Kayla Rivera, Molly Langley Alternate as Gloria Estefan in On Your Feet! Manila
Kayla Rivera is stepping into Gloria Estefan’s rhythm.
For the Southeast Asian premiere of On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan, Rivera will alternate as the unstoppable Queen of Latin Pop with Filipino-British singer and actress Molly Langley.
The casting gives Manila audiences two distinct Glorias for a musical built on movement, resilience, family, and the hard-earned confidence of finding your own sound.
Rivera brings the familiar force of a performer whose musical-theater career already includes In the Heights, Carrie, and Side Show. Langley brings a growing local stage presence shaped by international performance experience, demanding musical-theater roles, and a recent Top 6 finish on GMA’s The Clash.
And when the catalog includes “Conga,” “1-2-3,” and “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You,” the assignment is clear: Gloria cannot merely be portrayed. She has to command the room.
What to know about On Your Feet! Manila
Full title: On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan
Producer: 9 Works Theatrical
Presented by: Rockwell
Venue: The Proscenium Theater, Rockwell Center, Makati City
Run: July 10 to August 2, 2026
Schedule: Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 PM; Saturdays and Sundays at 3:00 PM
Tickets: Available through TicketWorld and at Power Plant Mall Cinema
Kayla Rivera Steps Into the Gloria Estefan Role
Kayla Rivera enters On Your Feet! with a career already shaped by powerhouse vocals and commanding musical-theater performances.
The Filipino-Canadian singer, actress, and radio personality first gained national recognition as a grand finalist on ABS-CBN’s reality singing competition Star Power. She later made her professional theatrical debut in the local staging of In the Heights, before earning multiple Best Actress nominations for performances in musicals such as Carrie and Side Show.
Gloria Estefan feels like a natural role for Rivera, not because the material asks only for vocal strength, but because it demands a performer who can move between polished pop confidence and emotional vulnerability without losing the pulse underneath the story.
This is not simply a catalog of recognizable hits arranged for the stage. It is the story of a woman navigating ambition, identity, family, cultural pride, and the resistance that comes with insisting that her sound belongs in the room.
The role asks Rivera to carry the joy of the music while making the struggle behind it visible.
Molly Langley Brings a Distinct Gloria of Her Own
Alternating with Rivera is Molly Langley, a Filipino-British singer and actress trained at Performers College in the United Kingdom.
Langley’s theater credits include RENT, Side Show, The Wild Party, Spring Awakening, and most recently A Christmas Carol. She is also a seasoned international performer with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise Lines.
More recently, Langley reached the final Top 6 of the sixth season of GMA’s singing competition The Clash.
Her casting gives On Your Feet! a second Gloria with her own performance history, vocal character, and route into the material.
The production is not choosing between two Glorias so much as inviting audiences to see how two performers can step into the same rhythm from different directions.
Rivera and Langley will both carry the same demanding assignment: to make the audience feel the strength behind the smile, the discipline behind the hits, and the life behind the music.
A Family Story Behind the Pop Anthems
On Your Feet! charts the Estefans’ journey from their beginnings in Cuba and Miami to international superstardom, while confronting the career hurdles and life-threatening tragedy that tested the strength of their partnership.
The emotional landscape behind the music is reflected in the casting of Gloria’s family.
Ayen Laurel makes her theater comeback as Gloria Fajardo, Gloria’s mother. An award-winning actress, singer, and producer with a career spanning more than three decades, Laurel has appeared in stage productions including Grease, A Chorus Line, Once on This Island, and LIVES, alongside an extensive body of television and film work.
Pinky Marquez plays Gloria’s grandmother, Consuelo Garcia. A veteran singer, actress, and musical-theater educator, Marquez brings decades of experience across theater, television, film, and live music.
John Joven Uy joins the cast as Jose Fajardo, Gloria’s father, while Vien King plays Young Jose Fajardo.
Jani Magadia appears as Rebecca Fajardo, Gloria’s sister. Anyah de Guzman takes on Rebecca in selected performances and also plays Robin.
The roles of Little Gloria and Young Emilio will be alternated by young performers Reese Iso and Althea Ruedas, and Elian Santos and Manolo Villalva, respectively.
The Rhythm of Little Havana and the Miami Sound Machine
A musical built around Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine cannot survive on leads alone.
