Review: ‘On Your Feet!’ congas to the McKnight Center

Michael Clark Staff Reporter

In the opening moments of “On Your Feet,” the audience is immediately pulled into the action with a wave of gorgeous, flashy lighting, catchy music and meticulously crafted choreography.

The 2-hour-and-15-minute musical ends in a flash with beloved pop music, emotional solos and exotic Cuban sequences all the way through. Making “On Your Feet!” a varied, fulfilling and exciting ride through the life of Gloria Estefan.

On Thursday and Friday, the Tony award-winning Broadway musical finally came to the McKnight Center, and based on the audience’s reaction, was a massive success. Thursday night was a perfect example of how theater can bring everyone together. There was a blend of elderly, middle-aged and younger audience members all enjoying a great performance. Naturally, “On Your Feet!” received a standing ovation that lasted through an encore, curtain call and long after the end of the show.

During the act one finale, in which the Estefan couple finally hits gold with their hit single ‘Conga,” the energy was palpable in the theater as people clapped along to the iconic beat of this beloved song. Many scenes got hearty laughs from the audience, and many friends and families alike chatted after the show about how much fun they had.

Gaby Albo, the actress who plays Gloria Estefan, captures her showmanship and vocal talent to an impressive extent. While Samuel Garnica doesn’t share as much of the spotlight, his charm and charisma makes for fantastic comic relief.

Francisca Tapia, who plays Gloria’s mother, has an impressive amount of range. Showing musical prowess, excellent comedic timing and sass, and a conflicted and layered character through the scenes she appears in.

While “On Your Feet!” is mostly style over substance, Tapia carries a lot of the emotional beats as if they are nothing.

Katie McCollum, who plays Gloria in her teenage years, is an Oklahoma entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

City University alumna. For her national tour debut, this was a strong start and shows she has a promising career ahead. Although, the real stars of the show must be the dance captains, Marielisa Lugo and Rodolfo Santamarina, and all the other choreographers who helped these impressive dance sequences come to life.

There was no doubt that the McKnight Center delivered and brought a fantastic performance to Stillwater. “On Your Feet!” has something that anyone can enjoy, whether it be visual spectacle, some great comedic moments or plenty of music, it’s a well-rounded and fun experience.