arts&life
theater
Waiting For
Goffman
I
Actor, singer,
musician and more
Devon Goffman brings
his talents to Detroit
with On Your Feet!
SUZANNE CHESSLER
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
details
On Your Feet runs May 1-13
at the Fisher Theatre. Tickets
start at $39. (313) 872-1000;
broadwayindetroit.com.
n a musical that celebrates
the achievements of Cuban
immigrants and the Cuban-
Latin music they introduced
to American audiences, Devon
Goffman plays a Jewish role.
He is record producer Phil in
On Your Feet!, the show defin-
ing the hurdles and successes of
singer-songwriter and seven-time
Grammy winner Gloria Estefan
and her husband, producer-
musician Emilio Estefan — a
19-time Grammy winner.
Goffman, who also takes on
a second role as a doctor and
appears in show-stopping num-
bers with the ensemble, is return-
ing to Detroit, where he has
toured with Motown the Musical
and Jersey Boys. He settles in May
1-13 at the Fisher Theatre.
“Phil is portrayed as one of the
big helpers for Emilio and Gloria,”
says Goffman, whose character’s
Christie Prades as Gloria Estefan
and Mauricio Martinez as Emilio
Estefan in On Your Feet!
PHOTO BY MATTHEW MURPHY
58
April 26 • 2018
jn
essence draws from a combina-
tion of people.
“At first, he’s an obstacle for
them. Through time, they twist
Phil’s arm to overcome his small-
mindedness about whether they
could sing in English and cross
over into American pop culture.
“I did my own online research
into the music, rhythms and
record producers of the time
because Phil is my major role.”
In the second act, Goffman
becomes Dr. Michael Neuwirth,
who gets Gloria “on her feet” by
repairing spinal injuries suffered
in a road accident. Because the
show is very ensemble-oriented,
Goffman can be seen as others in
upbeat singing and dancing rou-
tines reaching into the finale.
Feeling inspired by the songs,
Goffman especially relates to
“Reach” and “Coming Out of the
Dark.” The first recalls the sup-
portive letters sent to Gloria in
the hospital. The second invokes
her return to the stage.
Estefan hits also featured
include “Get on Your Feet,”
“Rhythm Is Gonna Get You,”
“Conga” and “Mi Tierra.”
“Often people don’t recognize
me after the show when I’m
collecting for Broadway Cares
[in support of AIDS causes],”
Goffman says about his appear-
ance when taking on each part.
“They ask if I was one of the
dancers. I guess my presence
changes when I’m in a suit as Phil
or in a lab coat as the doctor.
“This play is very authentic
Devon Goffman
and I’m a big fan of the music.
Five members of the original
Miami Sound Machine play on
stage. Our musical director, Clay
Ostwald, was Gloria’s pianist and
co-wrote the song ‘On Your Feet.’
“Gloria and Emilio are wonder-
ful people. I’ve gotten to spend
time with them because they
come to see the show pretty regu-
larly. They’re hilarious together,
just as they are in the script.
They’re very loving, and that is
expressed through their music.”
Goffman’s introduction to
performing music came through
his dad, who played guitar and
encouraged his son to do the
same in middle school.
“I also play the upright bass,
some piano and some trombone,”
says the 30-something actor.
“I started doing musical
theater in middle school while
growing up in Buffalo. The World
According to Snoopy was my first
school musical, and I loved being
part of a cast working together to
put on a show. It was an accept-
ing community of people and
helped me come out of my shell.”
While studying music educa-
tion at SUNY Fredonia, Goffman
performed in summer musicals.
After seeking career advice from
a director, he decided to focus
on a musical theater curriculum
before moving to New York and
auditioning.
His first national tour was The
Buddy Holly Story, followed by the
first tour of Motown the Musical,
which launched in Detroit.
“When we opened in Detroit
with Berry Gordy, Stevie Wonder
came up on stage and sang with
us,” Goffman recalls. “That was
pretty cool.”
Goffman shares his love for
musical theater with his wife,
Katie, who was the lead in the
first national tour of Ghost the
Musical and the second national
tour of Rock of Ages. The two,
who met at an audition, wrote
and produced Wisco Queens,
a five-episode YouTube series
about moving from Wisconsin to
New York. She’s the star, and he’s
the music writer.
“On Your Feet is about family,
music and carrying on tradi-
tions,” says Goffman, who has
shared his Jewish traditions
through Chanukah celebrations
with touring cast members.
“Every culture has the same com-
mon threads.”
Some of those threads were
heard as the Fiddler on the Roof
score often rang out over a player
piano in his Buffalo home. Fiddler
was the first show his mom took
him to see, starring Topol as
Tevye — and Goffman performed
in a high-school production of
Fiddler.
“Judaism has helped me want
to fight bigotry, and I’m inspired
to tell the On Your Feet! story
because of everything that’s going
on politically,” Goffman says. “It’s
important that we spread a mes-
sage of love and taking care of
each other, including people who
come from other nations.” •