Rhythm is Gonna Get You! The Muny Announces Complete Cast, Design and Production Team for Muny Premiere of On Your Feet!

ST. LOUIS (July 16, 2021) – The Muny announced today its complete cast, design and production team for On Your Feet!, the fourth show of the theatre’s 103rd season. On Your Feet! runs Aug. 21 – 27 and is proudly sponsored by BMO Harris Bank. 

“The story of Gloria and Emilio is extraordinary, filled with courage, faith and love, and another perfect premiere for this season,” said Muny Artistic Director and Executive Producer Mike Isaacson. “This incredible cast and team are ready to make real Muny magic.”  

Joining the previously announced Arianna Rosario (Gloria), Omar Lopez-Cepero (Emilio), Natascia Diaz (Gloria Fajardo), Alma Cuervo (Consuelo) and Lee Zarrett (Phil) are Isabella Iannelli (Little Gloria) and Jordan Vergara (Nayib/Young Emilio/Jeremy).    

A conga-worthy ensemble completes this cast, including Karmine Alers, Ryan Alvarado, Dhanny Burgos (Emilio Standby), Alexander Cruz (Swing), Tami Dahbura, Gina de Pool, Ruben Flores, Henry Julián Gendron, Stephanie Gomérez, Rebecca Kritzer, Tomás Matos, Natalia Nieves-Melchor, Marina Pires (Gloria Standby), Matthew Rivera, Cristina Sastre, Sarah Sigman (Swing), Martín Solá, Alora Tonielle and Julien Valme. The company will also be joined by the Muny Kid and Teen youth ensemble.  

On Your Feet! is directed by Maggie Burrows and choreographed by William Carlos Angulo with music direction by Lon Hoyt.  

The production team leading On Your Feet! includes scenic design by Tim Mackabee, costume design by Leon Dobkowski, lighting design by Rob Denton, sound design by John Shivers and David Patridge, video design by Kate Ducey and wig design by Kelley Jordan. The production stage manager is Matthew Lacey.  

The Telsey Office is the official casting partner for The Muny.  

ARIANNA ROSARIO (Gloria) is excited to be making her Muny debut opposite her real-life husband, Omar. Broadway/tour: Cats (Sillabub, revival, Neil Simon Theatre), On Your Feet!; Cinderella, West Side Story. Regional: Evita (Eva Perón, Bay Street Theater), In the Heights (Carla, Kennedy Center), The Buddy Holly Story (Maria Elena, Ogunquit Playhouse), West Side Story (Anita, Opera North). New York/workshop: Love Life (New York City Center Encores!), Hadestown (New 42). TV/Film: West Side Story (directed by Steven Spielberg), Devotion (directed by J. D. Dillard), The Waltons: Homecoming (directed by Lev. L Spiro), Fosse/Verdon (FX) and Queen Sugar (OWN). #quesiga @ariannarosario ariannarosario.com 

OMAR LOPEZ-CEPERO (Emilio) is deeply humbled to return to the Muny stage after appearing in Paint Your Wagon (Armando) and The Unsinkable Molly Brown. Prior to the pandemic shutdown, he was seen in the off-Broadway premiere of The Unsinkable Molly Brown (Vincenzo). Broadway: On Your Feet! and American Idiot. Off-Broadway: The Public Theater’s Central Park concert of The Capeman. Regional/tour credits: The Flamingo Kid (Alejandro) at Hartford Stage, Guys and Dolls (Sky Masterson) at Theatre Under The Stars, Evita as Che (national tour, Fulton Theatre) and as Peron (Bay Street Theater). TV credits: Blue Bloods (CBS), The Detour (TBS), Vegas (CBS). He is a graduate of The University of Miami Frost School of Music with a degree in Vocal Performance. Alongside his performing career, he has developed an acting and voice studio where he coaches professional artists and students to maximize their potential. www.omarlopezcepero.com  @omarlopezcepero 

