including Mayor Sonia Carter and Mayor Pro-Tem Marty Ellett cut the ribbon to officially open Buena Vista Park on Saturday Email notifications are only sent once a day The Imperial County Board of Supervisors has refused to disclose why they fired the CEO and the Clerk of the Board there are no recent results for popular videos Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker collects a prairie chicken data sheet from a photographer who spent a morning in a viewing blind at Buena Vista Wildlife Area in Bancroft Data from DNR staff and volunteers are used in the agency's annual prairie chicken report A photo shows people inside a viewing blind placed near a prairie chicken lek at Buena Vista Wildlife Area in Portage County camp comedy and a gently sci-fi love story The 78th Annual Tony Awards, hosted by Cynthia Erivo will take place on June 8 at Radio City Music Hall and will be broadcast on CBS and Paramount+ Read below for the full list of nominees. And for everything you need to know about the 78th Annual Tony Awards, visit our Tony Awards FAQ!  After an acclaimed Off Broadway run in 2023 a musical developed and directed by Saheem Ali ’07SOA opened on Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on March 19 Set in Havana before and during the Castro era the play tells the story behind the legendary Cuban ensemble of the same name and features songs from the group’s Grammy-winning self-titled 1997 album who serves as the associate artistic director of the Public Theater previously directed the 2022 Pulitzer Prize–winning play Fat Ham Camden Pulkinen ’24GS scored his second consecutive bronze medal at the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita Pulkinen balances a full-time finance job with training and competitions a historian at California Polytechnic State University won Columbia’s coveted Bancroft Prize for A Machine to Move Ocean and Earth which tells the story behind the Port of Los Angeles and the development of Southern California President Joe Biden honored Ken Podziba ’91GSAPP with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award Podziba is the president and CEO of Bike New York a nonprofit that promotes cycling in New York City through bike education and safety programs Chef and TV personality Judy Joo ’97SEAS released her third cookbook a guide to Korean dishes that can be prepared in thirty minutes or less a faculty member in the Department of Computer Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison received a National Science Foundation Career Award will support Diakonikolas’s ongoing research into optimization algorithms in machine learning best known for making understated indie flicks including Stranger Than Paradise and Coffee and Cigarettes Jarmusch’s first solo exhibition in Los Angeles opened at the James Fuentes Gallery in March CEO of the Saudi sustainable-energy company Nesma Mobility was named a knight in the National Order of the Legion of Honor the most prestigious order of merit granted by the French government Athanasiou ’89SEAS was elected to the National Academy of Engineering along with Columbia faculty members Michal Lipson and Venkat Venkatasubramanian Two alumnae received literature fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts this year: Madeleine Cravens ’22SOA author of the 2024 poetry collection Pleasure Principle in support of her forthcoming translation of the Russian novel Steppe by Oksana Vasyakina Screenwriter Nimisha Misra ’24SOA won a Filmfare Award — India’s equivalent of an Oscar — as well as a Screenwriters Association of India award for her work on Kaala Paani a Netflix survival-drama series about a tropical-disease outbreak a food writer who has contributed to publications like Bon Appétit and Time Out New York was recently named the restaurant critic for the Houston Chronicle Journalist Lee Yaron ’24SIPA won the Jewish Book of the Year award from the Jewish Book Council for 10/7: 100 Human Stories an in-depth investigation of Hamas’s October 7 a math teacher at the New Heights Academy Charter School in Harlem received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching the highest honor for K–12 teachers of STEM subjects in the United States showcases the work of multiple alumni architects: Charles Renfro ’94GSAPP and the late Ricardo Scofidio ’60GSAPP of the firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro; Nile Greenberg ’16GSAPP a founding partner of ANY; Farzin Lotfi-Jam ’12GSAPP an architecture professor at Cornell; Jen Wood ’12GSAPP and Emanuel Admassu ’12GSAPP founding partners of AD–WO; Virginia Zangs ’24GSAPP a computational designer; Lluís Ortega ’98GSAPP an architectural researcher; and Fabrizio Furiassi ’19GSAPP Alumni faculty members Marina Otero Verzier ’13GSAPP and drive with these alumni-founded tourism companies The host and executive producer of Trafficked investigates the inner workings of criminal underworlds ’84SEAS is one of only 132 athletes to receive the honor General Data Protection Regulation Columbia University Privacy Notice Editorial Staff The 2025 Tony Award nominations were announced this morning recognizing a season that began last June with the revival of Samm-Art Williams’s Home and concluded with the double-opening of Dead Outlaw and Real Women Have Curves Ticketing links for currently open shows can be found at the bottom of this page Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre The Illusions & Technical Effects of Stranger Things: The First Shadow (Jamie Harrison The musical opens at the Imperial Theatre on April 10 Get the best deals and latest updates on theater and shows by signing up for TheaterMania's newsletter today has been nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical “It feels amazing,” said Natalie Venetia Belcon about receiving her first Tony Award nomination. The actress plays Omara Portuondo, a fictionalized version of the real Cuban music icon, in the sizzling musical Buena Vista Social Club “I’m smiling and happy and looking at the view!” a delighted Belcon told New York Theatre Guide after hearing the news of her Tony nomination The acclaimed 1999 documentary movie Buena Vista Social Club followed an ensemble of great musicians from Cuba’s golden age brought together to record a Grammy-winning album Belcon is one member of the likewise talented and vivacious company who pay tribute to those legendary artists in the new hit Broadway show of the same name which celebrates incredible Latin American musical styles such as son Belcon never even thought about getting Tony-nominated when she first came into this business really.” She added: “This is […] more than the cherry on the cake.” Although there’s a rich history behind the Buena Vista story Belcon is excited to welcome audiences who might not be familiar with it beforehand “I think they’re the perfect candidates actually to come see the show because they don’t know anything Belcon compared the thrilling experience of watching the musical with an exhilarating plane ride “You sit down and […] there’s the take-off […] and before you know you’re in the air and then on the ground again You’re not expecting what happens to you to happen You’re going to be taken through all the emotions.” You can’t deny them.” Now she’s going to be dancing all the way to the Tonys Get Buena Vista Social Club tickets now Photo credit: Natalie Venetia Belcon in Buena Vista Social Club on Broadway You can unsubscribe at any time. Privacy Policy Meet the tres player who steals the show at the Schoenfeld Theatre David Gordon When Renesito Avich steps onto the stage at the Schoenfeld Theatre as Eliades Ochoa in Buena Vista Social Club he brings with him not only the sound of Cuba’s iconic tres guitar A virtuoso musician and composer (and a three-time Latin Grammy nominee) Avich has spent his life studying and honoring the rhythms and harmonies of his culture Known for blending Cuban folk traditions with jazz and classical influences he’s toured internationally and released multiple albums earning acclaim for his technical precision and emotional depth the real-life Ochoa—a member of the original Buena Vista Social Club and a fellow Santiaguero Avich — a newly minted Special Tony Award winner alongside the show’s full band — shares how he fell in love with the tres and what it means to celebrate Cuban identity on a Broadway stage This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity Someone handed me a tres and I think I understood what it represented I found it even easier to play than guitar Some people might think because it has double strings it was difficult to listen to streaming music I remember family that were living in the States brought me MP3s I was very into looking at different sounds and different ways to reach my own language of Cuban music but I’m willing to make a sound like a trumpet or a piano I try to connect with an audience no matter how many notes I play under the direction of Ramos and featuring key players from throughout the history of The Buena Vista Social Club continued the legacy of the legendary group in 2024 with an exciting new stage production and repertoire pulled from the greatest hits (many of which Ramos composed) and deep-dive cuts The group embarked on a massive tour across the USA starting in September 2024 spending 3 months on the road and playing for thousands of fans new and old Their adventure culminated in the release of USA TOUR 2024 - 12 LIVE RECORDINGS on SSK Records the first time in decades the group’s music will be available on CD and vinyl The 311 Community Contact Center is a centralized call center for the City of Albuquerque The 311 service is a single telephone number for all non-emergency City of Albuquerque inquiries and services © 2025 The City of Albuquerque. All Rights Reserved. The official website for the City of Albuquerque. Watch the newscast to get the code and enter to win an ABC 13 Umbrella! Buena Vista man claims wrongful charges over bingo nights at local restaurantby Alexia Stanbridge (WSET) — A man in Buena Vista is claiming he was wrongfully charged with conducting an illegal gambling enterprise at his wife's restaurant He said the charges all stem from hosting bingo at the 501 Roadhouse The Buena Vista Police Department charged Brian Rowsey with three counts of conducting an illegal gambling enterprise because he said they were just playing bingo "Just because I said come and eat and play bingo You know people are out here playing all these games they at people's house every night and gambling and they are worried about a man playing bingo that's giving his own money away," Rowsey said He said bingo nights at the 501 Roadhouse bring in lots of customers SEE ALSO: Madison Heights man arrested after bomb and drugs found in home the restaurant shut down bingo nights because police arrested Rowsey That's what it is going to come down to," he said We reached out to the Buena Vista commonwealth's attorney about these charges our office does not bring or maintain charges that we do not think are well-founded." Rowsey said he believes the charges will be dropped We are still working to get answers to these questions: ABC 13 reached out to the Buena Vista Police Department They said they can't comment on open investigations Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here Full Screen1 / 20Previous photoNext photoThis image released by Polk & Co and Jennifer Simard during a performance of "Death Becomes Her" in New York via AP)This image released by DKC/O+M shows Andrew Durand during a performance of Dead Outlaw." (Matthew Murphy/DKC/O+M via AP)This image released by Polk & Co and Christopher Sieber during a performance of "Death Becomes Her" in New York and Julia Knitel during a performance of Dead Outlaw." (Matthew Murphy/DKC/O+M via AP)This image released by DKC/O+M shows Andrew Durand during a performance of Dead Outlaw." (Matthew Murphy/DKC/O+M via AP)This image released by Polk & Co shows Wesley Wray with the Broadway company of Buena Vista Social Club during a performance in New York and Audra McDonald appear during a performance of the Broadway musical "Gypsy" in New York (Julieta Cervantes via AP)Audra McDonald portrays Rose during a performance of the Broadway musical "Gypsy" in New York and Cole Escola appear during a Broadway performance of "Oh (Emilio Madrid via AP)This image released by Polk & Co shows Isa Antonetti during a performance of Buena Vista Social Club in New York and Mel Sem during a performance of of Buena Vista Social Club in New York shows the Broadway company of Buena Vista Social Club during a performance in New York via AP)FILE - A view of the stage appears before the start of the 75th annual Tony Awards on Sunday File)Audra McDonald portrays Rose during a performance of the Broadway musical "Gypsy" in New York (Julieta Cervantes via AP)This image released by Polk & Co shows a performance of "Stranger Things: The First Shadow." (Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman/Polk & Co via AP)This image released by DKC/O+M shows Andrew Durand during a performance of Dead Outlaw." (Matthew Murphy/DKC/O+M via AP)FILE - George Clooney appears at the "Good Night and Good Luck" Broadway opening night on April 3 during a performance of Buena Vista Social Club in New York via AP)Cole Escola appears during a Broadway performance of "Oh Twenty-nine shows got at least one nomination across the 26 Tony categories even long-closed shows like “A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical” and “Swept Away.” wasn't expecting the nomination and woke to his phone blowing up “I’m just really excited to be a part of this crop of amazing performers.” “Buena Vista Social Club,” which takes its inspiration from Wim Wenders’ 1999 Oscar-nominated documentary on the making of the album “Buena Vista Social Club,” will face off for best musical crown with “Death Becomes Her,” based on the 1992 cult classic film of the same name about frenemeies who seek a magic eternal youth and beauty potion The category also includes “Maybe Happy Ending,” a rom-com musical about a pair of androids that crackles with humanity and “ Dead Outlaw,” a musical about a real life alcoholic drifter who was shot dead in 1911 and whose afterlife proved to be stranger than fiction as he was displayed at carnivals and sideshows for decades the British import “Operation Mincemeat,” also made it the improbably true story about a British deception operation designed to mislead Nazi Germany about the location of the Allied landing at Sicily “What I think is so cool about this year is that the shows are so widely different and I love that for Broadway,” says Christopher Gattelli the choreographer and first-time director of “Death Becomes Her,” who earned nods for both jobs “We have chamber pieces and really small intimate shows and these wildly funny black box shows I love that it’s been such a great scope of a year “Dead Outlaw” — conceived by David Yazbek, who wrote the music and lyrics with Erik Della Penna — reunites Yazbek with book writer Itamar Moses and the director David Cromer, who collaborated so winningly on the Tony-winning “The Band’s Visit.” Yazbek said Thursday that the team learned a lesson with that show that they applied to “Dead Outlaw.” “If you make the thing you want to make and make it true to itself and leave the rest of it up to the fates then you might actually get the reception that you want And so we sort of stuck to that approach,” he said In the best play category, “English,” Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sanaz Toossi’s look at four Iranian students preparing for an English language exam As did “The Hills of California,” Jez Butterworth’s look at a family gathering for the impending death of its matriarch set in a hotel in the summer of 1976 in England They'll compete with “John Proctor Is the Villain,” Kimberly Belflower’s examination of girlhood the #MeToo movement and a compelling rebuttal to “The Crucible,” and “Purpose,” Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ drawing-room drama about an accomplished Black family destroying itself from within gleefully deranged revisionist history by Cole Escola centered on Mary Todd Lincoln potty-mouthed first lady determined to strike out of the subordinate role into which history has placed her whose “Appropriate,” won best play revival last year said Thursday morning that his category was filled with plays that started regionally or off-Broadway “I hope people kind of see the diversity of what’s happening in terms of writing for the American stages right now “I think that’s just the testament to how fruitful the form is.” Audra McDonald, as expected, heard her name called for her turn as Rose in a hailed revival of “Gypsy,” a role that led to previous Tonys for the likes of Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly and Patti LuPone. McDonald already a holder for the most Tonys by a performer — with six — now vies for a seventh She will face off against Nicole Scherzinger in “Sunset Blvd.,” Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard in “Death Becomes Her,” and Jasmine Amy Rogers from “Boop The Musical,” which follows the Depression-era cartoon character as she goes on a journey of transformation McDonald credits the late Broadway star Gavin Creel for suggesting she lead “Gypsy” some eight years ago during a dinner party at her house and she didn't think a Black-led “Gypsy” would fly He died the first day of “Gypsy” rehearsals “We have another reason to thank him,” she said (The snub derails Culkin possibly winning an Oscar an Emmy and a Tony in less than 18 months.) The Tony Awards will be handed out June 8 at Radio City Music Hall during a telecast hosted by “Wicked” star and Tony winner Cynthia Erivo. rewritten or redistributed without permission TV Listings Email Newsletters RSS Feeds Closed Captioning / Audio Description Contact Us Careers at WPLG Terms of Use Privacy Policy Public File FCC Applications EEO Report Do Not Sell My Info 1.0 Host Exhibit Copyright © 2025 Local10.com is published by WPLG INC. This image shows the Broadway company of “Buena Vista Social Club” during a performance in New York Three Broadway shows — “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Death Becomes Her” and “Maybe Happy Ending” — each earned a leading 10 Tony Award