Photo: Apple MusicBuena Vista Social Club (Original Broadway Cast)
A Musical Dream from Havana
In 1997, American guitarist Ry Cooder gathered a group of forgotten veteran musicians in Havana, Cuba, to record an album—Buena Vista Social Club.
That album made these Cuban legends visible to the world again, turning “Buena Vista Social Club” into a world-music legend.
And this 2025 Broadway musical brings that legend to the stage—it is also the first Broadway musical performed entirely in Spanish.
The All-Spanish Breakthrough
When Broadway stages a fully Spanish-language musical for the first time, that itself is a major event.
The show does not treat Spanish as an “exotic” decoration; it makes language a part of the music itself—Cuban rhythms, Havana flavor, the stories of those old musicians, all told in their mother tongue.
The band behind it earned a 2025 Special Tony Award, recognizing the work’s cultural and musical breakthrough.
The Legendary Sound
This soundtrack features the show’s songs, blending traditional Cuban son, bolero, and jazz.
Those melodies carry Havana’s characteristic languor and passion. Even if you don’t understand Spanish, you feel the music’s vitality.
A Taiwanese Regret
Interestingly, this work has an unfinished story with Taiwan. The Buena Vista Social Club ensemble was scheduled to perform at Taipei’s National Concert Hall in March 2016, but the concert was canceled because the Cuban government cited political reasons, and it never took place.
Though the ensemble never reached Taiwan, through this musical and its soundtrack, that Havana passion has finally crossed the ocean by another route.
Why Listen
In 2026, this soundtrack won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
This is an album that lets you feel both the passion of Cuban music and the narrative charm of Broadway. It crosses boundaries of language and culture, proving that music itself is the best translation.
Further Listening
If you love this work, the contemporary Broadway musicals Maybe Happy Ending and The Book Thief each offer different kinds of emotion.
About the Performer
Broadway actress in the all-Spanish original cast.
Member of the all-Spanish original Broadway cast.
About the Composer
The legendary Cuban ensemble; its band earned a 2025 Special Tony Award. The musical's book is by Marco Ramirez.
Taiwan Performance History
The Cuban Buena Vista Social Club ensemble was scheduled to perform at Taipei's National Concert Hall in March 2016 (organized by MNA), but the concert was canceled due to political reasons by the Cuban government, so the ensemble never performed in Taiwan.