Saheem Ali made his Broadway directorial debut in 2023 with the raucous adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” “Fat Ham,” for which he earned a Tony Award nomination. This season, Ali has presented Broadway audiences with something entirely different: a jukebox musical using the songs of the internationally renowned band Buena Vista Social Club. And, he’s earned his second Tony Award nomination for it.
Here, Ali talks about changes in the production from its Off-Broadway debut, putting together a Tony-honored band and bringing the music to the fore.
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Photo credit: Saheem Ali; photo courtesy of Polk & Co.
