It’s time to “Get on Your Feet!” for the NHSO’s season finale! On Saturday, June 1 at 3pm at the John C. Lyman Center for the Performing Arts at Southern CT State University and Sunday, June 2 at 3pm at Shelton High School, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra (NHSO) will perform Latina Leading Ladies of Broadway, a dazzling musical revue of iconic roles including Nina and Vanessa from In the Heights, Gloria Estefan from On Your Feet!, and Maria from West Side Story. The program will feature NYC’s new sweetheart, Linedy Genao, who returns home to Connecticut for her orchestral debut.
From breakthrough performances to Tony-winning triumphs, Latina performers have continually pushed boundaries and shattered stereotypes, paving the way for a new generation of talent to shine on the Great White Way. Dominican-American actress and singer Linedy Genao made history when she was cast in the titular role of Bad Cinderella, becoming the first Latina to originate a leading role in an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical on Broadway.
Linedy continues to be a fast-rising superstar on Broadway. With high school musical theater experience and a Business degree from UConn, she bet on herself and auditioned for the first open call for Gloria & Emilio Estefan’s On Your Feet. She went on to play the Alana/Zoe understudy role in Dear Evan Hansen prior to its closing on Broadway, as well joining the first National Tour in the same roles. Most recently, Linedy starred in the titular role of Cinderella in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bad Cinderella, and was named to Variety’s 10 Broadway Actors to Watch List. Her full theater credits include Broadway: On Your Feet! (OBC), Dear Evan Hansen, Bad Cinderella (OBC); Tours: Dear Evan Hansen; Regional: Passing Through, West Side Story, Havana Music Hall, A Taste of Things to Come, and In the Heights.
“Having grown up in Hamden, it means so much to me to be able to perform my first orchestra show with the New Haven Symphony,” said Linedy. She continued, “We’ll be celebrating the powerful stories of Latinas in musical theater, and I can’t wait to share the stage with this amazing orchestra!”
As a special bonus, at the June 1 performance, the NHSO will welcome a special guest choir comprising members from the Connecticut Gay Men’s Chorus and Hamden’s Whitney Players, where Linedy performed as a Hamden teen. The combined choir will join Linedy and NHSO for the finale numbers on the program, “Breathe” from In the Heights and “Reach” from On Your Feet.
Tickets: Tickets start at $15. Tickets for youth 17 and under are free with the purchase of an adult ticket. To purchase tickets, visit NewHavenSymphony.org or call (203) 693-1486 Monday-Friday from 12-5pm.
