I’m Black, I’m Cuban, I’m a singer – that’s it,” says Xiomara Laugart when asked to compare herself to Celia Cruz. “But she’s an icon, and I’m doing my best to fill those shoes,” she adds with a wide, infectious smile that looks really familiar.
The statuesque Laugart embodies the soul of the queen of salsa in the off-Broadway extravaganza, “Celia: The Life and Music of Celia Cruz,” which opens today.
“It’s a lot of responsibility,” she says. “I don’t want to let her down.”
But if anyone can do justice to the lyrics “Quimbara” and make you want to get up and dance, it’s the 46-year-old Laugart, who was born in Cuba and who, until recently, was the lead vocalist of Latin fusion collective Yerba Buena.
The chanteuse – who released her eponymous jazzy Cuban folk album in the Spring – was supposed to go on tour this year but cancelled at the minute when she got the call to play Cruz.
“I said ‘when do we start?’,” she remembers.
It wasn’t long before she was donning the shiny wigs, flamboyant dresses and funky gold heels that Cruz was known for, and finessing her acting skills with the support of cast mates (including Modesto Lacén who plays the legendary performer’s longtime love, Pedro Knight).
She’s proved to be a natural during previews, though, bringing a raw sensitivity to the story of a singer who is exiled from her native Cuba and who died four years ago.
“I have to get emotional because I miss my mom, I miss my land, I miss my house,” says Laugart, who arrived stateside in 1998.
Still, much like the unforgettable woman she portrays on stage, Laugart always looks on the bright side.
“Celia was always enjoying life even with a lot of unhappiness in her life,” says Laugart, who met her idol on two occasions.
“I admire that a lot. I wish my life was like that all the time.”
Sadly, in July of 2003, Cruz died of a cancerous brain tumor at her home in Fort Lee, New Jersey. She was survived by her husband, who died this year.
Her body was taken to Miami, then returned to New York City, allowing her many fans to pay tribute. Cuban soil that she saved from a trip to Guantanamo Bay, was used in her burial in the Bronx.
Additional reporting by Jewelle Rodriguez.