THE TM 911 Franklin Street Weekly Newspaper Michigan City, IN 46360 Volume 31, Number 21 Thursday, June 4, 2015 Gloria and Emilio ON YOUR Estefan Offer Insight Into by Broadway-Bound Andrew FEET!Tallackson Musical Participating in the panel discussion about “On Your Feet” are (from left) Gloria Estefan, Emilio Estefan, Ana Villafañe, Josh Segarra and Jerry Mitchell. “Her voice. His vision. Their story.” powerhouses that gave birth to 26 Grammys and A telling marketing campaign if there ever was 100 million records sold worldwide. one. Gloria and Emilio Estefan never foresaw a fairy At its core, the Estefans say, the musical — in the tale life for themselves, but that’s what they achieved. works for 25 years — speaks to all audiences. Their careers, their marriage, their triumphs over “We want to inspire people,” Emilio Estefan says. tragedy: It’s the stuff from which legends are made. “Good things can happen in this country because of Or, at least, a Broadway musical. the American dream.” “On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Este- “On Your Feet!” runs June 2 through July 5 at fan,” the Broadway-bound musical making its world Chicago’s Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., premiere in Chicago, aims to be intimate, yet epic, then has its Broadway debut Oct. 5 at Marquis The- charting the union between the two music-industry Continued on Page 2 THE Page 2 June 4, 2015 THE 911 Franklin Street • Michigan City, IN 46360 219/879-0088 • FAX 219/879-8070 In Case Of Emergency, Dial e-mail: News/Articles - [email protected] email: Classifieds - [email protected] http://www.thebeacher.com/ PRINTED WITH Published and Printed by TM Trademark of American Soybean Association THE BEACHER BUSINESS PRINTERS Delivered weekly, free of charge to Birch Tree Farms, Duneland Beach, Grand Beach, Hidden 911 Shores, Long Beach, Michiana Shores, Michiana MI and Shoreland Hills. The Beacher is also delivered to public places in Michigan City, New Buffalo, LaPorte and Sheridan Beach. ence leaned forward in their seats, eager for each On Your Feet! Continued from Page 1 new introduction. First onto the stage was Mitch- ell, followed by Segarra and Villafañe. Then, with atre, 1535 Broadway. The Estefans introduced their the familiar strains of “On Your Feet” pervading new labor of love during the special taping May 20 the room, the audience did just that, standing, clap- of Comcast’s “Broadway Backstage” at Broadway ping, whistling, cheering as Gloria and Emilio Este- Playhouse that also included the show’s director, fan took to the stage, hand in hand, quietly taking Jerry Mitchell, and the relative newcomers play- ing them on stage: Ana Villafañe as Gloria and Josh in the spirited reaction. Segarra as Emilio. Lisnek wasted no time getting down to business, Judging by the rapturous applause they received giving the Estefans a chance to shed light on their May 20, prompting Gloria to exclaim, “Let’s hope humble origins. Both were born in Cuba, she on Sept. all our audiences are like this one in Chicago,” the 1, 1957, he on March 4, 1953. Both fl ed the country Estefans have another hit on their hands. with their families to create better lives for them- Their audience May 20 contained not only the selves in Miami, Fla. She became the lead singer for media and Broadway in Chicago patrons, but also a group called Miami Latin Boys, which later became students from local schools, from Charles R. Dar- Miami Sound Machine. She met Emilio, the band’s win Public School to DePaul and Northwestern uni- leader, in 1976. They were married two years later. versities. The host was award-winning TV anchor/ Her breakout hit arrived in 1985 with “Conga.” From host Paul Lisnek, who moved the interviews along there, the hits came one after the other: “Turn the at lightning speed. Beat Around,” “Rhythm is Gonna Get You,” “Don’t With the cameras rolling, Lisnek boomed with Want to Lose You,” “1-2-3,” “Coming Out of the Dark,” theatrical bravado. “Theirs is an everlasting love “Anything for You.” On March 20, 1990, during her refl ecting the very fabric of America...” The audi- “Cuts Both Ways” tour, a speeding semi-truck col- The line outside Broadway Playhouse waiting to get inside for the taping. THE June 4, 2015 Page 3 lided with her tour bus near Scranton, Pa. She was critically injured, the damages including a fractured spine. Doctors at the Hospital for Joint Diseases at NYU Langone Medical Center surgically implanted two titanium rods to support her vertebral column. Told she might never walk again, nor bear children, she went through excruciating physical therapy, re- turning to the stage 