NATASCIA DIAZ (Gloria Fajardo) Most widely recognized for the documentary Every Little Step, this three-time Helen Hayes Award-winner returns to The Muny after her “breathtaking” turn as Velma Kelly in Chicago, and her award-winning turn as Anita in West Side Story. Broadway: Seussical (Bird Girl), Man of La Mancha (Antonia, u/s Aldonza). Off-Broadway: Tick, Tick…Boom!; Jacques Brel…; Washington DC: Petra (A Little Night Music) Rosalie (Carnival), Aurora (Kiss of the Spider Woman). Her first Helen Hayes happened in a tie with Chita Rivera for her transformation into Scottish rocker Monica in Rooms, and her second for her performance in Brel. Other favorites: Jenny (The Threepenny Opera), Betty 3, Collective Rage (Woolly Mammoth), Mariana (Measure for Measure), Savage (Savage in Limbo), Rafaella (Grand Hotel, NY City Center Encores!) and winning her third award for her “obsessively watchable, gorgeously sung” (Washington Post) role in a “career-defining performance” (BroadwayWorld) as Fosca in Sondheim’s Passion. TV: FBI IG:@LadyDiaz777 

ALMA CUERVO (Consuelo) Broadway: On Your Feet!; Beauty and the Beast, Cabaret, Titanic, The Heidi Chronicles, Quilters, Is There Life After High School?; Censored Scenes from King Kong and Bedroom Farce. She has toured nationally in Wicked, My Fair Lady, Cabaret, M. Butterfly and Dancing at Lughnasa. Off-Broadway: Allegro (Classic Stage Company), Far From Heaven (Playwrights Horizons) and Road Show (The Public). She received an OBIE for her performance in Uncommon Women and Others and Philadelphia’s Barrymore Award for The Beauty Queen of Leenane. Ms. Cuervo has worked extensively in regional theatre, most recently In the Heights at Music Theatre Wichita and Yerma at Huntington Theatre. Film/Television: The Goldfinch, Bull, Lisey’s Story, City on a Hill, Instinct, The Slap, and she was a regular on Norman Lear’s AKA Pablo. She narrates many audiobooks and is a graduate of Tulane University and Yale School of Drama. 

LEE ZARRETT (Phil) Broadway: My Fair Lady, On Your Feet!; Hair, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Jane Eyre. National tours: Peter and the Starcatcher, Les Misérables. TV: The Blacklist, High Fidelity, Gotham, Louie, Boardwalk Empire. Off-Broadway: NY City Center Encores!, New Victory, Vineyard Theatre. Regional: Pittsburg CLO, La Jolla Playhouse. 

ISABELLA IANNELLI (Little Gloria) Muny debut! Broadway: The Rose Tattoo. Film: In the Heights (2021) TV: John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch, Good Morning America: Halloween Special, WE Day. Isabella has also danced for the US Open Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day, Kids Footlocker, Billboard and more. She is so honored to play the role of an icon and tell the story of a family that never gave up on their dreams. Visit her at www.isabellaiannelli.com IG @bella.iannelli.babybellz and Twitter @Babybellz6 

JORDAN VERGARA (Nayib/Young Emilio/Jeremy) has been dancing salsa since he was 4 years old, placing first in multiple dance competitions nationally. His love of music and dance has helped him make his “Broadway” debut, travel and showcase his talent – here at The Muny, on the national tour of On Your Feet!; and in the recent hit film, In the Heights. Jordan is happiest the most when he’s on stage dancing and the crowd is cheering and having a good time. You are in for a treat once you see his fast footwork on stage! Instagram @jordanvergaraofficial. 

ABOUT THE SHOW:
On Your Feet!, the story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan, features music produced and recorded by Emilio and Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine, with a book by Alexander Dinelaris.&

Based on the inspiring true story of the queen of Latin pop, Gloria Estefan and her husband, Emilio, On Your Feet! is a universal sensation that shows what can happen when two people believe in their talent, music and one another. Their moving rags-to-riches story features some of the most chart-topping songs of the past quarter-century, including “Rhythm is Gonna Get You,” “1-2-3,” “Coming Out of the Dark” and the title hit, “Get On Your Feet.” With this Muny premiere, audiences will leave ready to “Conga!” 

New season subscriptions for the 2021 five-show season are still currently available through July 23. Single tickets are available now. Tickets can be purchased in person at the box office, online at muny.org or by phone by calling (314) 361-1900 ext. 1550.   

To stay connected virtually and to receive the latest updates, please follow The Muny on their social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  

Emerson is proud to be The Muny’s 2021 Season Sponsor.  

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The Muny’s mission is to enrich lives by producing exceptional musical theatre, accessible to all, while continuing its remarkable tradition in Forest Park. As the nation’s largest outdoor musical theatre, we produce world-class musicals each year and welcome over 350,000 theatregoers over our summer season. Celebrating 103 seasons in St. Louis, The Muny remains one of the premier institutions in musical theatre. 

For more information about The Muny, visit muny.org