nominations Thursday Nominators spread out the joy and gave nods to George Clooney Sarah Snook and Bob Odenkirk in their debuts heard her name called for her turn as Rose in a hailed revival of “Gypsy.” A revival of David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross” earned Odenkirk a nod but not for his co-stars Kieran Culkin or comedian Bill Burr an edgy “Othello” with Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal that costs north of $900 for orchestra seat tickets NEW YORK (AP) — Three Broadway shows — “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Death Becomes Her” and “Maybe Happy Ending” — each earned a leading 10 Tony Award nominations on Thursday, as nominators spread out the joy and gave nods to George Clooney, Sarah Snook and Bob Odenkirk in their debuts even long-closed shows such as “A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical” and “Swept Away.” wasn’t expecting the nomination and awoke to his phone blowing up “Buena Vista Social Club,” which takes its inspiration from Wim Wenders’ 1999 Oscar-nominated documentary on the making of the album of the same name will face off for the best musical crown with “Death Becomes Her,” based on the 1992 cult classic film about frenemeies who seek a magic eternal youth and beauty potion The category also includes “Maybe Happy Ending,” a rom-com musical about a pair of androids that crackles with humanity, and “Dead Outlaw,” a musical about a real-life alcoholic drifter who was shot dead in 1911 and whose afterlife proved to be stranger than fiction as his body was displayed at carnivals and sideshows for decades The play tells the improbably true story about a British deception operation designed to mislead Nazi Germany about the location of the Allied landing at Sicily “What I think is so cool about this year is that the shows are so widely different and I love that for Broadway,” said Christopher Gattelli The Tony Awards are set to be handed out on June 8 at Radio City Music Hall during a telecast hosted by “Wicked” star and Tony winner Cynthia Erivo. or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to read or post comments no promotional deals were found matching that code Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Account processing issue - the email address may already exist breaking news alerts as they become available Sign up to receive a weekly e-newsletter with a selection of healthcare and wellness news from the Jackson Hole News&Guide.  Sign up to receive a weekly e-newsletter with a selection of private public and continuing education news from the Jackson Hole News&Guide.  Sign up to receive a monthly e-newsletter with a selection of photography and video from the Jackson Hole News&Guide Sign up to receive a weekly e-newsletter with a selection of town and county government news from the Jackson Hole News&Guide.  Sign up to receive a weekly e-newsletter with a selection of arts and entertainment headlines from the Scene section of Jackson Hole News&Guide.  Sign up to receive a weekly e-newsletter with a selection of economic and business news from the Jackson Hole News&Guide.  Sign up to receive a weekly e-newsletter with a selection of environmental news from the Jackson Hole News&Guide.  Sign up to receive a weekly e-newsletter with a spotlight on Jackson Hole's crime justice and emergency news from the Jackson Hole News&Guide.  Sign up to receive a daily e-newsletter with a selection of local state and regional news headlines from the Jackson Hole Daily.  Sign up to receive a weekly e-newsletter with a selection of inspiring stories about the faces and places of Jackson Hole from the Jackson Hole News&Guide.  Sign up to receive a weekly e-newsletter with a selection of outdoors sports and recreation news from the Jackson Hole News&Guide.  Sign up to receive a weekly e-newsletter with a selection of trending local news headlines from the Jackson Hole News&Guide Sign up to receive a weekly e-newsletter with a selection of news headlines from the Jackson Hole News&Guide.  Sign up to receive a weekly e-newsletter with a selection of Wyoming government news from the Jackson Hole News&Guide Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account Broadway Off-Broadway Off-Off Broadway Cabaret Dance Opera Classical Music Nashville Minneapolis / St. Paul Connecticut Atlanta Chicago Los Angeles WEST END UK Regional Canada Australia / New Zealand Europe Asia Latin America Africa / Middle East TV/Movies Music Belcon plays 'Omara' in Buena Vista Social Club on Broadway The star of the hit Broadway musical was introduced to the music that inspired it decades ago "This is everything to me. I have a personal story with Buena Vista- my parents introduced my siblings and I," she told BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge "Just to see everything come around to this and not just to be in the show.. Every night when I'm onstage singing those songs In Buena Vista Social Club to a place where blazing trumpets and sizzling guitars set the dance floor on fire the sound of Havana is born—and one woman's remarkable journey begins "I don't know if most audiences know how they feed performers with their responses," she continued It's such a boost of caffeine in the veins- just their reactions to the names of the songs and the musicians it just makes me want to do better for them." Watch in this video as she chats more about the joys of starring in this thrilling new musical Inside a one-room apartment on the outskirts of Seoul Oliver lives a happily quiet life listening to jazz records and caring for his favorite plant But what else is there to do when you’re a HelperBot 3 a robot that has long been retired and considered obsolete When his fellow HelperBot neighbor Claire asks to borrow his charger what starts as an awkward encounter leads to a unique friendship Natalie Venetia Belcon may have only started Broadway performances a couple of months ago but her history with Buena Vista Social Club goes way back The star of the hit Broadway musical was introduced to the music that inspired it by her parents A special visitor stopped by the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre earlier this week Jennifer Lopez checked out Buena Vista Social Club on Broadway and posed backstage with the cast afterwards currently appearing in Buena Vista Social Club on Broadway took us backstage to share some of her backstage routines The music plays on at the Schoenfeld Theatre Buena Vista Social Club celebrated its opening night Watch in this video as we take you inside the big night with the full company and exclusive discounts on tickets to your favorite shows © 2025 - Copyright Wisdom Digital Media, all rights reserved. Privacy Policy Nominations for the 2025 Chita Rivera Awards featured dancers and ensembles in shows on Broadway as well as outstanding choreography in film during the 2024-25 season The ceremony will take place on May 19 at 7:30 PM at NYU Skirball the Chita Rivera Awards will be honoring Ben Vereen with the Lifetime Achievement Award Buena Vista Social Club leads the Broadway pack with seven nominations Snow White and Wicked: Part One received nods in the feature film category Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More "Buena Vista Social Club,” "Death Becomes Her" and "Maybe Happy Ending" emerged as frontrunners for the 78th annual Tony Awards on Thursday including “Sunset Boulevard,” a musical revival staring Nicole Scherzinger in the role of Norma Desmond This year’s Tony Award ceremony will be on June 8 returning to New York City’s Radio City Music Hall with host Cynthia Erivo .@patkiernan and @fdilella got actor Tom Francis' reaction to being nominated for a Tony Award for "Sunset Blvd." pic.twitter.com/fkVGIpKC9I Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical “Just In Time” co-stars Gracie Lawrence and Jonathan Groff spoke with @patkiernan and @fdilella after learning they were both nominated for Tony Awards. pic.twitter.com/6XIADBp7Bk Tony Award nominee @jamesmiglehart told @patkiernan and @fdilella it’s an honor to be recognized for his role in "A Wonderful World,” but credited his performance to the play’s entire cast and crew. pic.twitter.com/b7Wny2u5mt Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play Actress Marjan Neshat, who was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in “English,” spoke with @patkiernan and @fdilella after learning the news, telling them it “feels really special” to see the play have an impact. pic.twitter.com/5v7B1jgqG9 Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical Tony Award nominee Juila Knitel, recognized for her role in “Dead Outlaw,” told @patkiernan and @fdilella it has been a “dream come true.” pic.twitter.com/ZZ4Dx26F95 .