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ON YOUR FEET Finds Its Leads! Gloria & Emilio Estefan Introduce Ana Villafañe & Josh Segarra!
Nov 8, 2022
As BroadwayWorld reported this morning, following an international casting search, producers James L. Nederlander, Estefan Enterprises, Inc and Bernie Yuman are pleased to announce the cast for On Your Feet! - the new Broadway musical based on the life story of seven-time GRAMMY® winning international superstar Gloria Estefan, who has sold over 100 million albums worldwide, and her husband, 19 time GRAMMY® winning legendary producer-musician-entrepreneur Emilio Estefan.
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Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World
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We're at the Marquee Theatre, where this October, the new musical On Your Feet
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which tells the story of 26-time Grammy Award winners Emilio and Gloria Estefan
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will begin performances. And I caught up with the Estefans and the two stars that will play them
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Anna Villafane and Josh Segarra. You're in the Marquee Theatre, which is going to be your home in just a few months
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Look at this, how does it feel? Oh my God, it's a dream. You know, I think this stage is going to inspire so many people
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especially by him making the new history, it's going to be him. And, you know, something making the history about, you know, a play that, you know
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in a way when we start the whole thing, people say you have to change your name, you have to change your sound, and, you know, something
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I think they'll be able to inspire minorities. It's not only about Latinos. It's about, you know, coming through and showing the world, you know
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something that we live in the best country in the world, that we have opportunities. And thanks back, you know, about what the United States gave us to us
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But, you know, at the same time, Gloria Saxton. and things that you have to fight for in life
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And that's what it's called in your field because in life you have to go through so many hard times
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that you have to get back in your field. So I'm so happy that he's going to play this part
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and I'm extremely happy. Is this all surreal for you, this journey you just started
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Of course. I can't even... I'm on cloud nine right now. You know, it's been..
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You know, two separate worlds are happening. The career side, you know, like the acting side of it
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I'm on top of the world because I have a job that you rarely get to say that you get in your life
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And I get to come to work and have fun and do something that I've been influenced by
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since I was in the crib. You know, I've been listening to his music and their music
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And then the other side of it is that I get to know this guy now
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I get to meet him. I get to spend time. I get to know the man behind so many great things that have happened
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You know, come on, the Latin Grammys, this guy, you know, and so many artists that, you know, are on the tip of our tongues all the time
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it's because of them, because of him. I get to introduce him to the world a little bit
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So it's cool. This was a worldwide casting search. How did you know it was him
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Believe it or not, he read the part, the first part. And we saw thousands of people because we're using new technology
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We're using the Internet. And we knew it was him. I knew right away it was him. I said, maybe it's me, but everybody, Gloria fell in love with him
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Everybody, all the directors, the producers, everybody said, this is the guy, this is the guy
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And he said, he's so busy now. I said, please try to see if we can get him. And you know something
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He came true. And I think because, you know something, he's real. He has a, he's real, he's a great actor
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but, you know, he has a passion, you know, to inspire people. And I love that
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When I read the script the first time, when we did that first read-through and I started to read up a little bit more on him
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it was mine. I knew it was mine. Because I was protective over it already. You know, I was protective over him
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I didn want anybody else to portray him I wanted to portray him because it my honor to get to do it You know and when that when you find that in this business when you find pride in what you doing and you excited to go to work man you don leave that for anything
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I got lucky. He's such a handsome guy. I never was so handsome. Just being together, did you give him some insight into playing you
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I told him, be who you are. I love what you're doing. Be me. I'm a real guy
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I love life. Wake up in the morning, I smile. Even my life was so negative because I left my family
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I went through being almost homeless when I was a kid. So many things in my life happened
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I always look for the positive side. I think he has that kind of same personality
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Just what it's been like for you working on a Broadway musical, turning your life into a musical, what that whole process has been like for you
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Oh, my God. You know, something is so different. I mean, I work in so many movies in my life
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I work in so many shows and productions. But you know something? I think, to me, it's about our life
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It's about many people's lives. I think in that stage, people are going to think
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I don't care if you're Jewish, Italian, you're Japanese, you come from any place in the world
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you're going to identify about life, how hard sometimes you have to do it
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and how you have to look to things in a positive way. And I think that's what is going to happen here at this stage
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And he's been a trooper. Every once in a while, in the middle of the read-throughs or in rehearsal
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I'll peek over, and he's been unbelievable throughout. him and Gloria have, it's crazy to watch your life played out on stage, you know
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And they've been unreal throughout the process. Very hands-on, you know, a part of it from the very beginning, you know
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And I say that because of the respect and the distance that they've also given us to
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explore and have freedom, but they've been with us every step of the way, and it's been
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pretty, it's been, it's been unbelievable, man. I know, like in movies, sometimes they try to, you know, make things like Hollywood and
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sometimes in places like this, I want to be real. People need to know the real story about, you know, what we went through
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I think that that way, you know, that's the way you can definitely inspire people
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My final question is, what are you looking forward to the most standing in this theater of bringing your story to Broadway
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Oh, my God, what am I looking? I'm looking forward to meeting Pitbull. He grew up with me
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I love him. I love him. And maybe J-Lo. And Marc Anthony. And Shakira
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Opening night, they all will be here. Come on, man. It comes down to that, right? Yeah, after opening night, I'm not going to be here anymore
