Before “Buena Vista Social Club” heads across the country, nearly 100 cast, crew and creative team members have spent several weeks at Shea’s rehearsing and finalizing the staging, lighting and sound for its national tour.
Brian Higgins, president and CEO of Shea’s Performing Arts Center, estimates the show will generate more than $6 million in local economic impact during its Buffalo run alone — not including ticket sales — with even more tied to the weeks of preparation.
“Those weeks of tech means real dollars to downtown Buffalo — hotel rooms, restaurants, local crews, and vendors,” he said.
The Tony Award-winning musical will play eight performances through Sept. 19, launching what producer Orin Wolf says will be an 87-week national tour. The run also overlaps with Curtain Up! 2026 on Sept. 18, the annual celebration marking the opening of Buffalo’s professional theater season.
Wolf says Buffalo has become more than a tour stop for his company.
“We moved just a year ago. We moved our warehouse from Maryland to Buffalo, so we actually have our entire operation now out of Buffalo. That's how much we love the city,” he said.
Wolf says his company produces between eight and 12 national tours each year and techs a production in Buffalo nearly every year.
Albert Nocciolino, president and CEO of NAC Entertainment, says Buffalo’s theater audience is another reason producers see the city as a strong place to launch national tours.
“This is one of the top five subscription one-week markets in America, so they can kick off a tour here with 18, 19, 20,000 people watching the show, talking about it, resonating, and providing the kind of audiences that new cast and crew need to start making themselves feel good,” he said.
Director Saheem Ali says touring productions can reach people far beyond Broadway. He recalled growing up in Nairobi, Kenya, where his father, an airline pilot, brought home music from around the world. Among it was the “Buena Vista Social Club” CD.
“I would listen to it cover to cover, memorizing the lyrics,” he said. “These productions that travel around the country and around the world, they can change people's lives. I'm really a testament to that.”
Inspired by true events, the musical traces the story behind the Grammy-winning album and the Cuban musicians who brought it to life. The production is also taking part in Hispanic Heritage Month events in Buffalo.
Dinorah Baines, director of the Hispanic Heritage Council of Western New York, says that partnership fits the council’s mission.
“This show and having it here is just connected to our mission, where we preserve and we celebrate and we educate the community of our history and our culture,” she said.
Erie County is also recognizing the production’s Buffalo debut, with Deputy County Executive Lisa Chimera proclaiming Sept. 12 through 19 “Buena Vista Social Club Week” in Erie County.