@patkiernan and @fdilella got choreographer @CamilleABrown on the phone after she learned about her Tony Award nomination for her work on “Gypsy.” pic.twitter.com/WqWk6oTjts This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Things you buy through our links may earn Vox Media a commission and generically inspirational narrative about how these players met You might expect that book writer Marco Ramirez and director Saheem Ali took feedback like that and deepened and extended the thing in rewrites they’ve just hacked through Buena Vista’s Gordian knot Why not simply cut as much of the book as possible The remarkable thing is how much that approach works The Broadway Buena Vista clocks in a little shorter than its Off Broadway iteration — now it’s just two hours with intermission — and breezes through its set-up with quick dashes of exposition Juan de Marcos (Justin Cunningham) is a young record producer enamored with classic Cuban songs who’s come up with a plan to record “a love letter to Golden Age Cuban music,” but first he needs to convince the diva Omara Portuondo (Natalie Venetia Belcon exuding confidence in a series of power shawls by Dede Ayite) to come to the studio Juan’s already recruited the eager old hand Compay (Julio Monge able to land even the hoariest jokes) among a company of younger musicians but as Compay tells Omara when she gets in the studio “These old songs … they kick up old feelings.” Soon it flashes back to a younger Omara (Isa Antonetti) and her officious sister (Ashley De La Rosa) preparing for their performances at the Tropicana before the revolution and hiring a younger Compay (Da’Von T Moody) and his pianist compatriot Rubén (Leonardo Reyna) as their accompanists The two boys lure Omara off to their rowdier club on the bad side of town; she meets a busboy with a voice of gold named Ibrahim (Wesley Wray) I remember the Off Broadway plot contorting itself into a few more curlicues — there was one confusing side plot about that club being a hub for weapon-smuggling and a lot more of the characters talking around the politics of the revolution while saying little Ramirez’s script is more skeletal: It tends to hit the clichés then segue into music as quickly as possible The younger Rubén was “Picasso on the keys.” The older Rubén (Jainardo Sterling Batista) can barely walk anymore but when Juan puts on a recording of a classic song After the young Omara and Ibrahim fall for each other and then are separated by circumstance have no fear that she will eventually find an older Ibrahim (Mel Semé movingly poised) and the two will sing together again has left the other aspects of the production expand in its absence and that’s where the show is on its surest feet there is the music: Those standards from the original album a grab bag of genres and styles from a Cuba several decades ago Belcon brings the house down with “Candela,” maybe the most famous entry in the album with more than a little help from Buena Vista’s band — in character until she hears the show’s flautist Henry Paz wail away on the instrument (a moment that wows the audience You get to know the players in the band through their riffing their personalities just if not more vivid than the paper characters that surround them composed of musicians from around the globe whether in a central platform that doubles as the actual space of Juan’s recording studio or watching the action from the sidelines with dancers trying to negotiate around a small space with a double bass The musicians can wander and engage with the theater audience as they jam while the choreography of husband-and-wife team of Justin Peck and Patricia Delgado gets more physical space to traverse They fill in a lot of detail with that movement providing texture that the show tends to lack elsewhere while her more uptight sister is on her toes The dance also gives the show jolts of kinetic energy especially when Compay takes Omara on her first trip to the titular club with the ensemble shifting between moments of chaos and precision like a murmuration of birds changing course with the wind All that adds up to a rousing evening at the theater if also something less than a great musical With its book whittled down so much and its careful hedging to only speaking the broadest generalities about Cuba’s history Buena Vista Social Club only aims modestly high to stream that album once you’re in the subway and maybe inspire you to do a little research back home on their histories the Buena Vista has inserted a pamphlet of mini-histories of each of the songs into its Playbill (for the sake of immersion the introduction says those notes are by the character Juan de Marcos but the text is credited to Hugo Eugenio Perez) That pamphlet goes into further detail about the song’s histories; the folktales that inspired them; and the way some like “El Cumbanchero,” were co-opted into prettified marketing for the island while others contain the legacies of slavery There’s a richness and thorniness even in very abridged versions of those stories that hasn’t made it to the stage Buena Vista Social Club is at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater Password must be at least 8 characters and contain: you’ll receive occasional updates and offers from New York the artists of the titular Cuban music group were rediscovered in the '90s and the stage musical's cast brings them to life anew The 1997 album Buena Vista Social Club propelled a renaissance of classic Cuban music onto the world stage. The Buena Vista Social Club ensemble, named for a once-popular Havana club comprised musicians who had reached the peak of their careers decades earlier during the heyday of Latin genres like son The story of this group's formation is the subject of the new Broadway musical Buena Vista Social Club featuring BVSC's Grammy Award-winning music and a book by Marco Ramirez that jumps between the '90s and the artists' young adulthood in the '50s The characters share names with the iconic BVSC musicians but Ramirez's script invents new backstories that imagine what their lifelong relationships to the music the Buena Vista Social Club musical is doing the same thing the album did 30 years ago: introducing a new wave of global audiences to these artists' extraordinary talents "This means absolutely everything to me letting people get to know who they are all over again because it was a comeback story back in the '90s," said Natalie Venetia Belcon who stars in the show as singer Omara Portuondo "Now we're telling their comeback story and a lot of people are like I've never heard of these people!'" get to know the main characters in Buena Vista Social Club on Broadway and discover where fact and fiction diverge The closest you'll get to seeing these real-life icons perform is getting tickets to the musical Played by: Natalie Venetia Belcon (as Omara) Omara Portuondo was a vocalist on the Buena Vista album and is one of the only members of the band still living Portuondo even attended the musical's opening night described meeting her as "brief" but "amazing." Portuondo only sings one of the album's songs — a lost-love lament titled "Veinte años," as a duet with Ibrahim Ferrer — but Ramirez made her the central character in the stage show Belcon embodies "the basics" of the dignified Portuondo "as far as the real Omara is concerned [her character] is a fable," the actress continued Portuondo is "going through it," Belcon wryly added She's processing "memories and repressed emotions" years after retiring from a successful solo career — something many of her fellow musicians failed to achieve amid the tumult of the Cuban Revolution in the '50s Convincing Portuondo to do one more recording is the key to Buena Vista Social Club's success this story honors Portuondo's importance to Cuban music history and she is someone I look up to so much," said Antonetti and I want to take that with me everywhere I go." Monge puts it best: "Compay was the king." He truly did it all: Compay Segundo was a vocalist one of the most successful Cuban duos of the 1950s but he faded into obscurity until joining BVSC "Chan Chan," as well as songs in Latin genres like son "Compay was the person he called when they made this album because he's the one with the knowledge," Monge said "His music-making goes back to World War I and his story and his history and his collaboration and his contribution to Cuban music is extraordinary "He's not only a great Cuban musician; he's a great world-class musician." Ibrahim Ferrer only appears on stage a few times in Buena Vista Social Club "He grew up poor and was by himself by 12 years old," the actor said of Ferrer's character in the musical singing to people for money and then going to work as a busboy at the Buenavista Social Club and then [due to] some events that happened in Cuba he's completely out of the scene," echoed Semé The real Ferrer spent decades as a member of the Cuban group Los Bocucos and other ensembles but he was never widely known outside the country until recording Buena Vista Social Club The Afro-Cuban Ferrer also has a particularly meaningful relationship with Portuondo in the musical he's the first person to show Omara the Black Cuban culture and where she comes from," Wray said "[During] 'Bruca Manigua,' which is the song I sing in the first act she's really by taken aback by all the history." The stage show sees Ferrer experience colorism that made it especially difficult for him to succeed Buena Vista Social Club gives the character "the opportunity to come back to the light" 40 years later because you