If there was any doubt about whether or not the Special Tony Award that the Buena Vista Social Club band received was deserved, all of that was put to rest within minutes of the start of the show. Every time they played, a sense of reverent euphoria washed over the theater. We were witnessing a master class in artistry and a brilliant tribute to a music genre often overlooked in the mainstream. They, and the music they play, are the real stars of this exhilarating musical.
That said, the production is not without its flaws. The theme of past and present converging is interesting, and at first the way it is portrayed is artful and intriguing: a flourish of dancers sweeping in to change set pieces, older versions of the same character face each other and then in a burst of light switch places. But it happens so frequently, that it becomes dull and somehow overplayed; one wonders why director Saheem Ali couldn't come up with more ways to portray this. Then there's the book by Marco Ramirez, cliche-ridden but serviceable, that runs out of steam in act two, when the whole affair begins to feel every minute of its two hours and ten minutes. To be fair, the real point of the story is to tell the tale of a benchmark album and its creators, and that it did.
And that benchmark album is given a loving tribute here. Played and sung by true masters of their craft, it is stunning to listen to. Sung entirely in Spanish, knowledge of the language is unnecessary, so crystal clear are the passions behind the songs. If you really need to know what's happening in the songs, each Playbill comes with a booklet titled "Every Cuban Song Has a Story to Tell." I didn't look at it until I got home, and it is fascinating, but I never felt that I missed a thing as I was watching it unfold.
Of course, the company of actors contribute greatly, making a full course meal out of the bare cupboards of the book. Standouts include Wesley Wray who charms the entire room as the young social club busboy/street singer, and Ashley De La Rosa as a singer with big dreams beyond Cuba and an even bigger survival instinct. But for my money the three biggest assets to the whole affair are Isa Antonetti as the young singer with a passion for the authentic music of her island, Julio Monge, who serves as a sort of wry narrator and perfect foil for the woman at the heart of the piece. That woman is the regal Natalie Venetia Belcon, who makes a triumphant return to the Broadway stage here. She held us spellbound by her mere presence, captivated by her every pause and word.
While as the show went on there was a nagging sense of diminishing returns, it was somewhat surprising that the ending was a bit rushed and brief. One expected a big finale, but there wasn't one. Still, this was one social club I am grateful to have visited.
📸: M. Murphy
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