Musical · running
Buena Vista Social Club
Marco Ramirez's Tony-winning musical drawn from the 1997 Grammy-winning Cuban album — a live orchestra of world-class Cuban musicians at the Gerald Schoenfeld.
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Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre box office (in-person rush) — $45
$45 in-person rush at the Schoenfeld is the cheapest legitimate path — arrive early on performance day. The $49 Telecharge digital lottery is the no-line alternative with two drawings per day. Book Telecharge directly for a specific-date guarantee.
See Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre box office (in-person rush) →Every way to buy
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About the show
The 1997 Buena Vista Social Club album — the Grammy-winning collection that resurrected a generation of Cuban musicians and sold 12 million copies — reimagined for the Broadway stage. Book by Marco Ramirez; directed by Saheem Ali; choreographed by Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck. The story moves between 1950s and 1990s Havana, tracing how a group of aging musicians assembled the recording that would put Cuban music back on the world stage. Songs are performed in the original Spanish; dialogue is in English. Featured cast includes Natalie Venetia Belcon as adult Omara Portuondo, Mel Semé as adult Ibrahim Ferrer, Jainardo Batista Sterling as Rubén González, and Da'Von T. Moody as Compay Segundo. Previews began February 21, 2025; opened March 19, 2025. Won 5 Tony Awards from 10 nominations at the 78th Tonys (2025), including Best Featured Actress (Belcon), Best Sound Design, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations, and a Special Tony for the live musicians. Cast album won the 2026 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album.
Content advisory: Recommended ages 10+. Song lyrics in Spanish (with dialogue in English); themes touch on political upheaval, exile, and mortality but treated with warmth. Broadly accessible for older kids and up.
Deeper guides for Buena Vista Social Club
Frequently asked questions
- Is Buena Vista Social Club in Spanish?
- The songs are in Spanish (the original 1997 album's language); the dialogue is in English. No subtitles are provided for the songs, but the music's narrative arc is broadly understandable regardless of language.
- How long is Buena Vista Social Club?
- About 2 hours and 10 minutes including one intermission.
- Where is Buena Vista Social Club playing?
- The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 W 45th Street — a 1917 Shubert Organization house that seats 1,079.
- Does Buena Vista Social Club have a digital lottery or rush?
- Yes — both. Telecharge runs a $49 digital lottery: entries open at 12 AM the day before the performance and winners are drawn that same day at 10 AM and 3 PM, up to 2 tickets each. There's also a $45 general rush in person at the Schoenfeld Theatre box office on the day of each performance, limit 2 per person, first-come first-served and subject to availability.
- Is this the same as the 1997 album?
- It's a stage musical drawn from the story of the 1997 Grammy-winning album. The score uses songs from the original album; the book is Marco Ramirez's new dramatic framing of how the recording came together.