Directed by Tony Award nominee Saheem Ali (Fat Ham), this story of the legendary artists who recorded the album features the soul-stirring music of Cuba’s golden age, with a book by Marco Ramirez (Drama Desk Award winner, The Royale), choreography by Patricia Delgado and Tony Award winner Justin Peck (Carousel, Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story) and a music team led by Tony Award winner David Yazbek (The Band’s Visit).
Buena Vista leaps back and forth between this album recording in the '90s and the characters' early careers in the '50s. Ali achieves these shifts seamlessly and in a swift two hours. Some Act 2 plot points, including the rise of the Revolution, get rushed in the process, as does the musical's exploration of how colorism impacts the musicians' opportunities, particularly Ferrer's.
But the lack of a compelling narrative doesn’t matter whenever the music starts, and fortunately that happens very often during the course of the show’s two hours that seem to fly by. Several of the numbers also feature outstanding Latin-infused dances co-choreographed by Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck and exuberantly performed by a six-person ensemble.
2023 | Off-Broadway |
Atlantic Theater Company World Premiere Production Off-Broadway |
2025 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical | Dede Ayite |
2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical | Natalie Venetia Belcon |
2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Marco Paguia |
2024 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Musical | Saheem Ali |
2024 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Musical | Buena Vista Social Club |
2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreography (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Patricia Delgado |
2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical | Buena Vista Social Club |
2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Marco Paguia |
2024 | The Lortels | Outstanding Choreographer | Patricia Delgado |
2024 | The Lortels | Outstanding Costume Design | Dede Ayite |
2024 | The Lortels | Outstanding Featured Performer in a Musical | Mel Semé |
2024 | The Lortels | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical | Natalie Venetia Belcon |
2024 | The Lortels | Outstanding Musical | Buena Vista Social Club |
2024 | The Lortels | Outstanding Scenic Design | Arnulfo Maldonado |
2024 | The Lortels | Outstanding Sound Design | Jonathan Deans |
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