Gina Torres found in Buena Vista Social Club an opportunity to unite two facets of her life: her career as an actress and the Cuban music with which she grew up. Since October 13, the star of Suits has been playing Omara Portuondo in the Broadway musical, where she will remain until November 29, during the scheduled absence of Tony Award winner Natalie Venetia Belcon.
Torres fell in love with the show from the first time he saw it. For the Cuban-American actress, the songs of Buena Vista Social Club are part of her family memories and represent a link with her culture.
“I fell in love with the show and each of the people in it from the first time I saw it. As a first-generation Cuban-American, it connected with me in many ways,” she said. “I grew up listening to these songs; they are the heartbeat of everything that means home to me and unites me with my family and my culture.”
The performer also shared the excitement that comes with assuming this role and the hope of feeling close to her parents, who died, when she goes on stage. “I trust that my parents, who have already passed away, will accompany me and support me when I go on that stage,” he said.
Although audiences primarily recognize her for her work on television, Torres debuted on Broadway in 1994 in Face Value, a play by David Henry Hwang. At the beginning of 2026 he returned to the New York theater with Pen Pals, an Off-Broadway production in which he shared the stage with Carmen Cusack. In 2025 she played Gertrude in Hamlet, at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.
Throughout her three-decade career, Torres has played characters such as Jessica Pearson in Suits, Zoe Washburn in Firefly and Anna Espinosa in Alias. In 2019, she starred in and produced Pearson, a series derived from Suits focused on Jessica’s foray into Chicago politics. She has also appeared on 9-1-1: Lone Star and currently plays FBI Agent Linda Grant on FOX’s Memory of a Killer.
Buena Vista Social Club draws inspiration from true events and the Grammy-winning 1997 album of the same name to tell the story of the musicians who helped bring Cuban music to audiences around the world. The production has won five Tony Awards, while the original Broadway cast recording earned the 2026 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album.
With live music and a cast that brings together artists from different generations, the musical celebrates the history behind one of the most recognized projects in Cuban music.
Performances and ticket information are available at www.buenavistamusical.com.
