From Bad Bunny, Shakira to Daddy Yankee: 6 Latin American Artists Who Deserve Their Own Musicals
Credit: Art by Stephany Torres
We seem to be on the cusp of a new trend: legacy jukebox musicals.
On October 1, El Alma al Aire, a new musical based on the work of Alejandro Sanz, premiered in Madrid. The production features some of his biggest hits, including “Corazón Partío,” “Amiga Mía,” and “No Es Lo Mismo,” weaving them into an original story with a dazzling, Broadway-like presentation.
This isn’t a new idea. Another Spanish act, Mecano, saw its hits turned into the highly successful musical Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar. Likewise, a collection of ’80s baladas en español forms the basis of the Mexican smash Mentiras: El Musical, which has spawned a drag show and a movie starring Belinda and Luis Gerardo Méndez. Similar productions have also drawn on the work of Selena, Juan Gabriel, and Soda Stereo, to name a few.
That got us dreaming about stage productions built around an iconic artist’s catalog, with an original story to drive each jukebox musical. Here are six ideas we’d love to see come to life, in no particular order.
Shakira
From “Pies Descalzos” to “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” (fine, “BZRP Music Sessions Vol. 53/66”), this could be a coming-of-age story about a young woman discovering love, independence, heartbreak, and her own sense of femininity. Her journey could take her from Colombia to Miami, Spain, and South Africa, before bringing her back home. The script could draw on Shaki’s life, but her self-reflective lyrics alone offer more than enough material for a remarkable story.
Bad Bunny
Benito’s catalog is so tight that we could arrange the story around the songs a million ways, and it would still be a surefire hit. But we’re thinking something along the lines of the loose story arc from YHLQMDLG (an alienated young boy finds himself through old-school reggaeton to become a confident man), expanded to add more hits from before and after that album. Just thinking about the outfits, choreography, and stage production makes us want it to happen.
Ruben Blades
We could build a remarkable story of crime and redemption around every track on Siembra. But drawing from every era of Blades’ career could give us a tale of a politically idealistic transplant in ’70s York. They find their place in a Fania-inspired mafia organization, get into trouble, and emerge as a wise, world-weary activist who is elected back home. Student protests, street life, and political scheming—this musical would have it all.
Daddy Yankee
Barrio Fino: The Musical—how does that sound? A hustling boy from San Juan explores ambition, romance, and defeat as he transforms the local music scene and becomes its biggest star. His love interest could be a grounding counterpart, inspiring him to go global without forgetting his roots. Better yet, the story could include other pioneering Puerto Rican reggaeton artists and become a musical about the genre’s birth. Just picturing the perreo-inspired choreography gets us in line for opening night.
Paquita La Del Barrio
Let’s think outside the box for a second: if Mentiras became such a sensation through heartfelt ballads, what if the whole musical is about heartbreak and telling men off? A woman navigates the ups and downs of love while becoming a household name, with other women praising her music as revolutionary. And if you need humor, Paquita’s catalog is full of amazing lyrics that will send audiences laughing.
Maná
The band’s catalog is rife with lyrics about love, lust, and drunken nights. So it’s not hard to imagine a story of a couple who are attracted to each other (“Como Te Deseo,” “Rayando El Sol”), fall in and out of love (“Vivir Sin Aire,” “Oye Mi Amor”), and end with “El Muelle De San Blas” before blasting into one of their life-affirming rockers for an encore. Add in a cracking live band to the production, and you’ll have nothing but sold-out nights.