Buena Vista Leads Chita Rivera Noms

Buena Vista Social Club
leads nominations for the Chita Rivera Awards.
Credit: Matthew Murphy

Buena Vista Social Club leads the Chita Rivera Awards nominations for outstanding dancing and choreography on stage and in film with citations for choreography, ensemble, and five of its dancers. The nominations were announced on April 29 and the awards will be presented on May 19 at NYU Skirball. 

The Awarding Committee consists of Sylviane Gold, chair, Gary Chryst, Robert LaFosse, Donna McKechnie, Wendy Perron, Stephanie Pope, and Lee Roy Reams.

Broadway Nominating Committee: Melinda Atwood, Caitlin Carter, Gary Chryst, Don Correia, Sandy Duncan, Peter Filichia, Dr. Louis Galli, Sylviane Gold, Jonathan Herzog, Robert La Fosse, Joe Lanteri, Donna McKechnie, Michael Milton, Mary Beth O’Connor, Wendy Perron, Stephanie Pope, Lee Roy Reams, Desmond Richardson, Andy Sandberg, and Randy Skinner

Film Nominating Committee: Chair: Jonathan C. Herzog, Steven Caras, Wilhelmina Frankfurt, Mary Beth O’Connor, and Andy Sandberg.

A complete list of the nominees follows:

B'way Reviews: Operation Mincemeat; Buena Vista Social Cub

Two disparate musicals originating away from Broadway, one in London and the other Off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theatre Club, recently opened with a day of each other and separated by one theater. Operation Mincemeat debuted at the Golden and Buena Vista Social Club set up shop at the Schoenfeld (sandwiched between them is The Outsiders, last year’s Best Musical Tony winner, at the Jacobs.) Both shows take their inspiration from real events and spin dazzling entertainments out of them.

Zoe Roberts, Jak Malone, Natasha Hodgson,
David Cumming, and Claire-Marie Hall in
Operation Mincemeat.
Credit: Julieta Cervantes

Operation Mincemeat is a riotously funny satire combining elements of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Beyond the Fringe, and those marvelous movies depicting the British struggle to defeat Hitler such as The Battle of Britain, One of Our Aircraft Is Missing and The Imitation Game. A nimble cast of five (three of whom collaborated on the book, music and lyrics) play all the characters in a madcap send-up of stiff-upper-lip tributes to the English homefront and spy thrillers. The versatile ensemble crosses gender lines with ease with the three women playing numerous male roles and the two men enacting females with dexterity.

The truth-based plot follows the wacky scheme to deceive German intelligence by placing false information about British troop plans on the corpse of a derelict disguised as a pilot. Of course, there are twists and turns involving internal rivalries within MI5, Spanish coroners, Yank fliers, submarine crews and double agents. But along the way, we get innovative comedy numbers as well as believable character development. The participants in the stratagem are depicted not just as cartoonish caricatures but three-dimensional people with motivations beyond eliciting laughs. The clever script and score by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoe Roberts operates on several levels; it’s a musical spoof as well as a convincing espionage nail-biter. Robert Hastie’s fast-paced direction strikes the perfect balance between zany lampooning and honest portraiture.

Jak Malone and Zoe Roberts in
Operation Mincemeat.
Credit: Julieta Cervantes

The best example of this dichotomy of drama and comedy occurs when Jak Malone as Hester Leggatt, the ultra-efficient female staff member usually charged with preparing tea and taking dictation, makes a vital contribution to the operation. In the song “Dear Bill,” she creates a letter from a sweetheart to be placed on the cadaver to make his false mission convincing to the Germans. In Malone’s tender rendering, it becomes gradually clear that Hester is reliving a personal heartache from the previous war and the tragedy of combat and death intrudes on the breakneck farce. In contrast, Malone is delightfully ghoulish as the supplier of dead bodies and zestfully brash as an American pilot. In addition to “Dear Bill,” highlights include a shockingly funny Nazi number which approaches “Springtime for Hitler” from The Producers in its brash mockery and a Marx-Brothers mishmash involving hats and telephone chords as the status of the dead body is juggled between national authorities. Both of these and the rest of the zingy numbers feature Jenny Arnold’s inventive choreography.

B'way Update: Buena Vista Social Club

The company of 
Buena Vista Social Club.
Credit: Ahron R. Foster

Buena Vista Social Club, the musical about musicians in Castro's Cuba which had a run last season Off-Broadway at Atlantic Theater Company, is transferring to Broadway. Previews begin Feb. 21, 2025 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater prior to a March 19 opening. Buena Vista Social Club was also the subject of a documentary—Wim Wenders’ 1999 Oscar-nominated feature which spotlights the making of the titular album and a legendary Carnegie Hall concert. The Off-Broadway production won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations and received three Outer Critics Circle nominations and seven Lortel nominations. The book is by Marco Ramirez and Saheem Ali (Fat Ham) directs and also developed the show. Choreography is by Patricia Delgado and Tony winner Justin Peck (Illinoise). The score is the Grammy-winning Buena Vista Social Club. The music team is led by Tony Award winner David Yazbek (The Band's Visit) and Music Supervisor Dean Sharenow.  

The Broadway company features Natalie Venetia Belcon (Omara), Julio Monge (Compay), Mel Semé (Ibrahim) Jainardo Batista Sterling (Rubén), Isa Antonetti (Young Omara), Da’von Moody (Young Compay), Wesley Wray (Young Ibrahim), Leonardo Reyna (Young Rubén), Renesito Avich (Eliades), Ashley De La Rosa (Young Haydee), and Angélica Beliard, Carlos Falú, Héctor Juan Maisonet, Ilda Mason, Marielys Molina, Sophia Ramos. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

The BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB™ band features Marco Paguia (Piano, Music Director), David Oquendo (Guitar), Gustavo Schartz (Bass), Hery Paz (Woodwinds), Eddie Venegas (Trombone), Jesus Ricardo (Trumpet), Javier Díaz (Percussion), Mauricio Herrera (Percussion), and Román Diaz (Percussion).