On Your Feet Reviews
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
"...Some may scoff that "Coming Out of the Dark" is cut from the same chest-thumping bathos as "My Heart Will Go On," but make no mistake: As deployed in "On Your Feet!," the song will give you (as the kids say) all the feelz. At the risk of alienating those among us who would rather have a root canal than be shamed into "audience participation" segments, rest assured: The conga line that caps the first half of "On Your Feet!" is a beast of joyful pandemonium."
Daily Herald- Somewhat Recommended
"...Estefan Enterprises, Inc. is one of the show's major producers, so "On Your Feet!" can feel self-congratulatory at times. Yet the musical emerges as an unapologetic American paean to hard work, determination and pride in one's heritage. Jukebox musicals have been based on less."
Stage and Cinema- Highly Recommended
"...Fresh and fabulous, thanks to music director Clay Ostwald and his ten-man band and choreographer Sergio Trujillo, hits like "1-2-3," "Get On Your Feet," "Mi Tierra," and "Reach" could raise the dead and explode the living. The touring company are infallibly right for their roles, notes and steps."
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended
"...This is a cultural story about these gret talents who left the heart of Havana bringing their music to the streets of Miami, and the United States and a cultural phenomenon unlike anything that the music industry had seen before, or was ready to take on. This is their story. Their climb to escape the country and lives they loved due to Castro and to start fresh in a new country with each other and t leave behind a past that had great meaning to each of them."
The Fourth Walsh- Highly Recommended
"...The overwhelming charm of this show is it's a real love story. Most musicals are about fictitious love. And even if the musical is about real people like "Beautiful" or the upcoming "Cher", the story isn't anchored in one true love. It's a series of marriages influencing the singer songwriter. ON YOUR FEET! is a simplistic girl-meets-boy-love-at-first-sight-happily-ever-after phenomena. Emilio and Gloria Estefan fell in love and produced a string of Grammy Award-winning tunes. And fifty years later, they are still in love and produced a musical about their successful rise from Cuban roots to American fame. Get on your feet, get in your seat... at Cadillac Palace Theatre."
Chicagoland Musical Theatre- Highly Recommended
"...At its core, On Your Feet is about the music of Gloria Estefan. What better way to re-live her greatest hits than through a concert? David Rockwell's spare set design and Kenneth Posner's technicolor, audience-panning lighting design co-mingle to transport the audience of the Cadillac Theatre to a sold-out Gloria Estefan show. Complete with a live band onstage and plenty of backup dancers, the set-up had the audience on their feet (pun very much intended) and clapping along to the conga by the end of the show."
Chicago Theater and Arts- Highly Recommended
"...The duo has palpable chemistry, and you find yourself rooting for them and the love connection that drives their music. Prades’ vocals are strong and steady throughout the show. Martinez seems to be more at home with a faster beat, but his rendition of “Don’t Wanna Lose You,” as Gloria recovers from surgery, flows straight from the heart and into the far reaches of the theater. He’s the comedian of the family, and Gloria loves him all the more for it."
Picture This Post- Highly Recommended
"...The entire production is filled with hot Latin music and dancing (how can they spin around so much and so fast without getting dizzy?) and audience participation. At the end of the first act, the ensemble steps off the stage and dances in the aisles with audience members. At the end of the show, everyone was indeed on their feet as the cast members danced and sang, and the orchestra jammed. This is a wonderful show that is not to be missed."