‘Cobra Kai’ & ‘Blue Beetle’ Actor Xolo Maridueña To Make Broadway Debut In ‘Buena Vista Social Club’

Cobra Kai and Blue Beetle star Xolo Maridueña will make his Broadway debut when he joins Buena Vista Social Club for seven weeks beginning Tuesday, November 17.

via: Playbill

Screen star Xolo Maridueña (Cobra Kai, Practical Magic 2) will make his Broadway debut in Buena Vista Social Club at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, playing a seven-week engagement as Juan De Marcos November 17, 2026-January 3, 2027.

“I’m honored to be making my Broadway debut with the incredibly talented team at Buena Vista Social Club,” says Maridueña in a statement. “Broadway has always been a dream, but getting to make that dream come true while being part of such an important and beautiful story feels like hitting the lottery twice. Come ready to laugh, cry, and shake your booty!”

Maridueña is the latest new face to sign on for the musical. Former Mets player, and recording artist, José “Candelita” Iglesias joined the cast August 27 as the Narrator, and will continue through November 15. Yankees legend Bernie Williams, also a Latin Grammy-nominated jazz guitarist, will join the musical's Tony-honored band at the Gerald Schoenfeld for a limited run October 22–November 29. And TV favorite Gina Torres (Suits, Firefly, 911: Lone Star) will star as Omara Portuondo October 13–November 29, with Torres stepping in for the production's Tony-winning original star, Natalie Venetia Belcon, while she takes a leave of absence to play Claudia in New York City Center's In the Heights.

Buena Vista Social Club, which opened March 19, 2025, at the Schoenfeld Theatre, was nominated for 11 Tony Awards in 2025, winning five prizes.

Inspired by the Grammy-winning 1997 album of the same name, Buena Vista Social Club features a book by Marco Ramirez (The Royale). The musical brings the album to life and tells the story of the legends who lived it. Director Saheem Ali directs the musical, after staging its 2023 world premiere Off-Broadway at Atlantic Theater Company. Choreographers Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck, who won a 2025 Tony Award for their work on the show, also worked on the Off-Broadway production.

The Broadway cast currently features 2025 Tony winner Belcon as Omara, Julio Monge as Compay, Mel Semé as Ibrahim, Jainardo Batista Sterling as Rubén, Isa Antonetti as Young Omara, Da’von T. Moody as Young Compay, Wesley Wray as Young Ibrahim, Leonardo Reyna as Young Rubén, Renesito Avich as Eliades, Ashley De La Rosa as Young Haydee, and Justin Cunningham as Juan de Marcos. Casting is by The TRC Company.

The Buena Vista Social Club band features music supervision by Dean Sharenow; orchestrations, arrangements, and music direction by Marco Paguia; additional arrangements by Javier Diaz and David Oquendo; music consultation by Juan de Marcos; and creative consultation by David Yazbek. Comprising the band are Paguia, Oquendo, Gustavo Schartz, Hery Paz, Eddie Venegas, Jesus Ricardo, Díaz, Mauricio Herrera, and Román Diaz.

The production also features scenic design by Arnulfo Maldonado; costume design by Dede Ayite; lighting design by Tyler Micoleau; sound design by Jonathan Deans; and wig, hair, and makeup design by J. Jared Janas. Arabella Powell serves as production stage manager.

Buena Vista Social Club is both the name given to this extraordinary group of musicians and the album, recorded in just seven days in 1996. The trio of Cuban bandleader Juan de Marcos González, American producer and guitarist Ry Cooder, and British producer and label owner Nick Gold assembled an impromptu group of Cuban musicians in Havana’s 1950s vintage EGREM studios. The album would become a worldwide phenomenon: awarded a Grammy in 1997 and, at over eight million copies, outselling any other record in the same genre. The acclaim of the album has elevated the artists (including Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén González, and Omara Portuondo) to superstar status and inspired an award-winning film by Wim Wenders.

The producing team is led by Orin Wolf, John Styles, Jr., Barbara Broccoli, Atlantic Theater Company, Viajes Miranda, LaChanze, Yazbek, and John Leguizamo. Allan Williams is executive producer.

Visit BuenaVistaMusical.com.