Saheem Ali on the Joy, Music and Collaboration Behind Buena Vista Social Club on Broadway

Buena Vista Social Club has been heating up Broadway since early 2025, and it shows no signs of cooling down. The high-energy musical is also about to embark on a national tour, and a stand-alone replica production will be mounted this fall in Puerto Rico. Inspired by the landmark 1997 album of the same name, Buena Vista Social Club depicts Cuba’s shifting cultural landscape from the ‘50s through the ‘90s. Broadway.com Managing Editor Beth Stevens sat down with the production’s director, Saheem Ali, as he was wrapping up Romeo & Juliet at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.

“I always say a happy life for me is one where I'm going back and forth between [plays and musicals]. I love new plays. I love new musicals. And I love Shakespeare, especially. They challenge different parts of my brain. They involve different types of creativity,” says Ali of toggling between bolero and the Bard. “A musical is a big beast. Sometimes I like to take a hard swing and work on a tried-and-true, 400-year-old play that needs no rewrites and just focus on that. I really love going back and forth between them, because I find it keeps me dynamic and excited.”

Ali’s relationship with Buena Vista Social Club runs deep. “I grew up in Kenya, born and raised in Nairobi. My dad was an airline pilot. We would take trips with him and he would bring music from all over the world as well. And he brought that album home. I was obsessed with it. I would listen to it cover to cover, every single song. I memorized all the lyrics. I didn't know what I was singing, but I loved to sing it. So that's how it came into my life. If my dad hadn't been an airline pilot and loved music, I don't think I ever would have heard it.”

For Ali, the key to making Buena Vista translate to the stage was a collaborative process that seamlessly integrated electric choreography and a propulsive plot with the album’s unforgettable music. “The secret is having an incredible team. So it was myself; Marco Ramirez, the writer; Justin [Peck] and Patricia Delgado, the choreographers; and Marco Paguia, who was the music supervisor and orchestrator. We were locked at the hip,” emphasizes the Tony-nominated director.

“Every decision that we made, we made together; we collaborated so that every aspect was being considered for every moment. I wanted the songs to feel alive and full and rich, and [to ensure] that the languages side by side would feel cohesive—and you didn't feel like you didn't understand what was happening if it wasn't your first language. So in the scenes for people who don't speak English, they were able to follow along. And if you didn't speak Spanish, you were able to follow along in the songs. It's really the power of collaboration and having a great team.”

Speaking on the casting process for Buena Vista, Ali says, “Something that occurred to me early on that we needed to be very intentional about was who we were casting and what roles. We created this beautiful tapestry, this Venn diagram of performers who were dynamite in one aspect and who were not as seasoned in another. Together we created this whole that was composed of people who were talented in one thing, and not everyone had to be a triple threat, because [then] it's impossible to create a company—especially with a show like this that's so specific and so nuanced.”

The show’s music is entirely in Spanish, just as it was on the album. "I wanted these songs to live on stage in the original form, and I wanted to make music and music-making central to the story," Ali explains. “The music itself traversed the world. It didn't matter what your language was; whether you were in Asia or Africa like me, the music touched people. I really felt like if we could create a container for this music and allow it to exist, we have to trust it, because the power of the language and the power of the culture transcends everything.”

Expanding further on the appeal of Buena Vista, Ali concludes: “It's life-affirming, it's joyous, it's part theater, part concert. You hear great music and you see the musicianship. What those musicians do on stage, that's why they won a [Special Tony Award]. They won a Tony because they're excellent. The first Tony ever awarded to musicians came to Buena Vista Social Club. It's the perfect summer show, because you will leave feeling great.”

Watch the full interview below:

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