“On Your Feet!”
actor Mauricio Martinez says production carries universal message.
Actor Mauricio Martínez can identify with pop superstar Gloria Estefan.
“On Your Feet!,” the touring Broadway musical that examines Estefan’s life through her hit songs, opens Tuesday at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando. A Mexican telenovela actor, Martínez plays Emilio Estefan — producer, manager and fiercely devoted advocate for his wife.
“Although I am playing the husband, I sometimes feel so related to Gloria,” Martínez said. “As a performer, I understand the struggle of being a minority trying to make it big in the States. I also understand the passion with which Emilio defends his wife every step of the way and is determined to make the world stop, get ‘on your feet’ and accept that diversity is what makes this country so rich and powerful.”
Nearly the entire cast is Hispanic, he said.
“In this era that we are living today, where being an immigrant sometimes is synonym of a bad thing, this musical shows that we are, in fact, the backbone of this country,” he said. The Estefans both emigrated from Cuba as children.
Their story mixes prejudice and romance, loss and sacrifice, reconciliation and triumph in a bilingual show of emotions, dance — and Cuban flavor that includes hits such as “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You,” “Conga,” “Get on Your Feet,” “Don't Want to Lose You” and “1-2-3.”
It’s the staying power of those catchy hits that will create “eight amazing nights that will make everyone literally get on their feet and want to dance,” Martínez said.
The show is directed by Tony-winner Jerry Mitchell (“Kinky Boots,” “Hairspray”). Christie Prades, born in Miami to Cuban parents, plays Gloria.
The story is universal, Martínez said, because “whether you are an immigrant or not, you can identify because we all have dreams of something bigger in our lives.”
He’s living his dream by appearing in the show.
“For me, playing this role is a dream come true,” he said. “This is more than just a musical … This is a story of life, a story of how when you have your goals set up, no one can take that away from you.
“I can’t stress enough how important this role is for me,” Martínez added. “I have done other shows in the past … but I feel like this is also the story of my life. It is the story of a Mexican guy who is looking to make a name for himself, to accomplish a dream.”