can see him shine when he's young and then you can see the darkness," he continued "You can see the poetry of his character and then you can see him shine back." A vocalist and guitarist on the Buena Vista album Eliades Ochoa is another of the group's still-living members He began playing guitar at 6 years old and has appeared on nearly 50 albums throughout his life and eager to impress Portuondo in the musical but he is a key player in the onstage band and sings multiple songs alongside his co-stars Played by: Jainardo Batista Sterling (as Rubén) Called the "genius of Cuban piano" and "Picasso on the keys," Rubén González was a virtuoso pianist featured on seven songs on the Buena Vista album It's a little different than in the show: "You're not necessarily going to see my character playing the piano like he used to," Batista Sterling said and mobility issues for years until his death in 2003 these troubles cloud his awareness and largely prevent him from speaking and one touching moment sees the older González back at the instrument once more sticks in the memory and in the bones for life multiple people worked behind the scenes to pull the Buena Vista album together including music executive Nick Gold; producer Ry Cooder who was also a guitarist on the album; and director/bandleader Juan de Marcos González who was already locating musicians for an Afro-Cuban All Stars band and ended up putting many of them He's also the only one of these people who appears in the Broadway musical scrappy character of Juan de Marcos is not afraid to take risks to succeed: When we meet him in the first scene he's shown up unannounced to Portuondo's house to convince her to come aboard the real González attended rehearsals for the musical to provide guidance exacting young woman in the Buena Vista Social Club musical as she was not a part of the titular music group and we get glimpses into their rehearsals and performances the sisters joined other music groups and even toured the U.S. Their relationship strains due to their differing visions of where they want their music careers to go — and whether they should pursue them within or outside the country Visit our spring preview page to learn more about all spring 2025 Broadway shows and discover more content. Photo credit: Buena Vista Social Club on Broadway Tony Award nominations times 10 for Buena Vista Social Club The nominations for the 78th Annual Tony Awards were announced by Sarah Paulson and Wendell Pierce this week Death Becomes Her and Maybe Happy Ending topping the leader board with 10 nominations each the biggest winner at the Olivier Awards 2024 (seven wins) has received seven nominations including nods to performers Nicole Scherzinger and Tom Francis and director Jamie Lloyd And the fairy tale continues for the British-born musical Operation Mincemeat while Jak Malone is a contender for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical (the show was previously named Mastercard Best New Musical and Malone won for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical at the Olivier Awards) Fans of Death Becomes Her were happy to see that both leading ladies were nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical History has also been made in that category with Audra McDonald officially becoming the most Tony-nominated performer in Broadway history (11 nominations) and musical productions that didn’t receive any love from the voters included Elf The Tony Awards ceremony takes place on 8 June 2025 at New York’s Radio City Music Hall with stage and screen star Cynthia Erivo hosting free from the trades and other publications that are part of the tinsel town machine Showbiz411.com has been covering Hollywood the music business and the business of celebrity but contributions (not tax exempt) from readers who enjoy the scoops and fact based reports are always welcome and very appreciated Nominations for the 2024-2025 Season American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards® Presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna Music & Lyrics: Julia Mattison and Noel Carey Music & Lyrics: Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical The Cohn Sisters & Stifelman-Burkhardt Melissa Chamberlain & Michael McCartney Pam Hurst-Della Pietra & Stephen Della Pietra Judith Ann Abrams Productions/The Broadway Investor’s Club Alli Folk/Evelyn Hoffman & Gregory Stern Nick Flatto/Evan & Claudia Caplan Reynolds Larry Hirschhorn & Ricardo Hornos/Carl & Jennifer Pasbjerg Independent Presenters Network/Lloyd Tichio Productions Jamie deRoy & Brian Rooney/Corey Brunish & Matthew P Willette & Manny Klausner/Elizabeth Faulkner Salem Wallace-Phoebe/Laurie Oki & Alexander Oki Stranger Things: The First Shadow – 5 Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical – 4 Real Women Have Curves: The Musical – 2 A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical – 1 Thornton Wilder’s Our Town – 1 Showbiz411 is now in its 13th year of providing breaking and exclusive entertainment news unlike the many Hollywood trades that are owned by one company To continue providing news that takes a fresh look at what's going on in movies Reader donations would be greatly appreciated They are just another facet of keeping fact based journalism alive.Thank you A clever British import and a soulful Cuban music-fest reflect a season that delivers the full range of musical storytelling Broadway’s been missing Broadway fans had their choice of fifteen new musicals – the most new tuners in a single season in decades not one of those shows felt like a true standout and The Great Gatsby – have found commercial success This in itself is remarkable: most recent seasons have only produced one genuine hit But while each of those shows had elements of brilliance none of them cohered in terms of great storytelling The Outsiders and Hell’s Kitchen are certainly worth seeing although Gatsby is basically a Disneyfied classic novel with a pretty set This Broadway season already feels different there are four new musicals that each outshine anything from last season: Maybe Happy Ending which I was lucky enough to see Off Broadway a musical that makes no claims to being high art still reflects more craft than Gatsby does Let’s take a closer look at Operation Mincemeat and Buena Vista Social Club which I had the pleasure of seeing last week Jak Malone and Zoë Roberts in Operation Mincemeat I was predisposed to fall for the British import Operation Mincemeat going in The show has drawn plenty of comparisons to Monty Python But underneath all the silliness is something sharp and heartfelt It’s a rare musical that can make you laugh so hard while also sneaking up on you with moments that catch you off-guard with their emotional power The story of Operation Mincemeat is based on a real World War II operation in which British intelligence officers attempted to fool Nazi forces by planting fake invasion documents on a corpse and setting it adrift off the coast of Spain this is not the only musical this season that prominently features a corpse the other being Dead Outlaw.) The idea behind the mission was to divert German forces away from Sicily and toward Sardinia The show takes this odd little footnote of military history and spins it into a darkly comic caper blending spy-thriller tension with interpersonal intrigue and a generous dose of pathos Even if you walk in knowing how the story turns out the show keeps you guessing with smart narrative twists and cleverly managed stakes Everyone plays so many roles – sometimes within the same scene – that I spent a decent chunk of the first act assuming there had to be more people hiding backstage Every member of the ensemble is exceptional and the comic timing is some of the sharpest I’ve seen in years Hester is asked to write a love letter to go in the dead man’s briefcase – a detail meant to make the fake identity seem more real it becomes clear that Hester is drawing from her own life and from a personal loss that dates back to World War I Perhaps the only – and very minor – drawback in the performances comes from the otherwise talented and engaging David Cumming as Charlie but his performance is occasionally overly mannered and crosses over into distracting the character is well-drawn and a key part of the show’s emotional arc It wasn’t until after the show when I was reading through the Playbill that I realized something even more remarkable about the talented cast: they also wrote and devised the show they’re sort of the musical version of the Mischief Theatre troupe the ones responsible for The Play That Goes Wrong and its numerous offshoots But Mischief’s shows are intentionally ridiculous One complaint I’ve heard recently about Mincemeat is that the often rap-like lyrics are pretty dense Many of the songs feel like walls of verbiage that require active listening to keep up with I’ve heard people suggest listening to the London cast recording before seeing the show Did you catch every single word of Thomas Jefferson’s second act rap or the cabinet battle But then you listened to the cast recording and enjoyed the show all the more when you got to savor every line