By DesMoinesPerformingArts.org
Des Moines Performing Arts has announced its 2026–27 Willis Broadway Series, and one of the titles coming to the Civic Center is Buena Vista Social Club™, scheduled for January 19–24, 2027.
Des Moines will get a stop on the next Broadway tour of Buena Vista Social Club™ for the first time, as part of the newly announced 2026–27 Willis Broadway Series.
The musical is scheduled to run from January 19 through January 24, 2027 at the Des Moines Civic Center, according to the season lineup released March 25. It will be part of the six-show package for the upcoming Broadway season in Des Moines.
The title stands out in the announced lineup as a new musical with strong musical roots, a connection to one of the most celebrated albums in Latin music, and a story of memory, performance and second chances centered on Cuban singer Omara Portuondo. For audiences in Iowa, it also brings a Broadway production with a strong Latin cultural identity to one of the state’s biggest stages.
The story follows Omara Portuondo as music pulls her back
According to the season description, the musical begins years after legendary singer Omara Portuondo last entered a recording studio. Once celebrated across Cuba as the “Queen of Feeling,” she has long been out of the spotlight.
That changes when a young record producer brings her an unexpected opportunity, forcing her to reckon with her past. The production frames that return through music and memory, building a story around ambition, unfinished chapters and the emotional weight of revisiting a life that never fully left the stage.
The show is presented as more than a biographical tribute. It is described as a journey into the heart of Havana and into the story behind the iconic Buena Vista Social Club album, with a live company bringing that world to life onstage.
A major title in a season built around familiar hits and newer winners
Des Moines Performing Arts announced six productions in the main Broadway package for 2026–27: Monty Python’s Spamalot, Maybe Happy Ending, Buena Vista Social Club™, The Phantom of the Opera, Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen and Just in Time.
Within that group, Buena Vista Social Club™ arrives with strong awards momentum. The season overview describes the musical as a Tony- and Grammy Award-winning production, including its 2025 Tony wins for featured actress in a musical, choreography, orchestrations and sound design, along with a special Tony Award presented to the show’s onstage band, making it a five-time Tony-winning production.
That last detail matters for the shape of the show itself. The production leans heavily on live music as part of its storytelling, not as background texture. In the season description, the band is treated as central to the theatrical experience, which fits the legacy of the original album and the musicians who made it internationally known.
Des Moines audiences will see it in January 2027
The show’s Des Moines run is set for the middle of the season, landing in January between Maybe Happy Ending in early December 2026 and The Phantom of the Opera in March 2027. That places Buena Vista Social Club™ in a winter slot that often draws regular season subscribers as well as theatergoers who buy into a package for the full lineup.
Season ticket packages went on sale at 10 a.m. on March 25, and Des Moines Performing Arts says package holders will get access to season pricing, exclusive benefits and discounted tickets to add-on productions before those tickets go on sale to the public. The organization also announced a payment option for orders placed by March 31, allowing buyers to split the cost into 11 payments as low as $44 per month.
For local audiences interested specifically in Buena Vista Social Club™, that means the current path to seats runs through the season package rather than a single-show ticket announcement.
The local arts calendar will include several add-on productions too
Alongside the six-show package, Des Moines Performing Arts also listed add-on productions for the same broader season, including Waitress, Legally Blonde – The Musical, Mark Twain Tonight!, The Sound of Music and Mamma Mia!. All are scheduled for the Des Moines Civic Center between December 2026 and May 2027.
Still, Buena Vista Social Club™ gives the season one of its clearest identity points. It brings a production tied to Cuban musical history, a globally recognized recording project and a story driven by a legendary artist returning to unfinished work.
For Des Moines, its arrival adds a title with a different musical and cultural texture than the rest of the Broadway package, while still landing squarely in the center of the city’s biggest touring theater season.
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