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No, I'm playing, I'm playing, I'm playing. I cried the moment I walked in here. Yes, I teared up as soon as I got on stage
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It's major, it's epic, it's beautiful, and there's just so much history
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And so to kind of be, you know, part of this is, I'm still kind of figuring it out
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Me too. And you know what? It's like anything, when you get a tour together that you're doing the rehearsals
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you're very excited, but when you step on that first, you know, stage to do it
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So I know what it going to be like for her and I just so excited I can imagine We so thrilled and I love working on the show Everything has fallen into place so well as if the universe is conspiring to help us get this show out there
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And I'm beyond excited. Is it surreal for you? I mean, today's a big day for you
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Today is a major day. I kind of feel like it's my birthday. You know, and I'm sitting here
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and I'm trying to process that this is real life and that this is what I get to do for a living
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That's just, it's insane. I feel very blessed, very fortunate, very thankful
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to be sitting here right now. And I'm my lucky 13th. Lucky 13th. I love 13. I love that number
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Me too. That's my lucky number. That's our family lucky number. And again, there have been a lot of 13s
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that have to do with this and look today. Perfect. The casting process has been wild
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You looked all around the world. How did you know it was her? You know those things about you don't have to ask when you find the person you're in love with that you want to marry
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She walked in in the final four. I mean, we saw a lot of people
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And there were a lot of people that would send great tapes musically. And then they'd get sent sides because you have to have amazing acting chops
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And she is the package. But she walked in and she sang
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And then she did her thing. She stood up. She put her hair in her ponytail and did the scene
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And when she left, we all looked at each other and there was no doubt
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There was something when she walked in. There was just some electricity in the air
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Something that was there, palpable, again, meant to be. Then I found out she went to my high school
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So I go, that's what it is. She's a Lord's girl. How do you hold it all together when you idolize this woman and then you're like, oh, my God, I think I can audition to maybe play her
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I was just dying for the chance. I was just, all I wanted was the opportunity to go in
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I wanted to see, I know these songs. I know this story. I know them from the fan perspective
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And now, you know, now it's just like through the roof because now knowing them on a personal
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basis, it's just, it's all the more like the level of respect and admiration that I have
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has only grown, which is, I didn't think that was possible to be honest, but, but yeah
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it's, it's a major responsibility and it's just, I mean, how lucky is that
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You know, like it's a once in a lifetime role and it's a once in a lifetime show, to be honest
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And for you and your husband working on Broadway, putting a musical together about your life, what you've enjoyed the most about the process
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I love the creative process and I love, you know, bouncing ideas off of each other
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I loved working with Alex. You know, they always they you know, the Nederlanders were so great
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They go, we're going to start bringing writers to see if you, you know, connect because if you're going to it's a very intimate process
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Alex came in and he gave us his angle of how he saw the show And I told them I go we don need to look any further This is our man And we worked together for the last three years and it been phenomenal Likewise with Jerry
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they brought Jerry. First, I'm a huge fan of Jerry's and his stuff. I'd seen, you know
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kinky boots and hairspray and everything probably that he's done. He walked in and when I heard him
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speak, I go, if he's up, if he can do this, then are you kidding me? We're so thrilled and everything
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just worked great and and five of my band guys are in the band they're they're actually going to be
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on stage every night they moved to new york that's how much they wanted to be a part of this and it
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brings a lot of authenticity to our sound because they know exactly what it is we do in concert and
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everything has been a wonderful and beautiful process and all the actors that that have been
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in it's very exciting for us it's really clicked was there a specific insight you gave to her about
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playing you? Well, there's a lot. We've talked a lot. I don't know what, you know, came through
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the most for her. I guess you'd have to ask her that. What did come through the most for you? You know, there's just so much about her and about her relationship with Emilio and her
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relationship with the fans. Because one of the first things when we first got together after I
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had gotten the job and all of that, before coming to the final workshop, she put a lot of emphasis
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on the connection with the audience and that personal connection. And she studied psychology and how invested she is
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and how in tune she is with how much her music actually affects
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every single person in that audience. And I've been affected by it because I've been the person in the audience before
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So now that I get to kind of carry that on, it's beautiful
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My final question is, as you're sitting here in the Marquis Theatre, What are you looking forward to the most with bringing your story to Broadway
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That same thing that she said. I think that we want to do with this show what we try to do with our music
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First of all, just entertain and have people have some joy and bring that into their lives, have them forget for a couple hours
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that they have any kind of problem in their life or any difficulty or situation
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And then to take away something that they heard or felt on that stage
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and take it back with them to their lives because that's what music was healing in my life, other people's music
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So I feel so privileged and blessed that our music has been that for some people
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And a lot of people here may never have heard my music. I tell her, you've got a great up. Listen, yes, of course
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And that's what we hope, that a whole new audience can hear the music and see the story
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and somehow take something home with them. Well, just get ready because you're going to inspire and heal thousands of people tonight
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for a long time here at the Marquette. We sure hope so. Yes, I love it
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