Stage and screen star Josh Segarra, who plays Emilio Estefan in the critically acclaimed new musical On Your Feet! at Broadway's Marquis Theatre, shares the performances that most affected him as a member of the audience.

Denis O’Hare in Take Me Out

Watching Mason fall in love with baseball was a love story I’d never seen told. That performance changed my life. I knew then that I wanted to tell stories. I wanted to experience what he was experiencing. I met him once at Cosi when I was in college. He was the absolute best.

Mark Rylance in Jerusalem

I had always heard the term “tour-de-force” but had yet to experience it. This was the first time I saw it. He was a hurricane on stage. The most beautifully crafted hurricane.

Patrick Breen and Patrick Heusinger in Next Fall

Their relationship was honest. True. They allowed us into their world. I felt like I was watching life play out. It was something to aspire to from then on.

Leslie Odom, Jr. in Hamilton

The dude “sparkled” on stage. Simple as that.

Ellen Barkin in The Normal Heart

I was really excited to see this. I knew a few of the actors going in. I’d seen Ellen Barkin maybe once before on screen, but after that night, I’ll remember her for the rest of my life. The range of emotion that she had to go through, all of them had to go through, every night…. I felt like I was seeing it happen for the first time. She captured your attention with silence. By filling the space with life.

Lin-Manuel Miranda in In the Heights

Lin and his cast showed me something I’d never seen before. In the Heights was my first “fan-girl” experience. I saw that show something like 19 times. I still listen to the cast recording on the regular.

Bobby Cannavale in Motherf**ker with the Hat

I’ve always loved Bobby’s work. In a way, I look up to him. His work. I don’t know him personally. Just his path. I’m sure he’s a great guy, though. He always does something interesting. Always stretches, and yet, seems to make you believe that he and only he was made for it.

Christian Borle in Peter and the Starcatcher

He was larger than life. He was exuberant, charming, passionate. The physical comedy was perfect. The production as a whole was just perfect; I loved that theatre experience. Christian put on a master class that night. Every joke landed. I'll always remember that.

John Leguizamo in Ghetto Klown

Well, I should say both Mambo Mouth and Ghetto Klown (Mambo Mouth I only saw on TV). Seeing John tell stories that I thought were personal to me… that happened to me... was a revelation. John had a big impact on my teenage years. I used his writing for monologues all the time. Lol. I knew like 6 monologues by heart. I got to thank John in person for that. His response: “You read that shit?” Lol. Perfect response. Thanks again, Mr. Leguizamo.