Operation Mincemeat features masterful extended sequences and complex storytelling The number “Just for Tonight” is one of the show’s high points in this respect The song shifts back and forth between two locations – a nightclub where members of the team are celebrating what they think is a successful mission and a submarine where the plan is very much still in progress and not exactly going well The sequence is not only dramatically efficient but also a ton of fun because it balances premature triumph and rising tension care of director Robert Hastie and choreographer Jenny Arnold reminiscent of the clever stagecraft in shows like another British import You can tell these performers have been living in this show for a while — and they are still having the time of their lives The show barrels forward with the momentum of a farce but I never lost track of what’s happening The production is high energy from start to finish – almost exhausting at times – but it’s also exhilarating there are some lines that really stuck with me it’s all any of us can hope for.” The show may have been written in 2019 but that’s a sentiment that both Americans and Brits can savor and derive solace from today If Operation Mincemeat thrives on rapid-fire wit and theatrical ingenuity Buena Vista Social Club takes a different path – slower The remarkable thing about Buena Vista Social Club is that it radiates emotional authenticity and political undercurrents without ever tipping into maudlin nostalgia or angry agitprop It’s a tightly packed production that never overplays its hand The talent on stage is overwhelming – singers and musicians working toward a common purpose – and the show finds a thrilling balance between jubilation and grounded While many musicals can’t resist the urge to tack on a mini concert or megamix to leave the crowd cheering (I’m looking at you it knows when to let the final note hang in the air The show traces the life and music of Cuban singer Omara Portuondo moving back and forth between the ’50s and the ’90s as she reckons with personal loss It plays like a memory piece – fluid and poetic – with Omara revisiting moments that defined her life One of the most affecting threads concerns her internal conflict: Should she continue making music for her people or become a popular success with tourists preserve her culture or entertain the dilettantes authenticity and performance – is woven throughout the show “Some of what follows is true,” says record producer and part-time narrator Juan early in the show “some of it only feels true.” The production leans into that ambiguity on the role that racism played in shaping Omara’s relationships and her place in the Cuban music scene but you don’t need subtitles to understand what they mean The band – visible on stage throughout – acts as both ensemble and emotional engine tying the two timelines together with the sound of this music “These songs aren’t beautiful because we wrote them that way I’m usually skeptical of musical showboating – you know when everyone in the band gets a solo and attendant applause break the spotlighting of individual band members at the top of Act Two felt like a moment of earned celebration Dance plays an equally central role in the production Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck (the latter a richly deserved Tony winner for the recent Carousel revival) have created choreography that doesn’t decorate the music so much as amplify it the six principal dancers create a kinetic language that mirrors the emotional current of the show is a genuine breakout – her voice has both clarity and weight who some may remember as the original Gary Coleman in Avenue Q and a profundo voice that anchors the show as musician and professional smooth guy Compay brings dry humor and emotional depth to his role acting as a kind of street philosopher with a guitar by Marco Ramirez (of TV’s Daredevil and Orange Is the New Black Although the show’s main features are music and dance the foundation of the show lies in story and character Simple lines reflect both the wisdom (“It’s not your fault the world made us take sides.”) and naiveté (“No matter how bad things get out there there’s nothing a song can’t fix”) of the characters I hope we see more of Ramirez’s spare yet resonant style very soon Operation Mincemeat and Buena Vista Social Club highlight just how much variety and quality this season’s new musicals have to offer One spins a bizarre piece of wartime history into a sharp-edged comedy while the other draws on memory and music to explore a life shaped by music and both serve as reminders of what the Broadway musical Christopher Caggiano is a freelance writer and editor living in Stamford He has written about theater for a variety of outlets He also taught musical-theater history for 16 years and is working on numerous book projects based on his research Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" The Lady’s Dressing Room (1732) BY JONATHAN SWIFT Five hours (and who can do it less in?) By haughty Celia… but this Littlefield review has convinced me to make the purchase your comments reek of what is wrong in today's society and also if entitlement About Us Advertising/Underwriting Syndication Media Resources Editors and Contributors © 2025 The Arts Fuse. All Rights Reserved. Site by AuthorBytes Cynthia Erivo is set to host the 78th Annual Tony Awards, which will air live on CBS and Paramount+ on June 8 at 8 p.m CBS and Pluto TV will air The Tony Awards: Act One a pre-show of live and exclusive content leading up to the main event Sarah Paulson and Wendell Pierce announced the nominees Thursday morning with Best Book of a Musical including Buena Vista Social Club Death Becomes Her (starring Michelle Williams) Maybe Happy Ending and Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical about musicians and dancers living their dreams in Havana Belcon earned a nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical The show’s Dede Ayite was also nominated for Best Costume Design of a Musical This marks Ayite’s fifth career nomination She previously won for Hell’s Kitchen in 2024 Jon Michael Hill and Harry Lennix are nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role LaTanya Richardson Jackson also scored a nomination for her leading actress role in Purpose Fellow cast members Kara Young and Glenn Davis received nominations for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play and Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play Young’s nomination is her fourth in this category Audra McDonald was nominated in the Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical category McDonald becomes the Tonys’ most nominated performer Her co-star Joy Woods was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical bringing her total to five career Tony nominations—four for choreography McDonald shares her category with Jasmine Amy Rogers who brought Betty Boop to the stage in Boop James Monroe Iglehart earned a nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical Other notable nominations for Black artists include Paul Tazewell who was nominated for Best Costume Design of a Musical for Death Becomes Her Fresh off his award-winning work on the Wicked film adaptation Tazewell has now received 10 Tony nominations and previously won for Hamilton Another major milestone: Daniel Dae Kim became the first actor of Asian descent nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow Laura Donnelly, The Hills of California Sadie Sink, John Proctor Is the Villain Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray James Monroe Iglehart, A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical Gabriel Ebert, John Proctor Is the Villain Fina Strazza, John Proctor Is the Villain Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical Natalie Venetia Belcon, Buena Vista Social Club Justina Machado, Real Women Have Curves: The Musical Marg Horwell and David Bergman, The Picture of Dorian Gray Miriam Buether and 59, Stranger Things: The First Shadow Dane Laffrey and George Reeve, Maybe Happy Ending Arnulfo Maldonado, Buena Vista Social Club Marg Horwell, The Picture of Dorian Gray Brigitte Reiffenstuel, Stranger Things: The First Shadow Natasha Chivers, The Hills of California Jon Clark, Stranger Things: The First Shadow Heather Gilbert and David Bengali, Good Night Natasha Katz and Hannah Wasileski, John Proctor Is the Villain Nick Schlieper, The Picture of Dorian Gray Tyler Micoleau, Buena Vista Social Club Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun, Floyd Collins Paul Arditti, Stranger Things: The First Shadow Palmer Hefferan, John Proctor Is the Villain Clemence Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray Jonathan Deans, Buena Vista Social Club Danya Taymor, John Proctor Is the Villain Kip Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck, Buena Vista Social Club Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber, Just in Time Marco Paguia, Buena Vista Social Club David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sunset Blvd Andrew Paradis/We R Broadway Artists Alliance Koenigsberg Riley/Tulchin Bartner Productions