Let’s just keep it real, here’s what you really want to know: Do you need to be fluent in Spanish to enjoy “Buena Vista Social Club”?
The answer is no. The charms of the Broadway musical — playing at Miami’s Arsht Center before moving on to Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center — are impactful even if “no hablo español” is the only “español” you are able to “hablar.” It’s true that all the song lyrics are in Spanish, but trust, you will get the soulful feeling … the soulful vibe … in your soul.
Surrender to it.
And if you’re unable to do that, there’s an extremely helpful insert in the Encore programs that Arsht ushers are handing out (and which will be available online for the Broward Center run).
The story, as relayed in this musical (with dialogue in English, by the way), ping-pongs in time from a pre-Castro Cuba in the 1950s to the lead-up to recording the iconic and seminal album of the same name in the 1990s.
“What follows is the story of a band. Not ours, but we’ll do our best,” a character says in the opening.
Back in the 1950s, the musicians are scraping by, performing in the chic Tropicana nightclub on one side of Havana and grooving in a social club on the other side, the “wrong” side where tourists never venture.
Flash forward to the 1990s: Producer Juan de Marcos (played by Holiday) is trying to get diva Omara Portuondo (Karmine Alers) to sing on a Cuban concept album of pre-revolutionary songs he is working on with veteran musicians she knew before becoming a star — back when she and her sister, Haydee (Liana Morales), were desperately chasing a stateside recording contract.
“One day, with the right record, this island might remind the world that Mozart’s got nothing on us,” de Marcos says.
As you might well imagine, there’s a romance too, though the passion comes off as cutesy as opposed to hotsy. Omara is infatuated with singer (and busboy in the seedy social club) Ibrahim Ferrer (Jaleel Battles Jr.), whose Afro-Cuban heritage means he has to busk on the piers of Havana.
And, yes, the characters are based on real-life participants in the megahit album, though some liberty has been taken with their stories.
The Broadway production won five Tony Awards after bowing on the Great White Way in 2025 (John Leguizamo and LaChanze were among the producers). And this past February, the cast recording won for Best Musical Theater Album at the 68th Grammy Awards.
Ahhhh, that music.
Though this is theater — at times bordering on choreographic performance art — the music itself has the immediacy and sharp attack of a top-class concert, seemingly bubbling up in an improvisational way as if it just came from a late-night jam session.
Every tuneful tah-dah accent gets a roar of approval … the brass blasts … the vocal wails. But the ticket-buying audience on media night, presumably fans of the 1997 album that launched two documentaries and this stage musical, had quieter reactions, giving a murmur of recognition to some “canciones.” While being seduced by the more yearning passages with the gliding and mellifluous singing, the crowd sometimes gave a soft (but audible nonetheless) “mmm.”
Something is satisfied.
Rubbery arrangements wrap themselves around several musical styles, such as bolero, danzón, salsa and son cubano. And the 10-member ensemble onstage throughout the show, veritable virtuosos each and every one of them, sound like twice that number (if the fiery “Candela” doesn’t get you chair dancing, then that’s on you, not them).
It must be said that the show dances gingerly around many of the controversial lightning rods of Cuban politics. Then again, this is a Broadway show, not “Noticias Telemundo Investiga.” The narrative touches upon, for example, violence, economic inequality and racism before and after the Cuban Revolution without hitting it hard during the two hours with a 15-minute intermission.
Matthew Murphy
From left, Irving Aday O’Connor, Aidan Olmo, Liana Morales and Isabel Gonzalez in “Buena Vista Social Club.” (Matthew Murphy/Courtesy)
The book for “Buena Vista Social Club” was written by Marco Ramirez, with choreography by Patricia Delgado — both are native Miamians. Delgado’s hubby, Justin Peck, co-created the dancing for the show (both have previously worked with the Miami City Ballet).
And there you have it. South Floridians don’t necessarily need to speak Spanish to resonate with this show. Everything about this musical — the story, the movement, the music, the look, the feel — talks to us in a way we understand because the very DNA of the “Buena Vista Social Club” is sooooo SoFlo.
It will speak to you.
If you go
• “Buena Vista Social Club” is playing at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, through Oct. 4. Tickets start at $52.65. Visit arshtcenter.org or call 305-949-6722.
• The musical moves to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale, from Oct. 13-18. Tickets start at $59. Visit browardcenter.org or call 954-462-0222.
Matthew Murphy
Jaleel Battles Jr., at center, with the North American Tour company of the Broadway musical “Buena Vista Social Club.” (Matthew Murphy/Courtesy)