10 months later with a trium- phant international tour. Four years later, she gave birth to her second child, Emily Marie. Today, Estefan is considered one of the world’s best-selling musical artists of all time. Emilio, in addition to his long-lasting marriage to, and creative partnership with, Gloria, has been involved in the careers of everyone from Shakira and Ricky Martin to Jennifer Lopez and Marc An- thony. However, he does not cast aside the hard- ships he has endured, including a point in his life when he was almost homeless. Gloria and Emilio Estefan answer questions about the history behind their Broadway-bound musical. “Music was the only thing that kept me happy, that kept me alive,” he said. “We live in the greatest country in the world, and we sometimes take our freedoms for granted. In this play, you will see how we worked so hard to get where we are today.” To transform their story into a Broadway mu- sical – it charts some 26 years in their lives, with Gloria aging from 17 to 33 – the Estefans enlisted some of Broadway’s best. Mitchell, the director, took home the 2013 Tony for his choreography for “Kinky Boots,” for which he also was nominated for Best Director. He’s also been involved in shows such as “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” “Hairspray,” “The Full Monty,” “The Rocky Horror Show,” “Gyp- sy” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and “Legally Blonde.” The book is by Alexander Dinelaris, hot off his Oscar and Golden Globe wins for the screenplay for “Bird- man.” Choreographer Sergio Trujillo has worked on “Memphis,” “Jersey Boys,” “The Addams Family” and “Next to Normal.” Continued on Page 4 THE Page 4 June 4, 2015 Emilio, an affable man of exceedingly good hu- On Your Feet! Continued from Page 3 mor, noted with tongue fi rmly planted in cheek that Musically, Mitchell said, the challenge has been if someone was going to portray him on stage, then taking popular songs everyone associates with Glo- he should be able to pick an actor considerably bet- ria and spreading them out among the cast, to in- ter looking than him. Gloria, smiling amid the audi- corporate other characters into the music. One of ence’s laughter, stressed that Segarra captured her the new songs, in fact, “If I Never Got to Tell You,” husband’s gentle sense of humor. was written by Gloria and her daughter. That input from the Estefans is something Segar- ra appreciated. “It has been such an honor,” he said of playing Emilio. “I spent so much time with them. I got to know them personally. They are the warmest, kindest, hum- blest people. They put everyone before themselves. “Emilio has to be the pillar of strength (for Glo- ria),” he continued. “His relationship with Gloria grows. They support each other. They have each other’s backs.” Villifañe agreed, saying she and Segarra felt a re- sponsibility to honor who the Estefans are as musi- cians and, most importantly, as people. “We’re very lucky to have had them every step of the way,” she said. “Gloria has been very generous with me. She recommended books to me, music that infl uenced her.” “On Your Feet” also marks a growing trend, from “The Producers” to “Big Fish” to Sting’s “The Last Ana Villafañe and Josh Segarra answer questions from the audience. Ship,” of new musicals using Chicago as the testing Villifañe, who wasn’t born yet when “Conga” ground before an offi cial Broadway debut. Mitchell, was released, makes her Broadway debut as Glo- in fact, said Chicago audiences are similar to those ria. Nonetheless, she’s been a huge fan of Estefan’s in New York. – she even attended the same high school as the “Get a good audience in the room with you and singer. The actress missed last fall’s casting call for they will tell you what they like and what they don’t “On Your Feet” and subsequently sent a video au- like,” he said. “You just listen to the audience. They dition to the casting offi ce. Within three days, she will tell you when you have a good show.” was called in to appear before the Estefans and the The panel fi elded questions from the audience, director. particularly a string of thoughtful ones from pupils “When I heard about the show, I told my agent, at Charles Darwin School, who asked everything ‘Just get me in the room with them,’” Villifañe said, from how the Estefans learned English to how Glo- laughing. “I had this insane connection to the sto- ria improved her voice over the years (she took vocal ry. So I get to New York (to meet with them), and lessons once part of the Miami Sound Machine). there’s this long table, and there in the center is Mitchell stressed that Gloria Estefan.