Rockwell and 9 Works Theatrical are bringing to Manila Yemaya’s Belly by Pulitzer-winning playwright-novelist Quiara Alegría Hudes this June, followed by the musical On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan in July.
The announcement was made by Sab Jose-Gregorio, artistic director of Sandbox Collective on Sunday night, March 22, during the curtain call for the final show of Spring Awakening, the musical. Sandbox and 9 Works are sister companies.
‘Yemaya’ teaser image from 9 Works Theatrical video
Based on Concord Theatricals website, Yemaya’s Boy is about a Cuban boy born into a humble farming family. After his first taste of a cold soft drink, he dreams of going to the United States of America for a better life. The play “follows his epic journey into manhood and materialism, from farm, to city, to a raft sailing to the New World.”
Hudes is known for writing In The Heights (with music and lyrics by Lin Manuel-Miranda), and The Elliot Trilogy. Most of her stories celebrate the Latin American heritage and culture.
Award-winning playwright Eljay Castro Deldoc (Photo courtesy of Eljay Deldoc)
Director and set designer Ed Lacson Jr. (Photo courtesy of Ed Lacson)
Yemaya’s Belly, a straight play, will be translated into Filipino, simply titled Yemaya, by Eljay Castro Deldoc, and will be directed by Ed Lacson Jr., who will also do the set design. It will be staged at the 300-seat Black Box of the Proscenium Theater the whole month of June.
9 Works Theatrical, in a statement, said, “Deldoc’s Filipino translation of the material bridges the gap between Hudes’ vibrant Latin American roots and the shared archipelago experiences of the Philippines, bringing the story closer to the realities of Filipinos.”
Now, the jukebox musical-loving titos and titas of the Philippines will also have a good time in the theater as they sing and dance to the music of On Your Feet. It’s easy to remember Gloria Estefan’s hits like Anything For You, The Rhythm Is Gonna Get You, 1-2-3, and Conga. Estefan, incidentally, is a Cuban-born singer-performer.
This is just coincidence, considering Yemaya’s story, Santi Santamaria, managing director and executive director of 9 Works Theatrical, told The Diarist.ph.
“Having successfully opened the Proscenium Theater with The Bodyguard the Musical, featuring Whitney Houston songs, I guess you could say it’s an easy and natural choice following it up with Gloria’s music with On Your Feet. It’s also our way to ease non-theater goers into the community and introduce them to watching live theater, especially at The Proscenium Theater,” he said.
“My wife Anna and I watched On Your Feet on Broadway back in July 2016. I remember having a blast watching it, in part since we would listen to the music and songs of Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine in our youth,” he added.
Just to be clear about it, there had been announcements made in February 2020, just a few days before the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, that acclaimed homegrown triple threat Gab Pangilinan would play Gloria Estefan in On Your Feet to be staged by the Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group (ATEG). However, since it took three years before live shows opened again, the project didn’t push through. Bobby Garcia, co-founder and artistic director of ATEG, passed away on December 17, 2024, and ATEG has since been closed.
Prior to his passing, Garcia co-founded Theater Group Asia with Clint Ramos and other friends.
There have been some confusion that Pangilinan will also play Gloria Estefan in 9 Works Theatrical’s staging of On Your Feet. Santamaria clarified to The Diarist.ph, “We haven’t announced the cast yet, and as to who are playing Gloria and Emilio Estefan.”
What’s certain is that it will be directed by Robbie Guevara, with musical direction by Daniel Bartolome. The book is written by Oscar-winning playwright and screenwriter Alexander Dinelaris, who also wrote The Bodyguard the Musical. Dinelaris won the Oscar for Best Screenplay for BİRDMAN (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).
“Santi was the first one to watch it. He loved it so much he kept pushing for it. I haven’t seen it, but I am very excited to direct it,” Guevara told The Diarist.ph.
On Your Feet tells the awe-inspiring story of Gloria and Emilio Estefan, two artists whose unwavering belief in each other redefined the American soundscape.
9 Works, in a news statement, described the story: “A journey fueled by passion and tested by tragedy, the musical explores the determination and creativity that turned a local band into an international sensation.”
Presented through special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide, New York, On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan is a 9 Works Theatrical production, presented by Rockwell. Tickets for both productions are available now via TicketWorld.
For more information and updates on On Your Feet!, check out the social media pages of Proscenium Theater (@ProsceniumTheater) and 9 Works Theatrical (@9WorksTheatrical).
