She Studied Musical Theater, Hoping to Perform on Broadway. At 59, Her Dreams Are Finally Coming True (Exclusive)

• Sandra Valls has been working in the entertainment industry for decades but has always dreamed of performing on a Broadway stage.
• At the age of 59, she is making her Broadway debut in the musical Real Women Have Curves.
• She shares her journey on TikTok, where she's documented her determination and unwillingness to give up on her dreams.

It's never too late to follow your dreams.

Sandra Valls is making her Broadway debut at the age of 59. After decades in the industry working in roles not on the stage, she is now starring in the new musical Real Women Have Curves. Based on the play of the same name by Josefina López, the show has also seen a film adaptation, written by Lopez and George LaVoo and starring America Ferrera.

Valls talks with PEOPLE exclusively about her experience, which she has been documenting on TikTok. The singer, actor and comedian went to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy for musical theater before starting a career performing in bands and on stand-up stages. 

After decades of working, she got a call from Lisa Loomer in 2021, who was working on the book for the musical adaptation of Real Women Have Curves. Valls was asked to do a reading for one character and was later brought in to help develop a different character. 

The show began taking shape and moved to American Repertory Theater, where Valls was part of the original cast. In between, there were many auditions for the development of the show. She details a dance audition, a singing audition and a vocal audition entirely in Spanish. Valls says her sister helped her prepare for all of the auditions, reading the other parts and being part of her support network.

Performances for Real Women Have Curves opened on April 1 and sees Valls take the role of Prima Fulvia. She talks about the importance of developing a character that is queer, mirroring her own life's journey. 

"I'm playing a queer character. I was queer in the 80s; I'm queer now, in my 50s," she says. "My character has all the great punch lines, and she's got the biggest heart, the heart of gold. I love her, and I love that I developed her out of nowhere." 

Valls says that this dream means all the work she's done over the years, the security she passed up and the opportunities she might have missed led her to this moment — to be a part of something bigger than herself. 

"That perseverance and divine timing are real. It meant that it validated me in so many areas, especially that I knew in my heart of hearts, it's a calling for me," Valls says. "I think people who mean well, say, 'You should get something more secure. You should think of something else, you're too old to do this.' I said, 'I can't not do what I do.' "

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The show itself tells a story of a young woman chasing her dreams, while understanding the challenges that those who came before her went through. Essential to the show is the representation present: the different body types, different orientations and the representation of Latin and Mexican actors. This representation is essential to Valls, she tells PEOPLE. 

"We owe it to our ancestors who fought so hard. We owe it to ourselves to use the gifts given to us, to use us, to choose ourselves, to heal the world," shares Valls. "We owe it to our ancestors. We owe it to never give up. I would say, 'Si se puede,' that's what I would say. I never give up."

The opportunity to perform is not lost on Valls, who reflects on her long journey to get here — the career that she's built and all the time spent taking the steps that led her to the Broadway stage.  

"I used to walk around Times Square singing to Madonna on my Walkman, dreaming and hoping someday I'll be on Broadway," Valls recounts. "The other day, I was walking to rehearsal in Times Square singing to Madonna on my iPhone, and it hit me. I'm on Broadway! 35 years later, but I'm on Broadway. I had to step aside, find a nook and silently cry tears of gratitude."