Its pulse lives in the ensemble, in the bodies that keep the stage moving, and in the collective energy that turns a biographical story into something closer to a celebration.
The Manila production brings together a dynamic ensemble tasked with carrying the vibrant energy of the streets of Little Havana and the rhythm of the Miami Sound Machine into The Proscenium Theater.
- Lorenz Martinez as Chris
- Meliza Reyes Uy as Sonia
- Neo Rivera as Phil
- Antonio Valdez as Kiki
- Altair Alonzo as Marquito
- Roxy Aldiosa as Belen
- Rica Laguardia as Lori
- Matthew Barbers as Big Paquito
- Carmelle Ros as Amilia
- Winchester Lopez as Soldier and dance captain
- Cheska Quimno as Lucia
- Richardson Yadao as Kenny
- Macel Dofitas-Yadao as Andrea
- Gerhard Krysstopher and Lord Kristoffer Logmao as Marcello
- Jacqui Jacinto and Gianna Hervas as Rachel
- Roni Paderes as DJ
A Creative Team Built for Movement
The Manila staging is directed by Robbie Guevara, with musical direction by Daniel Bartolome and choreography by Nunoy van den Burgh.
The musical features a book by Academy Award winner Alexander Dinelaris, with music produced and recorded by Emilio and Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine.
Joining the artistic team are Raul Montesa as assistant director, Mio Infante as scenographer, Toma Cayabyab as vocal supervisor, Gabo Tolentino as lighting designer, Aron Roca as sound designer and engineer, Justin Santiago as video and projection designer, Sheik Completado as technical director, Elliza Aurelio as hair and makeup designer, and Charles Villaruz as photographer.
For a show that moves between intimate memory and concert-level release, the challenge is not merely recreating an era. It is making the rhythm feel immediate.
The audience has to understand why these songs mattered, why the Estefans’ refusal to dilute their identity mattered, and why the music still refuses to stay quietly in the background.
Why the On Your Feet! Manila Cast Reveal Matters
When Rockwell and 9 Works Theatrical first announced On Your Feet! Manila, the appeal was already obvious.
This is a musical with recognizable songs, a built-in generational connection, and a story that understands success not as magic, but as movement through resistance.
The cast reveal gives that promise a clearer shape.
Rivera and Langley are not being asked simply to recreate Gloria Estefan. They are being asked to carry the emotional architecture behind the hits: migration, family, ambition, cultural pride, love, survival, and the difficult insistence that there should be room for your own rhythm even when the industry tells you otherwise.
That is where On Your Feet! becomes more than a jukebox musical.
It becomes a reminder that joy can be earned. That resilience can dance. And that sometimes the most powerful response to a world asking you to make yourself smaller is to turn the volume up.
On Your Feet! Manila Performance Schedule and Tickets
On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan runs on weekends from July 10 to August 2, 2026 at The Proscenium Theater, Rockwell Center, Makati City.
Performances are scheduled at 8:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays, with matinee performances at 3:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays.
Tickets are available through TicketWorld and at Power Plant Mall Cinema.
For official updates, follow @9WorksTheatrical and @ProsceniumTheater.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who plays Gloria Estefan in On Your Feet! Manila?
Kayla Rivera and Molly Langley alternate as Gloria Estefan in the Manila staging of On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan.
When is On Your Feet! running in Manila?
The musical runs on weekends from July 10 to August 2, 2026.
Where is On Your Feet! being staged?
The show will be staged at The Proscenium Theater at Rockwell Center in Makati City.
Where can audiences buy tickets?
Tickets are available online through TicketWorld and at Power Plant Mall Cinema.
Continue through Unsaulicited:
- On Your Feet! Manila: Gloria Estefan’s Music Dances Into Rockwell This July 2026
- 9 Works Theatrical Manila: Musicals, Proscenium Theater, Reviews, and Stage Coverage
- Musical Theater in Manila: Reviews, Shows, and Productions
- Manila Theater Guide: Reviews, Shows, Venues, and Stage Coverage
On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan is a 9 Works Theatrical production presented by Rockwell, together with MAC Cosmetics as official makeup partner. The production is presented through special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide. Special thanks to Pitchworks Inc., Power Mac Center, PilotTV, and The People Diary PH by Myra Ho.