As its 30th season opens, that crowd pleasing palace the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts is mounting a musical perfect for capitalizing on the fact that as of this writing, it’s currently Hispanic Heritage Month. The title characters of On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan are, of course, real life musicians who were both born in Cuba. Given the Miami Sound Machine’s (and later iterations of Gloria’s band) hits, including “Dr. Beat,” the eponymous “Get On Your Feet” and the positively infectious “Conga,” I wondered if Feet! would actually have a plot per se or if this stage production would merely be a glorified excuse for a concert.

Although there’s definitely plenty of mostly hard-charging music belted out by a live 7-piece band to tap your tootsies to, if conflict is the stuff that drama is made of, our eponymous protagonist Gloria (Gaby Albo) has a number of obstacles to overcome as this two-and-a-half-hour-long story unfolds in two acts. First of all, during the 1950s while children, both Gloria and Emilio (Samuel Garnica) flee the Cuban Revolution with their anti-Castro families and resettle in Miami (presumably in Little Havana, not Mar-a-Lago). Despite the preferential treatment given to Cuban immigrants due to Washington’s fanatical anti-communism, growing up an immigrant is not easy in racist Yankee Doodle Dandy-land, especially if you’re not white and don’t speak English as your first language. (Emilio’s challenged language skills are repeatedly the subject of jokes as he has a tendency to voice Archie Bunker-worthy malapropisms.)

Actually, speaking – and singing – in English is another one of the Rubicons that Gloria and her musical cohorts must cross. The play mentions in passing that Miami Sound Machine tours Latin America and has a growing Hispanic audience. But when the contralto wants to croon the lyrics to “Conga,” which has a decidedly Latin beat, in English, all hell breaks loose. Gloria and Emilio wage a promotional blitz to prove to record producers, execs, club owners, radio DJs, et al, that there is indeed a crossover market for their music and that Miami Sound Machine shouldn’t be pigeonholed as being for Latinos only. Of course, “Conga” went on to prove the gringo and other naysayers wrong and to become a chartbuster and Gloria’s booty shaking signature song.

On the family front, Gloria’s dad Jose Fajardo (Max Cervantes) is stricken with MS. And frankly, her mother, the unlikable Gloria Fajardo (Kristen Tarrago), comes across like a completely irrational imbecile who is an impediment to her daughter’s aspirations and burgeoning career, and later to her emotional well-being. A central plot point is whether or not her mother will see the light and come around? (If it was me, I’d just tell her: “Adios amiga. Vaya con Dios.” Who needs jerks to constantly put you and bring you down?)

I won’t reveal the final obstacle Gloria must surmount because I try to avoid plot spoilers. Let’s just say that it gives new resonance to the title of one of Gloria’s biggest songs and of this play with a book by Alexander Dinelaris, who co-won the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award for Alejandro Inarritu’s 2014 Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). Since I haven’t followed Gloria Estefan and her career, I had no idea about this plot twist and didn’t see it coming. 

Another major impediment seems to be that Emilio relentlessly pushes Gloria. On the one hand, you could argue that his unceasing belief in Gloria helped make her the superstar she became. But at what price “success”? Gloria confronts her husband about how harmful his pushing her becomes – but the drama doesn’t develop this point. Indeed, it seems as if it’s just ignored. But what would you expect from a production which both Estefans share “Creator” credit? Never expect objectivity and impartiality when the subject of a story is in the driver’s seat.

Indeed, I assume for the same reason, On Your Feet! doesn’t much go into Gloria’s family’s Cuban background, which is glossed over. I conducted a deep investigative research into this factor (translation: I googled Gloria and read her Wikipedia page, LOL) and found out Gloria’s paternal grandfather was a Cuban soldier and motor escort for the wife of the Cuban despot Fulgencio Batista. Her family was among the thousands fleeing the Cuban Revolution who were referred to as “gusanos,” or “worms.” Her father Jose participated in the 1961 CIA-backed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in an attempt to overthrow Fidel that was crushed. Jose was captured by his own cousin, a member of Castro’s army, and imprisoned for two years. Upon his release and return to America, Jose joined the US military and fought in Vietnam, where he was exposed to Agent Orange and contracted multiple sclerosis. (It seems that reactionary politics are not good for one’s health.)

Be that as it may, one of the most touching scenes in Feet! is when Gloria is taking care of her sick father and tries to ask him for his advice as to whether or not she should marry Emilio. Onstage, her bedridden father is unable to reply, but a younger version of him (albeit clad, as I recall, in an army uniform) appears to offer her sage counsel. 

There are many other cinematic devices deployed throughout this musical extravaganza, most notably via Patrick W. Lord’s projections that open up the drama, taking us from La Mirada to Vietnam to the White House and beyond. Director Luis Salgado creatively oversees the projections and his large cast of actors and dancers, whom he has also provided the sizzling choreography for. Music director/keyboardist Daniel Gutierrez does yeoman’s work, smashing out hit after hit from the stage (not from inside of La Mirada Theatre’s orchestra pit). At the end of this 150-minute or so show with one intermission much of the audience was singing along and dancing, as the play devolved into a concert. Ticket buyers took Gloria’s advice and literally got on their feet!

Many theatergoers will feel an ethnic affinity with this play about two Latino immigrants who, against all odds, succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Only in America! However, in this day and age of “culturally correct casting,” it may be worth pointing out that neither of the leads are Cuban. According to the program, Gaby Albo is Mexican, Samuel Garnica is Venezuelan, as is Adela Romero, who as Gloria’s abuela (grandmother) Consuelo is as consoling and  lovable as Gloria Fajardo is irritatingly distasteful, and Romero steals most of the scenes she graces the stage by being in. In any case, whether they are Cuban or not (hey, Che Guevara was an Argentine, LOL!), they all act, sing and dance well. As far as showbiz may be concerned, it could be a case of: “If you’ve seen one Latino, you’ve seen them all,” especially as non-Hispanics often don’t distinguish between a Puerto Rican, a Dominican and a Chilean, et al. I’m just noting that this issue of accuracy and authenticity in casting can be a complex, thorny subject.

In any case, fans of Gloria Estefan’s energetic sound are likely to get their money’s worth from this play in terms of singing, dancing, acting, production values, live music, etc. And in keeping with its crowd-pleasing playbook, this season La Mirada Theatre is presenting at least two more musicals based on the lives of real-life musicians. In April it is presenting Jersey Boys about the Four Seasons and on November 10, Beautiful, The Carole King Musical opens. Be there or be square! 

On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan is being performed 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays; 8:00 p.m. on Fridays; 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Saturdays; and 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Sundays through Feb. 12 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada, CA. For info see: www.lamiradatheatre.com or call (562) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310. And make sure to check out the theatre’s brand new café/bar on an adjoining patio.