Gloria Estefan is the latest powerhouse diva to have her music and life story
brought to the stage in sensational new bio-musical On Your Feet, touring the UK after a breakthrough success in Broadway and the West End.
The new musical charts the success of Gloria and her husband Emilio (George Ioannides) as he discovers a painfully shy yet talented young Cuban immigrant singer, Gloria (Philippa Stefani), and invites her to sing with his band The Miami Sound Machine.
Under his wing she soon blossoms into a powerhouse diva, achieving global stardom winning over 20 Grammys between them with hit records including Conga, Dr Beat, 1,2,3 and Don’t Wanna Lose You Now.
The popularity of Latin-infused pop music has soared around the world with starssuch as Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias claiming a permanent place for the genre in music charts across the globe. Many attribute this to the success of Gloria and Emilio Estefan who with their grit, determination and relentless drive to prove Latino beats are popular with a mainstream audience defined a new generation of music.
At the heart of their story however is their love story as Emilio becomes her inspiration, co-producer and eventually her husband, by her side every step of the journey as they try to break their Latino mix records into mainstream music, something that had never been done before.
From the first beat of the music, the stage explodes into life with bongo beats, salsa dancing, colourful costumes and dynamic choreography transporting the audience to the Latin vibes of Miami as the story of
Gloria begins.
Choreographer Sergio Trujillo delivers a visually stunning show packed full of incredible dance moves and slick routines from an energetic cast.
Stefani takes on the iconic lead role and her powerful vocals steal the show as she delivers show stopping performances on every track from the beautiful ballads to the pumping dance tracks. Full of energy, drama and diva-esque stage presence she establishes herself as a well deserving leading lady.
Her chemistry with her co-star Ioannides sizzles on stage as he perfectly fits the role of the hopeful and charming Emilio, as ambitious as he is handsome with his unbreakable belief that Gloria will be a superstar all the while never wavering in his dedication and love for her and their family.
Alberto’s solo performance of Mi Tierra showed her vocal talent as well as her gentle duet with Emilio in If I Never Got To Tell You, one of the most
emotional moments in the show.
Laura Friedrich Tejero adds some of the comedy moments in her role as Gloria’s well loved Consuelo and is a favourite with the audience.
The megamix at the end had the audience leaping to their feet and feeling the Latin rhythms right to the rapturous applause at the end.
The Rhythm really will get you by the end of this explosive show. Tickets available until Saturday 7 th March at the Kings.