Buena Vista Social Club officially opened its Broadway premiere at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre March 19, and the reviews are in! See what critics are saying below. Saheem Ali is at the helm.
Inspired by the Grammy-winning 1997 album of the same name, Buena Vista Social Club features a book by Marco Ramirez. The musical brings the album to life and tells the story of the legends who lived it. Director Ali, as well as choreographers Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck, are returning after staging the musical's 2023 world premiere Off-Broadway at Atlantic Theater Company.
Purchase the opening night Playbill for Buena Vista Social Club here
The Broadway cast features Natalie Venetia Belcon as Omara, Julio Monge as Compay, Mel Semé as Ibrahim, Jainardo Batista Sterling as Rubén, Isa Antonetti as Young Omara, Da’von T. Moody as Young Compay, Wesley Wray as Young Ibrahim, Leonardo Reyna as Young Rubén, Renesito Avich as Eliades, Ashley De La Rosa as Young Haydee, and Justin Cunningham as Juan de Marcos with Angélica Beliard, Carlos Falú, Héctor Juan Maisonet, Ilda Mason, Marielys Molina, and Anthony Santos in the ensemble.
Here's why Playbill thinks you should see the show.
Read the reviews below.
- amNY (Matt Windman)
- Broadway News (Brittani Samuel)
- Cititour NYC (Brian Scott Lipton)
- Culture Sauce (Thom Geier)
- Daily Beast (Tim Teeman)
- The Guardian (Jesse Hassenger)
- New York Magazine / Vulture (Jackson McHenry)*
- New York Post (Johnny Oleksinski)*
- New York Stage Review (Bob Verini)
- New York Stage Review (Michael Sommers)
- New York Sun (Elysa Gardner)
- New York Theater (Jonathan Mandell)
- New York Theatre Guide (Joe Dziemianowicz)
- New York Times (Elisabeth Vincentelli)*
- NY Daily News (Chris Jones)
- Talkin' Broadway (Howard Miller)
- Theatrely (Kobi Kassal)
- TheaterMania (Zachary Stewart)
- Time Out NY (Adam Feldman)
- Variety (Frank Rizzo)
- Washington Square News (Ethan Li)
- The Wrap (Robert Hofler)*
*This review may require creating a free account or paid subscription.
Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.
Understudies Andrew Montgomery Coleman, Sophia Ramos, and Martín Sola; and swings Carlos Gonzalez and Tanairi Sade Vazquez round out the company. Casting is by The TRC Company.
The Buena Vista Social Club band features music supervision by Dean Sharenow; orchestrations, arrangements, and music direction by Marco Paguia; additional arrangements by Javier Diaz and David Oquendo; music consultation by Juan de Marcos; and creative consultation by David Yazbek. Comprising the band are Paguia, Oquendo, Gustavo Schartz, Hery Paz, Eddie Venegas, Jesus Ricardo, Díaz, Mauricio Herrera, and Román Diaz.
The production also has scenic design by Arnulfo Maldonado; costume design by Dede Ayite; lighting design by Tyler Micoleau; sound design by Jonathan Deans; and wig, hair, and makeup design by J. Jared Janas. Arabella Powell serves as production stage manager.
Buena Vista Social Club is both the name given to this extraordinary group of musicians and the album, recorded in just seven days in 1996. The trio of Cuban bandleader Juan de Marcos González, American producer and guitarist Ry Cooder, and British producer and label owner Nick Gold assembled an impromptu group of Cuban musicians in Havana’s 1950s vintage EGREM studios. The album would become a worldwide phenomenon: awarded a Grammy in 1997 and, at over eight million copies, outselling any other record in the same genre. The acclaim of the album has elevated the artists (including Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén González, and Omara Portuondo) to superstar status and inspired an award-winning film by Wim Wenders.
The producing team is led by Orin Wolf, John Styles, Jr., Barbara Broccoli, Atlantic Theater Company, Viajes Miranda, LaChanze, Yazbek, and John Leguizamo. Allan Williams is executive producer.
Visit BuenaVistaMusical.com for tickets.
