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 Maria Castano, Arts & Entertainment Editor

The Broadway musical “Buena Vista Social Club” follows the story of Omara Portuondo, Ibrahim Ferrer, Compay Segundo and Ruben Gonzales, all of whom are real figures who shaped Cuban music during the 50’s. Leaving this legacy I had the pleasure of seeing for the first time this Tuesday, 24th, in the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. 

As people take their seats, you can see some of the musicians warming up on stage, creating anticipation as you hear little snippets of possible songs. 

I saw this performance as a part of my Postcolonial Caribbean Literature class, going in mostly blind. I only knew it talked about Cuba during the revolution, and that it was a musical. My main thought as I left the theater that night was that I really wanted to watch the whole show again just to engrave it in my memory as best I could. 

I was mesmerized the whole time and could not stop thinking about how this play encapsulates the feeling of loss and loyalty. It expertly navigates the struggle of reconstruction felt across the Caribbean in melancholic yet grand and upbeat performances, giving its characters the depth they need to make the audience immediately feel invested in them. 

Once the play started and the first big musical number, “El Carretero,” was played, alongside the stunning performances choreographed by Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck, with the Buena Vista Social Club ensemble playing in the background, I could not take my eyes away. 

The story takes place during the Cuban revolution, and through the fantastic performances, we are enveloped in this extremely specific period of time, full of rapid changes, violence, and hope for a better future, foggy with uncertainty, all framed with music that reflects on Cuba’s past as a colony, the slave trade, and the intimate more human side of the people who decided to stay during the revolution, as they felt Cuba was their only home. 

The story is divided into two timelines: one in 1958, with the revolution beginning and our characters meeting for the first time, and one in 1996, with the characters being much older, reminiscing about when they were all together. 

Natalie Venetia Belcon’s performance as Omara is entrancing, not only because of her fantastic vocals but also because of her ability to express the deep melancholy and guilt Omara feels. Given the play’s historical context, it carries heavy undertones of loss of identity and grief, yet they are expressed in this prideful manifestation of culture through music and dance. Belcon manages to perform these nuances in a way that sucks you in, allowing you to care about Omara not because she is the protagonist but because you can truly feel her humanity and internal conflicts.

While it could be argued that most of the costumes were not exuberant (except the beautiful yellow dresses and stunning carnival outfits), I think they worked so beautifully to both situate the story and make the dances look even more dynamic, adding so much movement that was critical to the overall performance. 

Buena Vista Social Club has been awarded five Tonys in its short career as a musical for reasons obvious to anybody who has had the opportunity to see it. It’s not only filled to the brim with absolutely fantastic performers, but it also presents a relevant story that requires its audience to see what it means to fight for your own identity and the guilt that can follow.