Interview: Getting ON YOUR FEET with Nancy Ticotin

Before Gloria Estefan became a Latin pop superstar, she was a young performer whose family immigrated from Cuba. Gloria's mother, Gloria Fajardo, made her own career sacrifices for her family, which caused strife between her and her daugher. I had a chance to speak with Nancy Ticotin who plays Gloria Fajardo in ON YOUR FEET. The hit Broadway production is coming next week to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and promises to be an inspirational night with fantastic Latin music.

Rarely on Broadway are there successful biography musicals and also rarely do actors portray characters who are still alive. The ability to collaborate and connect artist will inspiration is certainly unique. Unfortunately, Gloria Fajardo passed away this past June and she never got to see ON YOUR FEET, but her memory lives on in the show. I asked Nancy what it is like to play a non-fictional character.

"It's better and worse," she says. "You are confined to what that person's true personality was like. You're expected to portray, but at the same time it's a dramatic story, and luckily, [the creative team has] taken some liberties to make the character a better on stage. I'm lucky in the fact that I get to play Gloria in the scenes that show her performing. And in other ways, I play her more true to life with how she was with her daughter and Emilio."

There was drama between Gloria Estefan and her mother. Nancy explains that Gloria Estefan was studying psychology before she met Emilio and was on track to a "more respectable position." Fajardo dislike for Emilio grew to the point where she wouldn't let him in the house. She became lonely and resentful as Gloria and Emilio's performing careers grew. It wasn't until Estefan was in a terrible bus accident that she reconciled with her daughter and Emilio. There is one original song in ON YOUR FEET called "If I Never Got to Tell You," with lyrics by Gloria Estefan and music by her daughter Emily. This song is sung by Nancy and is the poignant dramatic resolution between Gloria Fajardo and Emilio.

Nancy Grew up in the Bronx as a daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants. In many ways her story parallels Gloria's story. "I'm more like Fajardo definitely," she says. "I'm from the Bronx. I can be touch and bring that out whenever I need to."

"My mom was similar to Gloria Estefan's mother," she recalls. "Her mother (Fajardo) had a Ph. D and was teaching and working in Cuba. When she came to the U.S., she went back to school and did it again and she supported the family. My mother came from Puerto Rico, raised six kids and also taught in the public schools in New York City. Knowing my mother's experience, I can really relate to who this woman is. Except, I'm not Cuban and the Cuban sensibility is different from Puerto Rican. I had to absorb the Cuban ideas with the tone and the sarcasm."

While in the show Gloria's mother is shown performing in Cuban night clubs, this is dramaticized for the overall plot. This song and dance number is where Nancy shines as a true triple threat. "I get to do this most fabulous number and I get to sing, dance, and act in a beautiful dress. It's a wonderful experience to do that number. It's the one song where it's sung in Spanish. The second half is in English, but the song is mostly in Spanish and it's unique."

In preparation for the role, Nancy and cast spoke with Estefan. Interestingly, because these characters are real people, many on the creative team knew the family personally. So the connections were easy to make. One challenge Nancy had was creating the more subtle and passive aggressive nature of the character. "I love a challenge," Nancy says. "If it's easy, then I get bored and I can't grow. I'm always digging in. That way I'll always have something to share with the audience."

This past week ON YOUR FEET played in Miami where Fajardo lived. Miami is also home to a large Cuban immigrant population. "In Miami, I knew I had a huge responsibility, because these people know her," Nancy says. "I never lived in Miami and was surprised that everybody here speaks Spanish. They would rather speak Spanish than English. In the show, there are things that we say in Spanish that are cute, but these people actually get what is being said. Their reaction is so much bigger because they get it. We want to empower the Hispanic audience."

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Nancy literally has been a performer her whole life. She made her Broadway debut at the age of 10 and hasn't stop singing and dancing since. Unlike her previous roles, which have required heavy dancing, this role provides the added dramatic challenge. As a true triple threat, Nancy has earned the respect from younger cast members. In fact, one of the dancers in the show was one of her students when she taught at Laguardia High School of Music & Arts and Performing Arts.

As for advice for people who want to break into showbusiness, Nancy describes the competing mediums there are to "get discovered," whether it's YouTube or TV competitions. So she says: "Stick to your guns. Don't listen to the negative people. Do what you want to do. You work hard and take all your classes. Have strong discipline in ballet, acting, and singing. You have to warm up to prevent injuries. And most importantly, don't give up."

She tells a story of moving to Los Angeles and for two years she could not get a gig. She went from job to job and was about to quit until she remembered her time performing for Jerome Robbins and all the shows she was in. "I had too many good things on my resume to dismiss this career. Stopping to look at my accomplishments gave me the strength to keep going and stay positive."

Nancy credits this cast for the amazing performances night after night. "Every single person is so talented," she says. "They are all professionals, with such a high level of talent. Every night I am proud to go on stage and I don't have to worry. I know we're going to get a great response from the show. The show is a gem that shines wherever we go."

ON YOUR FEET is a show based off Latin music and the real pioneers of the genre. It was not easy for Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estevez. If not for the pair's drive to achieve their dreams, the story would have been much different. When Gloria and Emilio started they had no money and no record label was willing to financially back a crossover band. So they took to the streets, performing at parties and became popular enough for someone to notice. The story is inspirational as they overcame the obstacles put in their way and achieved success.

Nancy recalls how down-to-earth the real Gloria and Emilio are. "They are philanthropists," she says. "And they give back. They have been taking supplies and planes over to Puerto Rico to help. They are good to people and never forgot their roots."

With this show, Nancy and the cast are reaching audiences who are both familiar and unfamiliar with the music. "We know we are representing hispanics in all cultures," she says. "We are lucky to be able to spread a positive message, joyful and hope." While the music is timeless to those of us who lived during those decades, kids these days are not as familiar. Nancy finds that audiences of all ages love ON YOUR FEET because of the inspirational message and the upbeat positivity.

ON YOUR FEET plays at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts from October 17 - October 22. For tickets and more information visit https://www.drphillipscenter.org/events/tickets/2017/on-your-feet/.

Photo credit: Header: Joseph Rivera, Adriel Flete, Jeremey Adam Rey, Nancy Ticotin as Gloria Fajardo and Hector Maisonet, ON YOUR FEET! © Matthew Murphy

Inline: Nancy Ticotin as Gloria Fajardo, ON YOUR FEET! © Matthew Murphy