The Cuban baseball player and singer José «Candelita» Iglesias will become the first Latino player in Major League Baseball to perform on Broadway, as it was confirmed this Thursday that he will join the cast of the acclaimed musical Buena Vista Social Club as the Narrator for a limited six-week run.
Iglesias will take the stage at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in New York starting on August 27, with performances scheduled through October 4, 2026.
The announcement comes at a moment of double recognition for the Havana native: as an elite shortstop in MLB and as a star of Latin pop under the stage name Candelita, which he inherited from his father, Candelario Iglesias.
Throughout his career in Major League Baseball, Iglesias wore the uniforms of the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, and San Diego Padres, the team he signed with in March 2025 for three million dollars.
His musical career took off strongly in 2024, when "OMG" reached number 1 on Billboard Latin Digital Song Sales and became the unofficial anthem of the Mets during their postseason campaign, accumulating over two million on-demand streams in the United States.
Iglesias himself described the moment as a dream come true with a deeply personal significance: "It is an incredible privilege to be part of such a historic band. Anyone who truly knows Cuba understands the journey we have taken. Representing Buena Vista Social Club—and doing it on Broadway—is something profoundly meaningful and truly special."
The player also emphasized the historic nature of the event: "It's overwhelming in the best possible way, because I will be the first Latino player from MLB to perform on Broadway."
The musical that will welcome him is not just any stage. Buena Vista Social Club won five Tony Awards in 2025 —including Best Choreography and Best Orchestration— and added a Grammy in February 2026 for Best Musical Theater Album.
The production fictionalizes the story of Cuban musicians whose careers were cut short by the Revolution and who, decades later, came together to revive a golden era of the island's music, drawing inspiration from the legendary album recorded in 1996 at the EGREM studios in Havana, which sold over eight million copies worldwide.
The director of the show, Saheem Ali, emphasized that the decision to feature Iglesias stemmed from something immediate and unmistakable: “From the moment we met José Iglesias, it was clear that he brought a unique and authentic charisma. He is showing us that extraordinary performers come from the most unexpected backgrounds.”
The producer Orin Wolf added that few people reach Broadway after already conquering stages of that magnitude: "From the pinnacle of Major League to the top of Billboard's Latin charts, José has filled stadiums and captivated audiences around the world. We are now thrilled to welcome him to Broadway."
Tickets to see Iglesias at the Buena Vista Social Club are available from 64 dollars at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, located at 236 West 45th Street in Manhattan.
Related videos:
Filed under: