BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB Reviews
#2
Posted: 3/19/25 at 9:24pm
4 stars from TimeOut
https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/buena-vista-social-club-broadway-review
#3
Posted: 3/19/25 at 9:59pm
NY Stage Review
BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB: HOW TO MAKE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC IN HAVANA
By Michael Sommers
★★★★☆ Vintage Afro-Cuban songs pack a unique new jukebox musical
https://nystagereview.com/2025/03/19/buena-vista-social-club-how-to-make-beautiful-music-in-havana/
BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB: ¡QUÉ GRAN FIESTA!
By Bob Verini
★★★★★ A classic documentary on Afro-Cuban musical greats is transformed into a sparkling Broadway delight
https://nystagereview.com/2025/03/19/buena-vista-social-club-que-gran-fiesta/
#4
Posted: 3/19/25 at 10:01pm
NYT Critic's Pick from Vincentelli
‘Buena Vista Social Club’ Brings the Thrill of Music Making to Broadway
A new musical inspired by the 1997 hit album gives a fictional back story to the veteran performers of the Havana music scene
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/theater/buena-vista-social-club-review-broadway.html
#5
Posted: 3/19/25 at 10:03pm
Theatrely is a rave
BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB Brings The Music To Life — Review
https://www.theatrely.com/post/buena-vista-social-club-brings-the-music-to-life-review
#6
Posted: 3/19/25 at 10:05pm
The Guardian
3 stars
Buena Vista Social Club review – exuberant yet dramatically thin Broadway musical
Schoenfeld Theatre, New York
The 1997 album that later became a hit documentary now reaches the stage in a play with thrilling music performances but a lacking script
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/mar/20/buena-vista-social-club-review-broadway-musical
#7
Posted: 3/19/25 at 10:06pm
NY Daily News/Chicago Tribune
BROADWAY REVIEW: ‘Buena Vista Social Club’ is fast-paced celebration of old-time Cuban music
https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/03/19/broadway-review-buena-vista-social-club-is-fast-paced-celebration-of-old-time-cuban-music/
"The story is predictably moralistic and, frankly, more worried about conforming to contemporary mores than accurately representing what was going on in Cuba in the 1950s, dramatically speaking anyway. Still, few people in the house are there for the story. They bought tickets to hear the great music and watch the thrilling dance, here rendered as an ebullient social form with balletic flourishes, as skillfully crafted by co-choreographers Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck. Bravura performances flow to the ear and eye from pretty much the entire company. "
#8
Posted: 3/19/25 at 10:07pm
"Perhaps the best concert in town right now."
https://www.facebook.com/michael.musto.96
#9
Posted: 3/19/25 at 10:08pm
AMNY
Review | ‘Buena Vista Social’ clunk
https://www.amny.com/entertainment/broadway/review-buena-vista-social-clunk/
"The lively dance choreography (by Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck) builds upon the excitement and pristine sound quality of the music, but the show (directed by Saheem Ali) quickly becomes monotonous and underwhelming (at least for those who are looking for more than a dynamic jam session). It is not unlike watching the three-minute “Havana” sequence in “Guys and Dolls” for two straight hours."
#10
Posted: 3/19/25 at 10:09pm
Daily Beast
‘Buena Vista Social Club’ Is Broadway’s Most Fabulous Party
https://www.thedailybeast.com/review-buena-vista-social-club-rouses-broadway-to-fabulous-life-and-we-had-a-world/
#11
Posted: 3/19/25 at 10:10pm
Variety
‘Buena Vista Social Club’ Review: Exuberant New Broadway Musical Celebrates the Soul of a Nation
https://variety.com/2025/legit/reviews/buena-vista-social-club-review-broadway-musical-1236342624/
#12
Posted: 3/19/25 at 10:13pm
Vulture
The Buena Vista Social Club Gets Bigger and Smaller on Broadway
https://www.vulture.com/article/buena-vista-social-club-broadway-marco-ramirez-theater-review.html
"Back when my colleague Sara Holdren reviewed the musical, very loosely based on the true-life stories of the sensational Cuban supergroup, she noted that “the play side of Buena Vista feels like it’s been carefully assembled by committee.” It had a convoluted, rushed, and generically inspirational narrative about how these players met, weathered the revolution, and returned to each other. You might expect that book writer Marco Ramirez and director Saheem Ali took feedback like that and deepened and extended the thing in rewrites. Instead, they’ve just hacked through Buena Vista’s Gordian knot. Why not simply cut as much of the book as possible?
The remarkable thing is how much that approach works."
#13
Posted: 3/19/25 at 10:14pm
Theatermania
Review: Buena Vista Social Club, a Wild Cuban Dance Party Trapped in a Broadway Musical
The Grammy Award-winning album of Cuban music is now a Broadway show.
https://www.theatermania.com/news/review-buena-vista-social-club-a-wild-cuban-dance-party-trapped-in-a-broadway-musical_1768054/
#14
Posted: 3/19/25 at 10:16pm
The Wrap's Hofler, who seldom likes anything, is a near-rave
‘Buena Vista Social Club’ Broadway Review: Cuba Ignites Before and After the Revolution
The historic album is now a thrilling stage musical
https://www.thewrap.com/buena-vista-social-club-broadway-review/
Updated On: 3/19/25 at 10:16 PM
#15
Posted: 3/19/25 at 10:23pm
I can’t get the link to work, but Olekinski The Grump of the NY Post gave it a rave and therefore it’s a winner
Check out my eBay page for sales on Playbills!!
www.ebay.com/usr/missvirginiahamm
#17
Posted: 3/19/25 at 10:32pm
I’m more than a little shocked to see that this is the best reviewed show of the Broadway season, at least with that book intact!
Regardless, the musical is a feast for the soul and eardrums, I cannot wait to return. Congratulations to an incredibly talented cast and crew!
#18
Posted: 3/19/25 at 10:34pm
I think we have the 2nd musical of the season to become a lock for a Best Musical nomination.
#19
Posted: 3/19/25 at 10:43pm
This reviews feel spot on to me. Like yeah—the book kinda blows. But given the heights this show reaches in the beauty of its music and its staging—does it really matter? I didn’t think so and no one around me did either. I thought this was a pretty thrilling night at the theater.
#20
Posted: 3/19/25 at 10:50pm
Is it odd that I really want Renesito Avich to be nommed for Featured Actor?
He isn’t much of a character per se in terms of the story, but damned if he isn’t a Levi Kreis-type of nomination where the recognition is primarily based on his musical aptitude.
Like I said after the second preview, I have never seen one man practically edge an audience into near frenzy with just a three-string guitar.
Check out my eBay page for sales on Playbills!!
www.ebay.com/usr/missvirginiahamm
#21
Posted: 3/19/25 at 11:30pm
Play Esq. said: "I’m more than a little shocked to see that this is the best reviewed show of the Broadway season, at least with that book intact!"
...It's not.
Buena Vista:
Maybe Happy Ending:
#22
Posted: 3/19/25 at 11:31pm
DTLI Consensus: ¡Muy bien! An electrifying Cuban rhythm heats up Broadway just in time for spring.
11 positive (including the NYT), 4 mixed.
https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/buena-vista-social-club/
“I am furious, but I am sailing.”
#23
Posted: 3/19/25 at 11:33pm
DID THEY LIKE IT ? https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/buena-vista-social-club/
11 positive
Now 5 mixed
Updated On: 3/20/25 at 11:33 PM
#24
Posted: 3/20/25 at 12:04am
RW3 said: "I think we have the 2nd musical of the season to become a lock for a Best Musical nomination."
I'd call it the fourth. Mincemeat and Outlaw have been locks since being announced.
It's really just a matter of filling that 5th slot with a musical comedy (DBH, Smash, Boop), a revue (Old Friends), a bio musical (Just In Time), or a show that on paper feels DOA (RWHC).
#25
Posted: 3/20/25 at 12:56am
Play Esq. said: "I’m more than a little shocked to see that this is the best reviewed show of the Broadway season, at least with that book intact!
Regardless, the musical is a feast for the soul and eardrums, I cannot wait to return. Congratulations to an incredibly talented cast and crew!"
It's reviews are on par with Death Becomes Her.
Tickets From $59
Tickets From $71
Tickets From $71
Tickets From $95