Photos: BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB Opens At Atlantic Theater Company

Atlantic Theater Company’s world premiere musical, Buena Vista Social Club ™ officially opened Off-Broadway on December 13th.  See photos from opening night.

Buena Vista Social Club™ is written by Marco Ramirez, directed by Saheem Ali, and choreographed by Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck. David Yazbeck leads the music team. 

Inspired by true events, the new musical Buena Vista Social ClubTM brings the iconic Grammy-winning album of pulsing Afro-Cuban music thrillingly to the stage.

In 1950s Havana, a group of young musicians creates a sound that shakes the world of Cuban music – until the revolution changes everything. Forty years later, the band is brought back together to record the songs they left behind. With decades of heartbreak fueling every note, they unexpectedly go on to create the greatest-selling world music album of all time, immortalizing their songs and their legacy.

The international cast of Buena Vista Social ClubTM features Skizzo Arnedillo (Best Original Choreography Nominee Off-Broadway, A Class Act), Renesito Avich (Latin Grammy nominee), Natalie Venetia Belcon (Matilda), Angélica Beliard (Summer), Kenya Browne (Off-Broadway debut), Danaya Esperanza (Comedy of Errors), Carlos Falú (Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story), Francisco J. González (Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building”), Jared Machado (Off-Broadway debut), Héctor Juan Maisonet (On Your Feet!), Ilda Mason (West Side Story), Marielys Molina (Motown), Julio Monge (Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story), Leonardo Reyna (Off-Broadway debut), Mel Semé (Off-Broadway debut), Olly Sholotan (Peacock’s “Bel-Air”), Jainardo Batista Sterling (Whitney Museum’s Lacks Criticality), Nancy Ticotin (In The Heights), and Luis Vega (Tell Hector I Miss Him).

The band of Buena Vista Social ClubTM features music supervisor Dean Sharenow, music director, orchestrations & arrangements by Marco Paguia, additional arrangements by Javier Diaz and David Oquendo, consultant Juan de Marcos, and musicians Javier Diaz, Román Diaz, Guido Gonzalez, Mauricio Herrera, Hery Paz, Gustavo Schartz, and Eddie Venegas.

Buena Vista Social ClubTM features sets by Arnulfo Maldonado, costumes by Dede Ayite, lighting by Tyler Micoleau, sound by Jonathan Deans, music supervisor Dean Sharenow, music director, orchestrations & arrangements by Marco Paguia, additional arrangements by Javier Diaz and David Oquendo, consultant Juan de Marcos, wigs, hair & make-up by J. Jared Janas, props by Matt Carlin, dialects by Rosie Berrido, vocal coaching by Dawn-Elin Fraser, fights by Lisa Kopitsky, and casting by Tara Rubin Casting; Xavier Rubiano, CSA; Frankie Ramirez. Amanda Michaels serves as the Production Stage Manager.

Buena Vista Social Club ™ is now open at the Linda Gross Theater (336 West 20th Street). The production will run until January 21st, 2024.

Photo Credit: Ahron R. Foster

Ilda Mason

Ilda Mason and Héctor Juan Maisonet

Olly Sholotan

Olly Sholotan and Mel Semé

Julio Monge and Mel Semé

Héctor Juan Maisonet

Marco Ramirez

Julio Monge and Marco Ramirez

Jainardo Batista Sterling and Leonardo Reyna

Justin Peck and Patricia Delgado

Justin Peck, Patricia Delgado, and Carlos Gonzalez

Buena Vista Social Club company, band, and creative team

Buena Vista Social Club company, band, and creative team

Renesito Avich

Renesito Avich, Marco Paguia, and Leonardo Reyna

Jared Machado and Julio Monge

Julio Monge

Jared Machado

Renesito Avich and David Oquendo

Carlos Falú and guest

Eddie Venegas and guest

Francisco J. González and Nancy Ticotin

Jared Machado and family

Jainardo Batista Sterling

Leonardo Reyna

Natalie Venetia Belcon and Orin Wolf

Natalie Venetia Belcon

Danaya Esperanza

Luis Vega and Juan De Marcos

David Oquendo, Renesito Avich, Danaya Esperanza, and Juan De Marcos

Lupita Nyong'o, Saheem Ali, and Neil Pepe

Lupita Nyong'o

Mary McCann and Neil Pepe

Marielys Molina

Dean Sharenow and Hery Paz

Dean Sharenow

Orin Wolf, Isabella Schiavon, and Hannah Rosenthal

Carlos Gonzalez and Kurt Crowley

Jamie deRoy and Stefany Bergson

Luis Vega

Marco Paguia

Saheem Ali and Lupita Nyong'o

Saheem Ali and Lupita Nyong'o

Saheem Ali

Buena Vista Social Club ensemble

Jainardo Batista Sterling and Leonard Reyna

Julio Monge and Jared Machado

Mel Semé and Olly Sholotan

Danaya Esperanza and Kenya Browne

Natalie Venetia Belcon

The company and band of Buena Vista Social Club

The band of Buena Vista Social Club

Orin Wolf and David Yazbek

Angélica Beliard

Kenya Browne

Kenya Browne and Olly Sholotan

Kenya Browne and Olly Sholotan

Kenya Browne and Jared Machado

Kenya Browne, Olly Sholotan, and Jared Machado

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