Multiple events, awards and activations are planned by the Broadway musical “Buena Vista Social Club” to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month (which is observed annually from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15).
On Oct. 17 at 6 p.m., the Tony Award-honored band of “Buena Vista Social Club” will perform at Manhattan’s Whitney Museum as part of the art institution’s Free Friday Nights programming. The free event, a partnership with ¡Viva! Broadway (a Latiné- and Hispanic-focused audience development program of the Broadway League), will also include a panel featuring members of the musical’s creative team.
The band will offer an additional performance at the Sing Out for Freedom concert on Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at NYU’s Skirball Center for the Arts. Produced by John Leguizamo and benefitting the ACLU, the event will focus on the importance of protecting immigrants in New York City and across the country. Leguizamo will be honored with the Michael Friedman Freedom Award for his “unwavering support of immigrants’ rights, Latino representation in media and his contributions in the fight for racial justice and civil liberties for all.”
On Oct. 9, cast and creative members of “Buena Vista Social Club” will participate in the “Talks at Google,” discussing the creative journey of bringing the original Buena Vista Social Club album to the stage and the importance of Cuban heritage representation in theater.
Beyond performances and talks, the musical will receive two awards in the coming weeks. Following the matinée performance on Sept. 13 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, the “Buena Vista” company will be presented with the National Ceiba Award from Chicago’s National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture. The award acknowledges a “deep commitment to uplifting the Puerto Rican people and promoting rich art and cultural traditions.”
On the heels of this recognition, the Tony-winning choreographers Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck will receive a separate honor. The duo will be honored with a “Made in NY Award” from the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. As previously announced, the ceremony will take place on Sept. 15 at 5 p.m. at Manhattan’s Gracie Mansion. The award recognizes Delgado and Peck’s contribution to NYC’s entertainment industry and celebrates their achievement in the arts, which includes two history-making moments at the 2025 Tony Awards ceremony: Delgado became the first Latiné woman to win a Tony for choreography, and the pair became the first set of married spouses to jointly win a choreography Tony.
Additional activations honoring National Hispanic Heritage Month will include a ¡Viva! Broadway community night at the musical’s Sept. 24 performance, a “Buena Vista Social Club”-themed menu and cocktails at Bar Spezzatura (located within the Hotel Theta) as well television appearances on the Today Show (on Oct. 2), the View (on Oct. 10) and CBS Mornings (on a date in early October to be announced). A Nov. 7 release date for the musical’s original cast recording on vinyl will serve as a gracenote to the month-long festivities.
Based on real events, “Buena Vista Social Club” follows a group of musicians at the titular nightclub in pre-Castro Cuba. Forty years later, the artists reconnect to record the songs they left behind. Tony nominee Saheem Ali directs the musical, which features a Tony-nominated book by Marco Ramirez set to the songs of the real Buena Vista Social Club’s 1997 eponymous album. The Broadway mounting began previews on Feb. 21 and opened on March 19 the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.
“Buena Vista Social Club” is produced by Orin Wolf, John Styles Jr. and Barbara Broccoli.
