A Cuban-American actress who attended the same Miami high school as Gloria Estefan and an actor who stars on the USA cable television network's program "Sirens'' have been chosen to star on Broadway as Gloria and Emilio Estefan in a musical based on the groundbreaking entertainers' lives.
Producers said Monday that Ana Villafane, who appeared in the film "Magic City Memoirs'' and who initially auditioned via video to play Gloria Estefan, will make her Broadway debut opposite Josh Segarra in "On Your Feet!''
Segarra has been seen off-Broadway in "Dogfight'' and on Broadway in "Lysistrata Jones.'' He has a recurring role on the NBC television network show "Chicago PD'' and a guest appearance on Showtime cable television network's award-winning series "Homeland.''
The musical will begin performances Oct. 5 at the Marquis Theatre after a stop this summer at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago, from June 2 through July 5.
Jerry Mitchell, who directed the popular musical "Kinky Boots,'' will helm the show, with Sergio Trujillo choreographing. The story will be written by Alexander Dinelaris.
The Estefans were born in Cuba and together became musical luminaries in Spanish and English, winning Grammy Awards and fans across the U.S. with crossover hits like "The Rhythm is Going To Get You,'' "Conga'' and "Words Get in the Way'' They also helped the careers of other artists, including Shakira, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony and Jon Secada.
The musical, which will have several members of Miami Sound Machine in the orchestra, will include the hits "Get On Your Feet,'' "Don't Want To Lose You Now'' and "Coming Out Of The Dark,'' in addition to an original song written by Gloria and daughter Emily Estefan.
