On Your Feet tells the story of Gloria and Emilio Estefan, from their early days in Cuba to how they made it big in the USA and then how tough times hit and the determination that saw them through it, together.

The thing that really strikes you about On Your Feet is the energy that this show has. From the very first few opening bars right through to the finalie there is a real buzz and a latin flavour that gets your feet tapping.

The strongest thing about On Your Feet is the upbeat numbers. ‘Dr Beat’ was was a prime example of this along with some of the other well know numbers such as ‘1-2-3’ and ‘Conga.’ The choreography by Sergio Trujillo was high octane and showed off the talent of the ensemble as they wowed the audience with their partner work and latino sass.

Much of the book felt a bit like padding to get us from one big number to the next and the story felt slightly superficial. This was especially the case when it comes to Emilio Estefan, the show is billed as the story of both Gloria and Emilio yet we find out very little about Emilio and his background. The harder hitting moments come in act 2 when the audience learn about an accident involving the Estefan’s tour bus, nearly leaving Gloria Estefan paralysed. It was only around this period that you felt that you really got to know the couple and became more invested in their story. However even then this could have been a lot more moving and provide some tear jerking moments to give a nice contrast with the big dance numbers.

The cast were strong across the board. Christine Prades took on the role of Gloria Estefan. She captured her determination and driven as well as an uncanny similar sound to Esefan herself. Nearly stealing the show however was Karen Mann as Consuelo. She was Gloria’s grandmother and pivotal in getting Gloria to join the Miami Sound Machine and provided some real comedy within On Your Feet.

I also have to commend the lighting during On Your Feet, designed by Kenneth Posner. The lighting rig looked huge and provided a real concert feel which worked brilliantly during the big numbers. The sound design by Steve Canyon Kennedy and Andrew Keister was also well thought out, again providing a loud gig like feel but not missing a word.

On Your Feet is a fun show that may not move you but does have some great numbers that will genuinely get you on your feet dancing.

On your Feet is on at The Coliseum until 31st August. For more information and to book tickets visit their website.

If you like this review you might also like my review of Six, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and Bare.