Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Star Gabrielle Ruiz Reveals the Most Fulfilling Role of Her Career—It’s Not What You Think | Playbill

Sponsored Content Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Star Gabrielle Ruiz Reveals the Most Fulfilling Role of Her Career—It’s Not What You Think Broadway and television star Ruiz unearths her theatrical roots as part of our Cadillac Lounge series.

Most audiences know Gabrielle Ruiz from her charismatic turn on the hit musical comedy TV series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, but the performer has a long history on the stage. Not only did she star on Broadway in In The Heights, replacing as Nina Rosario in the hit musical, and appear in the 2012 revival of Evita and If/Then, Ruiz has played Diana Morales in numerous production of A Chorus Line—so much so that she can track her life through Chorus Line productions.

“Without a doubt, the most fulfilling role and job [in my career] is Diana Morales,” she says. “It’s a love story for dancers, and I was always primarily a dancer first. ... I was able to do the national tour. It was my first big break out of college. Then there were a few other times that I was able to do it all with Baayork Lee, but there was this one time with Mitzi Hamilton. It was the year that Marvin Hamlisch passed away and it was at Paper Mill Playhouse. Every chapter it's about a six-to-eight-year mark of my career. Diana grew with me. I grew with Diana Morales.”

Ruiz cherished the opportunity to bring her trifecta of talents to Crazy Ex as Valencia Bettis. “I loved that Valencia was just Valencia. Even when she came out as bisexual, she didn't have a huge song and dance for it. They never really leaned into her Mexican heritage,” she says. “[Instead] they leaned into her attitude. They leaned into her charisma and to her opinions and her journey and her struggles of love. I really appreciated that and I was able to represent something that I never saw in television growing up myself.”

Watch Ruiz and over 60 other Latinx stars of stage and screen in Playbill and The Broadway League’s ¡Viva Broadway! Hear Our Voices, sponsored by Cadillac. The star-studded concert event is a benefit performance for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Broadway Bridges. Tune in to the premiere October 1 8PM ET at Playbill.com/Viva.

 
Watch Highlights from ¡Viva Broadway! Hear Our Voices
 


This digital program was created using PLAYBILLder, Playbill's custom, Broadway-quality program creation tool.

On October 1, Playbill and The Broadway League present ¡Viva Broadway! Hear Our Voices, a digital concert in celebration of Latinx Heritage Month, as well as Latinx milestones in theatre. The performance will benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, including championing the R.Evolución Latina initiative, and Broadway Bridges.

Hosted by Andréa Burns (In the Heights, On Your Feet!), the concert premiered on Playbill.com, Playbill’s YouTube Channel and on The Broadway League’s website (Viva.Broadway) on Thursday October 1, 2020. Helmed by director and Tony-winning choreographer Sergio Truijllo (Ain’t Too Proud), the event featured an extraordinary roster of award-winning stage and screen Latinx talent, including Lucie Arnaz, Gloria Estefan, John Leguizamo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Luis Miranda, Chita Rivera and Thalía.

¡Viva Broadway! Hear Our Voices saluted the vibrant, lasting legacy that Latinx artists have contributed and continue to give to Broadway and the entire theatre community while showcasing Latinx talent in an effort to continue to increase representation throughout the industry. The event included a performance from members of the original cast of In the Heights, including Karen Olivo, Andréa Burns, Janet Dacal, Robin De Jesús, Olga Merediz, Carlos Gomez, Eliseo Roman, Luis Salgado, and Nina Lafarga; as well as performances from Broadway-bound musicals and new works including John Leguizamo’s Kiss My Aztec; Arrabal; Passing Through; a look at the first Spanish-language production of A Chorus Line from Antonio Banderas; and so much more!

¡Viva Broadway! was produced by Jack Noseworthy, written by Eric Ulloa, and featured arrangements and music direction by Jaime Lozano, sound design by Jorge Muelle and Jessica Paz, and instrumentals by national and international musicians including Tony Award winner Alex Lacamoire, Oscar Hernandez and Michelle Rodriguez & Julio Copello. Luis Salgado is the associate director/choreographer and Roberto Araujo is the Director of Video Production and Editing.
Ruthie Fierberg served as executive producer.

This concert event was brought to you by title sponsor Cadillac along with presenting sponsor City National Bank and featured sponsor Gilead. Univision was the official media partner.

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