NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) – A new Broadway musical celebrating the legendary Cuban artists behind the internationally renowned album Buena Vista Social Club is set to debut next year. Producers Orin Wolf, John Styles, and Barbara Broccoli announced on Monday (September 16) that previews for Buena Vista Social Club will begin on February 21, 2025, with the official opening night slated for March 19 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater.
Like the album it’s based on, the musical will feature a mix of Cuba’s most iconic musical styles, bringing the vibrant rhythms of Afro-Cuban music to life. The creative team includes Marco Ramirez, who wrote the book (best known for The Royale), and director Saheem Ali. The ensemble cast will feature an Afro-Cuban band to authentically portray the story of the musicians who recorded the groundbreaking Buena Vista Social Club album in 1997.
Speaking about the production, Wolf shared how the team made trips to Cuba, meeting the musicians who were part of the album’s creation. He promised that “Broadway audiences who come with fresh ears will be blown away as Buena Vista Social Club comes alive on stage.” The musical had a successful off-Broadway run at the Atlantic Theater Company last year, setting the stage for its Broadway debut.
Patricia Delgado and Tony Award-winning choreographer Justin Peck, known for his work on West Side Story (2021), will lead the choreography. Tony Award winner David Yazbek (The Band’s Visit) and Dean Sharenow will handle music direction. The cast includes Natalie Venetia Belcon (Omara), Julio Monge (Compay), Mel Semé (Ibrahim), and other notable performers. Additional casting announcements will follow, but tickets are already available.
Director Ali shared his connection to the music, recalling how he grew up listening to Buena Vista Social Club in Nairobi: “Though we spoke Swahili and not Spanish, I memorized the lyrics in my broken accent. Decades later, I’m thrilled to join this journey and bring this extraordinary musical to Broadway.”
Playwright Ramirez also expressed his emotional connection to the project. He noted how his grandfather, who fled Cuba in 1968, worked just a block from the theater where Buena Vista Social Club would play. “Almost 60 years later, we’ll be blasting his favorite songs there… forging connections between two of the most musically iconic islands the world has ever known — Cuba and Manhattan.”
