Buena Vista Social Club at Atlantic Theater Company

[Dan6]

Posted: 11/17/23 at 5:24pm

Inspired by true events, the new musical Buena Vista Social Club™ 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.

With a book by Marco Ramirez (The Royale), director Saheem Ali (Tony Nominee, Fat Ham) leads an ensemble of visionary performing artists, including a band of renowned musicians from across the globe and a music team led by David Yazbek (Tony Winner, The Band’s Visit), and choreography by Patricia Delgado (Spielberg’s West Side Story) and Justin Peck (Tony Winner, Carousel). Buena Vista Social Club™ is an homage to the artists of yesterday—the ones who survived upheaval and oppression to make the music they loved.

The show appears to be pretty much sold out except for the last couple of weeks of December, and just extended one week through January 7. First preview is tonight, and I can't wait to hear about this one! Who's going?

Updated On: 11/17/23 at 05:24 PM

[kurtal]

Posted: 11/18/23 at 12:41am

I was at the first preview tonight and thought this was incredibly successful.   The show had just enough book to keep it from being a concert while still making the music the actual star of the show.  I'm a little over cautious about spoilers, so here goes...

 

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

All of the songs were left in the original Spanish while all of the book was in English.  I was wondering how that work work and if it would still feel both accessible to an audience and integrated with the plot.  And I thought it worked splendidly.  This was aided by the use of a brief narrative framing device in which one character speaks directly to the audience at the top of the show celebrating Cuban music and advocating for its acceptance into the canon alongside Mozart and other European greats.  Doing so put the focus on the music and the emotions it evokes rather than the lyrics.  And, in my opinion, it worked very well.

I appreciate a show that understands what it's trying to do; anticipates potential audience reactions to that; and develops dramaturgically sound ways to address any confusion.  In all of that, BVSC succeeded.  There's just enough historical content to provide context and allow for parallels to today without being heavy handed.

And the music is exceptional -- and is exceptionally performed.  

I thought this was superb.  Truly.  Not perfect...there are little tweaks in the book and some streamlining that could even further tighten what is a Broadway-ready show.  I was delighted by this show.

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 11/18/23 at 12:52am

This show was mostly sold out.  They just extended and the thing to see.

Updated On: 11/18/23 at 12:52 AM

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 11/18/23 at 5:35am

Kurtal -

Thank you so much for your early report! This was one of my favorite albums growing up and remains to this day (despite the fact that I am not a fluent Spanish speaker). I was excited about the prospect of this musical but now really looking forward to seeing this once it’s locked in December.  

Also, I clicked on your spoiler link: you outlined the general premise well along with providing the narrative structure without giving anything away…saying in case anyone was concerned about clicking the link. 

[Melissa25]

Posted: 11/18/23 at 9:51am

Thanks for the early report too. Really looking forward to this. I’ll be there in two weeks.

[quizking101]

Posted: 11/18/23 at 9:54am

I was quick on the buzzer and scored a rush tonight. Will report back. (My friend Arnie is doing the scenic design!)

[quizking101]

Posted: 11/18/23 at 11:48pm

Grab a mojito, light up a cigar, and GET YOUR TICKETS NOW. This is going to be the HOT event off-Broadway. 

Using all of the songs from the famous album, it tells the story of the artists involved with the album growing up in 1940s and 50s revolutionary Cuba, and the choices they had to make for life, love, career, and their safety. The music is perfectly orchestrated and there is never a moment where you don’t want to shimmy in your seat and feel the urge to get up and join everyone on stage. The band is just as much a big part of the show as the actors and they get the honor of opening each act with a big splashy number that showcases them. The songs are indeed performed in all of the original Spanish, but the framing and script sets it up so well that you can easily figure context of each and every song.

 The set design properly evoked a 1950s Cuban nightclub, among other settings and has a moveable bandstand. Additionally, the choreography is very kinetic and always channels the energy of the club and not the stage - the only exception being some Latin-flavored balletic interludes that Justin Peck added as devices for further storytelling. You can also see his touch in the lifts during the faster-paced Latin choreography, evoking memories of his West Side Story choreography.

There were times during the 2:19 (incl. 15min intermission) that I even found myself closing my eyes for a second and letting the music just flow through me and it was delightful.

The performances are pitched perfectly as the show weaves through multiple timelines and uses actors for both the younger and older versions of the main singers, with the exception of one (that I won’t spoil for plot reasons). It could’ve tiptoed on being slightly “Follies”-esque, but managed to subvert that. Natalia Venetia Belcon is the far and away star of this production - bringing gravitas to the role of a faded singer past her glory days of the Cuban club scene after compromising herself and her family and friend relationships.


This has aspirations for Broadway and is already looking to be a sellout hit at Atlantic, so GO NOW! 

(My TodayTix rush was front row center, by the way)

Updated On: 11/18/23 at 11:48 PM

[ardiem]

Posted: 11/19/23 at 12:31pm

How was the view from front row center?

[quizking101]

Posted: 11/19/23 at 1:55pm

ardiem said: "How was the view from front row center?"

The stage is probably 2-2.5 feet high so there is no concern for neck stretching. The event that occur on the second level may cause a *little* strain but nothing prolonged.

From that vantage, you feel like your right in the middle of the story and the band definitely knows how to place off the audience's energy. The lead guitarist was riffing directly at me at the top of Act II and I was ABSOLUTELY feeling it. 

[Dan6]

Posted: 11/19/23 at 2:51pm

kurtal and quizking, thanks so much for your early feedback. This sounds amazing. Just grabbed my tickets for my NY trip in early January (so grateful for the extension!). 

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 11/19/23 at 3:01pm

quizking101 said: "Grab a mojito, light up a cigar, and GET YOUR TICKETS NOW. This is going to be the HOT event off-Broadway.

Natalia Venetia Belcon is the far and away star of this production - bringing gravitas to the role of a faded singer past her glory days of the Cuban club scene after compromising herself and her family and friend relationships.


This has aspirations for Broadway and is already looking to be a sellout hit at Atlantic, so GO NOW!
 

This makes me so happy- Natalie Belcon was the best Joanne Jefferson I have seen in RENT, and then did some great work in some smaller Off Bway stuff. I know she had been in Matilda and Wicked since, but so happy to hear shes killing it in an original role like this.

[annang]

Posted: 11/20/23 at 7:55pm

What's the running time for this, approximately? Thanks!

[quizking101]

Posted: 11/20/23 at 8:36pm

annang said: "What's the running time for this, approximately? Thanks!"

Advertised as 2 hours with 10 minute intermission. On my night, it was about 2:10 with a 15 minute intermission