The Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical “Buena Vista Social Club” will make its South Florida premiere September 29 through October 4 at the Adrienne Arsht Center’s Ziff Ballet Opera House, opening the 2026–27 Broadway in Miami season with a production written and choreographed by two Miami-raised artists during Hispanic Heritage Month.
Key Takeaways
- “Buena Vista Social Club” runs September 29 through October 4, 2026, at the Arsht Center’s Ziff Ballet Opera House in Downtown Miami, opening the 2026–27 Broadway in Miami season.
- The musical features a book by Hialeah-raised Tony nominee Marco Ramirez and Tony-winning choreography by Miami-born Patricia Delgado, alongside co-choreographer Justin Peck.
- The production received 10 Tony Award nominations in 2025, winning five competitive and special awards, and its cast album won the Grammy Award for Musical Theater Album at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.
- The South Florida premiere falls during Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15–October 15) and carries a direct connection to the Arsht Center, where Ramirez’s first play premiered in 2010.
- Tickets range from $52.65 to $228.15; the production runs approximately two hours and 10 minutes with one intermission and is recommended for ages eight and older.
A Fictionalized Story of Cuban Music, Memory, and Second Chances
“Buena Vista Social Club” tells a fictionalized version of the story behind one of the most celebrated albums in modern music history. The original Buena Vista Social Club recording, produced by Ry Cooder and released in 1997, reunited a group of aging Cuban musicians decades after the Cuban Revolution had upended their careers and scattered the island’s musical community. The album became a global phenomenon, earning a Grammy Award and inspiring the 1999 Wim Wenders documentary film that brought its subjects — including singer Omara Portuondo, guitarist Compay Segundo, and pianist Rubén González — to international audiences.
The stage musical centers on Portuondo, once known as the “Queen of Feeling,” whose voice was celebrated across Cuba before she disappeared from public performance. When an ambitious young record producer brings her an unexpected opportunity, Portuondo must confront the decades of silence that followed the revolution and decide whether the music she walked away from still belongs to her. The narrative moves between past and present, weaving together original songs from the album with new dramatic material that explores ambition, loss, cultural preservation, and the enduring power of music that, as the show’s tagline puts it, “needs no translation.”
Two Miami-Raised Artists Anchor The Creative Team
The South Florida premiere carries a personal dimension that extends beyond the standard touring-show calendar. Marco Ramirez, who wrote the musical’s book, grew up in Hialeah. Ramirez earned a Tony nomination for his script, which balances the album’s real-world history with a fictional narrative structure that gives the characters emotional arcs beyond biographical summary. Ramirez’s connection to the Arsht Center predates the Broadway production by more than 15 years: his first play, “Broadsword,” premiered at the Arsht in 2010, making the South Florida return a homecoming in the most literal sense.
Patricia Delgado, who shares the Tony-winning choreography credit with Justin Peck, was born in Miami. Delgado’s movement vocabulary for the production draws on Afro-Cuban dance traditions, social dance forms, and the physicality of Havana’s nightclub culture, translating the album’s rhythmic DNA into choreography that critics have called integral to the show’s emotional power. Saheem Ali directed the Broadway production, which premiered at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in March 2025 following an Off-Broadway run at the Atlantic Theater Company in 2023. The combination of Ramirez and Delgado positions the South Florida premiere as more than a tour stop — the production’s creative foundation was shaped, in part, by the same Latin American artistic influence that has defined Miami’s cultural identity for generations.
Five Tony Awards and a Grammy Anchor The Production’s Reputation
“Buena Vista Social Club” received 10 Tony Award nominations at the 78th Tony Awards ceremony on June 8, 2025, tying with “Death Becomes Her” and “Maybe Happy Ending” for the most nominations of any production that season. The musical won five awards, including the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Natalie Venetia Belcon’s performance as Omara Portuondo and a Special Tony Award honoring the production’s onstage band, a recognition that underscored the live-music component at the heart of the show’s staging. The production’s cast album won the Grammy Award for Musical Theater Album at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, further cementing the musical’s critical standing.
The Broadway production features a live onstage band performing Cuban music throughout the show, a production choice that distinguishes “Buena Vista Social Club” from standard orchestral pit arrangements. The musicians are visible and integrated into the dramatic action, with moments where individual players step into the spotlight for solos that blur the line between concert and theater. Cuban guitarist Renesito Avich, who plays Eliades Ochoa in the production, has become known for improvised guitar solos that shift from performance to performance, reinforcing the show’s identity as a living musical event rather than a fixed script.
The Arsht Center Premiere Falls During Hispanic Heritage Month
The September 29 opening places “Buena Vista Social Club” squarely within Hispanic Heritage Month, the national observance running September 15 through October 15 that coincides with the independence anniversaries of several Latin American nations. The Arsht Center has built out an extensive Hispanic Heritage Month calendar around the premiere, including its free Rhythm and Roots outdoor concert series in Thomson Plaza featuring Yissy García and Leslie Cartaya (September 29), Palo (September 30), Cortadito and 6Jam (October 1), and OKAN (October 2). The week-long concentration of Cuban and Latin music programming at a single Downtown Miami venue gives the “Buena Vista Social Club” premiere a contextual frame that few other tour stops on the national circuit can replicate.
The engagement is presented by the Florida Theatrical Association in association with the Adrienne Arsht Center, with Bank of America as the presenting sponsor. Tickets are priced between $52.65 and $228.15, including fees. The production runs approximately two hours and 10 minutes with one intermission and is recommended for audiences ages eight and older. The schedule includes evening performances and weekend matinees across the six-day run. Arsht Center members received early ticket access beginning July 20, with general public sales opening July 31.
A North American Tour With A West End Transfer Planned For 2027
The South Florida premiere is part of a broader multi-year North American tour that launched from Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo, New York, in fall 2026. Additional tour stops include Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, and other cities to be announced. In June 2026, lead producer Orin Wolf announced plans to bring the musical to London’s West End in 2027, with casting, dates, and venue details to follow. Gina Torres, the Cuban-American actress known for her roles in “Suits” and “Firefly,” was recently announced as the new lead on Broadway, stepping into the role of Omara Portuondo. Torres described the role as deeply personal, citing her first-generation Cuban-American heritage and the music’s connection to her family and culture.
FAQs
When Does “Buena Vista Social Club” Play In Miami?
“Buena Vista Social Club” runs September 29 through October 4, 2026, at the Adrienne Arsht Center’s Ziff Ballet Opera House in Downtown Miami. The schedule includes evening performances and weekend matinees.
How Much Are Tickets For “Buena Vista Social Club” At The Arsht Center?
Tickets range from $52.65 to $228.15, including fees. Tickets are available through the Arsht Center’s website and box office.
How Long Is The “Buena Vista Social Club” Musical?
The production runs approximately two hours and 10 minutes with one intermission. The show is recommended for audiences ages eight and older.
What Is “Buena Vista Social Club” About?
The musical tells a fictionalized story inspired by the Grammy-winning Buena Vista Social Club album. It follows legendary Cuban singer Omara Portuondo as she is drawn back to the recording studio decades after the Cuban Revolution scattered Havana’s musical community, exploring themes of music, memory, and second chances.
Who From Miami Is Involved In The Production?
The musical’s book was written by Hialeah-raised Tony nominee Marco Ramirez, whose first play premiered at the Arsht Center in 2010. Tony-winning choreographer Patricia Delgado, who is Miami-born, created the production’s choreography alongside Justin Peck.
