway at the Marquis Theater and now, it makes its way to the Cardinal Spellman High School stage.
With music and lyrics by Gloria Estefan, her husband Emilio and the Miami Sound Machine, and book written by Alexander Dinelaris Jr., the Cardinal Players bring “On Your Feet!” to life. With high energy performances, colorful set designs, powerful singing and a live eight-piece band playing all of Gloria Estefan’s top hits, the cast keeps audiences hanging on every last beat.
The plot jumps in chronology and opens with Gloria Estefan, played by high school senior Layla Capers, performing in concert while her husband Emilio (Liam Santos, Spellman sophomore) and son, Nayib (Michael Badia, Spellman senior) who is school-age at the time, view from backstage.
The second scene travels back in time to 1960s Vietnam where Gloria’s father, Jose Fajardo (Lucas Sabater-Shwartz, Spellman senior) listens to a recording of 11-year-old Gloria singing. Fellow eavesdropping soldiers commend her voice and make special requests for what song they’d like to hear next.
Then the audience sees young Gloria in Miami doing laundry as an elderly neighbor (Landon Soto, Spellman junior) begs her for a song. Little Gloria (Isabella Moreira, Spellman sophomore) gives in and sings, “Tradicion,” a song about tradition and cultural pride, released in 1993 on Estefan’s grammy-winning album, “Mi Tierra.”
In the script, Gloria’s grandmother Consuelo (Aslee St. Mark,) pushes the 17-year-old singer and guitarist to pursue music instead of doting over her sick father who developed multiple sclerosis after chemical exposure in the military. Consuelo introduces Gloria to Emilio who joins his band, the Miami Latin Boys, later the Miami Sound Machine.
In a later scene, Emilio echoes the theme of cultural pride when a music executive tells him he needs to change his name to make the crossover into the American market. As Emilio is about to exit, he turns to the man and passionately contests his suggestion.
“When I first got to Miami, there was a sign in front of the apartment building next to ours. It said, ‘No Pets. No Cubans.’ Change my name? It’s not my name to change. It’s my father’s name. It was my grandfather’s name. My grandfather who we left behind in Cuba to come here and build a new life – and you should look very closely at my face, because whether you know it or not, this is what an American looks like.”
“The world is going crazy right now, you know?” Santos told the Bronx Times. “That line really relates to what’s going on today because like, the whole thing with ICE, you know, because this is what an American looks like.”
In an especially moving number, the penultimate song features a grown Gloria played by Capers, who sings “Coming Out of the Dark” with passion in her voice. The scene depicts Gloria’s return to the stage at the 1991 American Music Awards after a terrible bus accident exploded several vertebrae in her back the year prior. The near-fatal experience inspired the husband-and-wife duo to write the song, which hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 that year.
Capers stands on stage alone, wearing a long sapphire gown, washed in the spotlight, bringing visual drama to her performance. Two groups of choir singers wearing black robes stand on either side of her, off stage. Their heartfelt performance inspires hope with a side of goosebumps.
The young starlet has been singing since the age of 5 at Harvest Fields Community Church on East Tremont. Capers then joined Random Farms Kid’s Theater in Thornwood, NY. Her mother, Diana Capers, proudly posted her then 9-year-old daughter’s talent to Instagram.
A few days later, they were contacted by a talent agent. She went on to book a role on Broadway’s “School of Rock” in 2018 and “The Lion King” the following year. She also voices the titular character in the children’s animated series, “Dee & Friends in Oz” on Netflix.
“I see myself doing something, anything theater related because it’s just what makes me happy and that’s what I want to do with my life,” 16-year-old Capers said, who celebrates her 17th birthday on opening night.
The show closes with the “Mega Mix” – a compilation of Estefan’s hit songs turned into one lively number where the dancers break the fourth wall and pour into the audience with an enthusiasm sure to get the audience on their feet.
“ I hope I did it justice, where people leave here and they feel something or they’re able to relate to it because it is a very powerful show and it is rooted in family and I feel like it hits on things that are happening today,” Aramis Soler said, Cardinal Spellman alum and program director and choreographer for the Cardinal Players.
He graduated from Spellman in 2006, but couldn’t stay away. The theater called to him and Soler returned a year later to help in any way he could. He became the Cardinal Players program director in 2020.
The theater program at Cardinal Spellman High School dates back to 1963, with “On Your Feet!” adding to decades of tradition. Rehearsals are intense and run from casting in October to final production in late February to early March.
In addition to giving students a creative outlet, it also teaches them technical skills like lighting and sound. In tandem with the high-quality production, the cast delivers a performance both exhilarating and captivating.
This year’s performance runs for a limited engagement on Friday, Feb. 27 and Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m., with a matinee performance on Sunday, March 1 at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors, and can be purchased on cshsplayers.booktix.com
Reach ET Rodriguez at etrodriguez317@gmail.com. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
