‘Buena Vista Social Club’ to Release Original Broadway Cast Album Amid Acclaim an

 

‘Buena Vista Social Club’ to Release Original Broadway Cast Album Amid Acclaim and 10 Tony Nominations

The production, the first Broadway musical sung entirely in Spanish, honors Cuba’s golden age and brings a world-famous Afro-Cuban album to theatrical life.

\The Broadway musical Buena Vista Social Club™—a production that has earned 10 Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical—will release its original Broadway cast recording digitally on June 6, with a CD release to follow on July 25. The album, produced by Dean Sharenow and David Yazbek, will be released under World Circuit Records, with a vinyl edition expected later in 2025.

The show, which opened in March at the Schoenfeld Theatre, marks a major milestone in Broadway history as the first musical to feature a full score sung entirely in Spanish. With scenes and dialogue performed in English, the bilingual format has resonated with audiences and critics alike. The New York Times named it a “Critic’s Pick,” praising its “thrill of music-making.” The Washington Post called it “a jaw-dropping, soul-stirring must see,” and Variety hailed it as “the most intoxicating and rapturous show of the Broadway season.”

With a book by Tony nominee Marco Ramirez (The Royale), the show is directed by Tony nominee Saheem Ali (Fat Ham), and choreographed by Patricia Delgado and Tony winner Justin Peck. The story reimagines the lives behind the iconic musicians who recorded the landmark 1996 album Buena Vista Social Club in Havana’s vintage EGREM studios. Blending biography and imagination, the musical traces a woman’s personal journey set against the rhythms, politics, and passions of Cuba’s mid-century music scene.

The Broadway production features a live Afro-Cuban band that was recently honored with a Special 2025 Tony Award. Among the musicians are Marco Paguia (music director, piano), David Oquendo (guitar), Renesito Avich (tres), Gustavo Schartz (bass), and Javier Díaz (percussion), among others. Their work underscores a production that relies as much on virtuosity as it does on storytelling.

The cast recording includes songs like “Chan Chan,” “Dos Gardenias,” “Silencio,” “Bruca Maniguá,” “Drume Negrita,” and “El Carretero,” celebrating Cuba’s golden era while introducing these classics to new generations of theatergoers. The full cast includes Tony nominee Natalie Venetia Belcon (Omara), Mel Semé (Ibrahim), Julio Monge (Compay), Jainardo Batista Sterling (Rubén), Isa Antonetti, Da’Von T. Moody, and Leonardo Reyna, among others.

The original cast recording features both the Broadway cast and orchestra, with music supervision by Dean Sharenow, orchestrations by Marco Paguia, and additional arrangements by Javier Díaz and David Oquendo. Executive production is credited to Allan Williams.

In addition to its 10 Tony nominations, Buena Vista Social Club™ has already earned two Chita Rivera Awards for choreography and ensemble performance. It was also nominated for three Drama League Awards and recognized by the Outer Critics Circle.

The show originally premiered at Atlantic Theater Company in December 2023. Its transfer to Broadway reflects the continued cultural and commercial resonance of the Buena Vista legacy. The original 1996 album, produced by Ry Cooder with Cuban bandleader Juan de Marcos González and British producer Nick Gold, became a global phenomenon, earning a Grammy Award and selling over eight million copies. It helped launch the international careers of Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portuondo, Rubén González, and Compay Segundo, among others, and inspired the acclaimed 1999 documentary directed by Wim Wenders.

More than a revival, the Broadway adaptation of Buena Vista Social Club™ is a reinvention. It pays homage to a legendary recording while creating something entirely new, infused with theatricality, lived memory, and the percussive heartbeat of a culture still moving forward.

The original Broadway cast recording will be available for streaming and download beginning June 6. CDs will be released July 25, with vinyl arriving later this year. Pre-orders and digital access are available at: https://WorldCircuit.lnk.to/BVSCBroadwayOCRPR

For tickets and more information, visit www.buenavistamusical.com or @buenavistamusical on social media.