Producers: Kevin McCollum & Lucas McMahon Creative Endeavor Office/Untitled Theatricals Carl & Jennifer Pasbjerg/H2H Concord Theatricals The Broadway Investor’s Club/Eastern Standard Time Robin Gorman Newman/Laurence Padgett Productions Pamela Hurst-Della Pietra & Stephen Della Pietra Ken & Rande Greiner/David Schwartz & Trudy Zohn Pam Hurst-Della Pietra and Stephen Della Pietra Michael Harrison for Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals Get relevant content delivered to you once a week Ready to dive in Select your preferences and get ready for an experience tailored just for you *by clicking Subscribe you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy The Grammy Award-winning album of Cuban music is now a Broadway show Zachary Stewart The band takes the final bow in Buena Vista Social Club the new musical at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on Broadway—and that’s as it should be and the band so sexy that I frequently found myself wondering: Couldn’t this just be a concert when the original Buena Vista Social Club (the ensemble of Cuban musicians assembled by Ry Cooder and Juan de Marcos to record the 1997 best-selling album of songs from the pre-revolutionary Cuban nightclub scene) played Carnegie Hall an event that would have been unthinkable just a decade earlier That feat of cultural diplomacy at the end of history is the climax of Wim Wenders’s 1999 documentary about the group which invents the interpersonal drama the film notably lacks Omara Portuondo (a commanding Natalie Venetia Belcon) is elevated to the central role despite singing just one track on the album She’s a living legend when Juan de Marcos (Justin Cunningham) attempts to recruit her with an aggressive sales pitch: “…one day this island might remind the world that Mozart’s got nothing on us,” he tells her with typical Cuban humility She enters the studio with Compay Segundo (a charming Julio Monge) and “Picasso on the keys” Rubén González (Jainardo Batista Sterling) who is by now quite senile but is present as a “good luck charm.” Ever the diva Omara initially bristles at de Marcos’s arrangement of “Candela,” which features a flute solo the magnificent Hery Paz proves her wrong with the greatest flute interlude since Jethro Tull—to which Omara assents with a little ass shake (the multi-talented Paz also drew the lovely illustrations in the program insert) Such recording studio squabbles have proven the stuff of Tony Awards but Ramirez goes further: “Be careful,” Compay warns Omara “Sometimes these old songs… they kick up old feelings.” when young Omara (the powerfully expressive Isa Antonetti) had an act at the Tropicana with her sister entice Omara out to the Buena Vista Social Club a Black-run establishment decidedly not on any tourist maps That’s where she meets a honey-voiced busboy named Ibrahim Ferrer (Wesley Wray in the 50s Mel Semé in the 90s) who seems like the perfect collaborator But with the sisters on the verge of signing a record contract and taking the last flight out of Havana before the commies roll in Ramirez has revised his book since the 2023 off-Broadway run at Atlantic Theater Company excising a subplot about gunrunning (a possible sacrifice to that enemy of Dionysus But it still feels both overstuffed and malnourished providing only superficial context for this music while declining to touch any of the third rails that still electrify debate within the Cuban diaspora Director Saheem Ali partially succeeds in distracting the audience from the actual play with top-notch production values including a multi-level set by Arnulfo Maldonado that portrays the salt-eaten masonry of old Havana Dede Ayite’s costumes artfully conjure two historical periods and the color of the fabric explodes under Tyler Micoleau’s lighting which feels directly connected to the percussive heartbeat of this music So does the choreography by Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck which references traditional Cuban forms without being hemmed in by them Jonathan Deans delivers pristine sound design so that we don’t miss a note because music director Marco Paguia is serving up a feast for the ears breathing new life into a well-known album with his clever arrangements and resourceful orchestrations Some of the best moments in the show feature Avich on tres and David Oquendo on guitar leading the band like in the second act opener “El Cuarto de Tula,” which invites band members to improv both musically and lyrically with what contemporary drag queens might call shade and end—which again prompts the question: Why can’t this just be a concert Are they creating for the Tony Award category without regard for what is best for the source material I suspect it’s primarily the fear of leaving a Broadway audience alone for two hours without the benefit of the English language That thoroughly banal explanation still doesn’t justify the mediocre book musical before us—a gorgeous night of sound and color that really could have just been a concert It’s easy to like a show that knows itself. Between the first words of the script — a stage direction, “We begin with music” — to the final bow — by the onstage band — the infectiously exuberant and joyous Buena Vista Social Club tells and shows exactly what it’s about The subject here is the singular sound of old-school Cuban music and artists who made it, a sonic sensation that was captured on a milestone 1990s album recorded in Havana that shares its name with the musical Songs — they’re all sung in Spanish — from the Grammy-winning record including “Candela,” “Dos Gardenias,” and “El Cuarto de Tula” thread through the show constantly making audience members’ heads bob and bodies wriggle to the beat “A sound like this,” a character teases early on, “it tends to travel.” And how. The album went on to become a global hit and inspired a documentary and the musical, which premiered off Broadway in 2023. Traveling to Broadway's Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre Marco Ramirez's script that mixes fact and imagination is slimmer singers Omara Portuondo and her sister Haydee face divergent futures and careers an older Omara eventually finds her way back to the “old songs” and BVSC band members with whom she shares history: guitarist Compay Segundo Choreography by Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck is explosive Director Saheem Ali’s production mambos across time Based on the acclaimed 1997 album and documentary of the same name the Buena Vista Social Club musical transports audiences to Havana celebrating the rich cultural heritage of Cuba while highlighting the journey of legendary BVSC musicians who were rediscovered in their later years The show has arrived on Broadway following its world premiere in 2023 with Atlantic Theater Company Since the musical takes place in Revolution-era Cuba as well as 40 years later principal characters are played by two actors to depict when they are young and a featured singer on the album who here anchors the time-leaping plot of the musical plays her as a hopeful young woman finding her own voice and path in Cuba impresses as she shoulders the older Omara who’s haunted by past decisions tied to the BVSC and has turned away from performing She finds a way to finally make peace with her past and herself Buena Vista Social Club has an 81% audience approval rating on the review aggregator Show-Score with theatregoers hailing its vibrancy and singularity Read more audience reviews of Buena Vista Social Club on Show-Score. Buena Vista Social Club celebrates a rich slice of Cuban music and cultural heritage Learn more and get Buena Vista Social Club tickets on New York Theatre Guide. Buena Vista Social Club is at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. 2025Wesley Wray as Young Ibrahim and company in Buena Vista Social Club.Photo: Matthew MurphySave this storySaveSave this storySaveThe musical Buena Vista Social Club inspired by the story of the Cuban supergroup and its best-selling 1997 Latin music album Far from a jumble of disparate elements—this is not your average jukebox—the show is a poignant rousing evocation of a country caught in the crosshairs of history and of the art that can heal its wounds Written by the Miami-born Cuban American Marco Ramirez the ensemble piece has a fluid relationship to time and space While its plot is anchored in the album’s Havana recording sessions it also reaches back into the final moments of the city’s prerevolutionary era when so many had to choose between fleeing for security or staying for continuity who gathered most of the group’s musicians: “These old songs When Ramirez was approached by producers interested in staging the album’s music a few years ago What do we think the show is?’”) After a research trip back to his homeland he chose to foreground the singer Omara Portuondo turning her into a sort of prodigal daughter returning to this bygone sound “this kicks up a bunch of emotions and feelings and stories from the past and that became the thread that we hung everything else on.” Natalie Venetia Belcon (Omara) and David Oquendo As he wondered who would be able to help shepherd