Fans of Gloria Estefan will remember the Cuban-American lead singer from Miami Sound Machine was seriously injured, more than 30 years ago, when a semi tractor-trailer hit her tour bus.
The date was March 1990. The place was a snowy Route 380, about 20 miles southeast of Scranton. And the crash broke a vertebra in the center of Estefan’s back.
Her comeback from that injury, step by painful step “is a crucial part of the show; it’s the core of the show,” said Gaby Albo, who portrays Gloria Estefan in “On Your Feet,” a musical biography of the famous performer and her husband, Emilio.
Broadway in Scranton will bring the touring show to the Scranton Cultural Center for four performances Nov. 4 through Nov. 6.
And, Albo promises, audiences will be inspired by Gloria’s recovery, return to performing, and Emilio’s belief in her.
“She got through with the love of her fans and her family,” Albo said. “Emilio got an invitation for her to sing at the American Music Awards” in January 1991, less than a year after the accident.
Gloria’s first reaction to the invite, Albo said, was “I cannot walk. I cannot handle people saying ‘Gloria is not the same.’ “
“But he was saying, ‘You can do it. You can do it’ and she had love letters from her fans.”
Ultimately, Albo said, the 1991 American Music Awards marked Gloria Estefan’s triumphant comeback. “She was able to. She was on her feet.”
The aptly-named musical “On Your Feet” features such well-known songs as “Conga,” “Rhythm is Gonna Get You” and, of course, “Get On Your Feet.”
“The band is amazing,” Albo said. “We have a Grammy winner, the trumpet player (Linda Briceño), in our band. And we work with Clay (Ostwald), who was part of the original Miami Sound Machine. I just had a class with him for an hour, to get as close to the (singing) style as possible.”
“And the dancing is so beautiful. Our choreographer, Luis Salgado, always has a meaning for every movement. He’s very deep in meaning. It’s not just ‘show off.’ He is in constant contact with Gloria and Emilio.”
Speaking of the Estefans, Albo said they attended the Spanish-language premiere of the show in Washington, D.C.
It was nerve-wracking for Albo to portray Gloria knowing Gloria was in the audience with her family, Albo said. “I’m singing and dancing and acting in front of them for two hours.”
But Gloria and her sister Rebecca were so touched by the show they were brought to tears.
“In Spanish it was closer to home,” said Albo, who also grew up with Spanish as her first language.
Albo who grew up in Mexico, attended a camp for singing and dancing when she was 14 years old. “I went because a friend of mine invited me,” she said, remembering at the time she didn’t “even like to sing and dance. I was so, so, so shy.”
Since then, she’s had years of experience, including shows on cruise lines that have allowed her to overcome that early shyness.
The “On Your Feet” shows in Scranton will be in English. Times and dates are 8 p.m. Nov. 4; 2 p.m. Nov. 5; 8 p.m. Nov. 5 and 1 p.m. Nov. 6. For tickets, see scrantonculturalcenter.org or call 570-344-1111.