his loose ideas to fruition, Ramirez caught a performance of Fat Ham and thought its director knew the album but says he would not have come on board had he not taken his own solo trip to Cuba earlier one which gave him the insight and encouragement to tackle a cultural experience outside his own In a show with a book in English and a music catalog entirely in Spanish he also followed the sound of the claves—percussion instruments as elemental to Afro-Cuban music as to the West African songs he grew up hearing—into the heart of the material As the show prepares to open at the Schoenfeld after a sold-out run at the Atlantic Theater downtown Ramirez and Ali speak to Vogue about their collaboration Vogue: The piece operates as a diptych of the ’90s and there’s a line in the show about how there are only two types of Cubans: “those who stayed and those who left.” It’s striking to see a show that speaks to emigration when most narratives here tend to focus on immigration Marco Ramirez: I’ve seen a lot of stories about immigration but this was a story about people who all stayed and continued to work in Cuba That was an active choice that they made as artists so it always felt right for this story to take place entirely in Cuba Havana and the people there who’ve lived in both time periods It’s about people who commit their lives to music “This is what I want to do forever,” and who made that decision in their very early 20s How did you each experience emigration growing up So I have my own guilt about not staying and not contributing artistically to the place where I was born because that drain is one directional if you never return because it’s not the version that I chose for myself It’s so beautiful to show a story where young people decide to stay and invest and then have that second chance in the future What I love about Marco’s perspective [is his centering of] the homegrown Juan de Marcos someone who actually had their foot on the ground Ramirez: I grew up around a lot of people who were experiencing a kind of shared nostalgia music was their connection to this place I grew up hearing about as if it were never-never land their memories of it seemed to just get brighter and nostalgia seeped in the memory part—the ’50s part—of this show has been purposely written and designed and performed to feel like it’s being remembered—not too grounded we see it as how this woman remembers things My own connection to the island was almost entirely through music and it wasn’t until later in life that I actually got to visit and realize these people are living a shared experience It was magical being able to do that and realize these people want their story to be told from their point of view because it’s very often told from the outside to explore the parallel versions of yourselves that stayed behind I grew up around a lot of political conversations held around pig roasts and domino games Did you hear who got married?” And once in a while people would have relatives come visit and we would see these people pop into our lives and then go back And I would hear my grandparents on the phone talking to these people or hear them sobbing when someone passed who they hadn’t seen in 10 years I was very excited to tell a story about the kind of disconnect that happens between people who really love each other but are living in almost different dimensions they’re living in the exact same dimension How did you work to create a book and a production primarily meant to honor music while still delivering a strong story it was about letting the music lead the way and understanding that these songs are about heartbreak and longing looking back and regret—for lack of a better word We’re not using the songs to push the story but using the story to push songs my intention was to allow this music to be framed The show’s band always gets this wonderful That was always rule number one: making sure that the music sounded authentic presented in Spanish and with the traditional arrangements and instrumentation Ali: I took my cues from Marco and his book because that reverence is what I sensed from the page the minute I came on board So it was all about figuring out the architecture to support that in a physical production: music and music making There’s gonna be no faking of music instruments to also place them at the periphery when something else needed to be at the center How could we design a physical landscape to allow that to happen and storytelling fluid enough that we didn’t need to wait for a big scene change to get to the next scene How could we hint at different spaces or periods without a projection saying It was about how the poetry of the music could translate to a poetic way of telling the story Tell me about calibrating the show so that English speakers don’t feel alienated but Hispanics don’t feel sold out Ali: The guiding principle was that if the songs are in Spanish and beautiful in their own right then how can the storytelling support them in a way that’s more emotional in a way where the setting tells you what’s happening so how can you provide a circumstance where the audience understands where the song is being performed and is not wondering where in time and space they are The only song that doesn’t have a performer who we know as a character is “Chan Chan.” That’s the one song embedded within the story that the band sings but the storytelling continues with movement Ali: We felt like we had found a structure that supported the bilingual nature of the piece and a design that had fluidity but there were some relationships where we wanted to sharpen the conflict and stakes We spent some time working on those storylines and revisiting some of the numbers like “Chan Chan,” which is completely different now with two dancers interpreting the heartbreak and separation of the sisters in terms of movement and design that’s nonverbal This is the second time I’ve had to size up a show that was delicate and beautiful off-Broadway and you’re constantly wondering how to keep what worked while taking the opportunity to revisit some things Photo: Matthew MurphyThe dancing seems more integrated now What kind of conversations did you have with choreographers Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck after that run Ali: Just unpacking each and every number and asking again and again With “Bruca maniguá,” the first number we see the Ibrahim Ferrer character sing at the Buena Vista we always knew it was about his virtuosic singing and we wanted to touch on the African roots of the song How could we go deeper so that Omara is witnessing something that is primal and deeply rooted in them So we added a section that cuts everything else but the batá drums that he responds to in a kind of ritualistic dance but we had performances where we danced to drums Watching that moment now on a Broadway stage gives me chills down my spine because it feels so rooted in something familiar from the content where I was born I appreciate that the show deals with colorism and the racial aspect of Latin identity which I feel is an unexplored topic even within the community that originated just from the fact that the Buena Vista Social Club was a Black club back in the day It felt like something very organic to the telling of the story The idea that it affected Ibrahim Ferrer’s actual career because back then he was considered a background singer no matter how absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous his voice was... What have you noticed from the response to the show Ali: I’m really proud because we set out to do a thing and the audiences have been just rapturous Hearing people applaud at the opening chords of a song… I can’t remember the last time I was on Broadway and heard people applauding not the star coming out but the song So to have created a piece that allows these songs to just exist and then to feel that adulation for the music Ramirez: It’s particularly moving to see the band’s reaction to it because these are some of the best musicians I’ve ever seen and many of them were not playing Broadway stages a year ago are the moments when a song is mentioned—“We’re gonna sing ‘Dos gardenias’”—and it’s a line I never thought could get a response but some nights people start clapping just at the mention of a song but when I think of the whole project of the original album and I just want the world to remember them for a little bit longer,” that’s the reason that record was made so the thought that we get to push it one more time feels like we’re helping the collective memory remember the music This conversation has been edited and condensed Ryan Murphy Has Finally Found His Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy The Best Books of 2025 So Far Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Adolescence, the British Netflix Drama That’s Quickly Gone Viral “I Didn’t Want to Box Myself In”: On Mayhem, Lady Gaga Crafts Perfect Pop for a Chaotic World Listen to The Run-Through with Vogue a weekly podcast featuring the most exciting stories and hot takes from the worlds of culture Never miss a Vogue moment and get unlimited digital access for just $2 $1 per month