José “Candelita” Iglesias is less than three weeks away from making his Broadway debut, but the former MLB All-Star says appearing in a musical was never something he had been planning.
In a new TMZ Sports interview, Iglesias said the opportunity to join Buena Vista Social Club “caught me off guard completely.” He said Broadway was “not on my bucket list,” but the unexpected opportunity was too compelling to turn down.
The Broadway move was first announced in July. PEOPLE reported that Iglesias will play the Narrator beginning August 27 during a limited six-week engagement and is set to become the first Latino Major League Baseball player to perform on Broadway.
Iglesias told TMZ that the show’s representation of Cuba and Latin America helped make the decision an easy one, while his return to New York brings him back to the city where he played for the Mets in 2024.
Iglesias Says Baseball Is Still Part of His Plans
Iglesias last appeared in the majors with the San Diego Padres in 2025 after spending the previous season with the Mets. MLB’s transaction record shows that he elected free agency after the 2025 season. Despite taking on a Broadway role, Iglesias told TMZ Sports that he still wants to continue playing baseball.
His Music Career Had Already Crossed Into Baseball
Iglesias began releasing music as Candelita before his Broadway opportunity arrived. His official Buena Vista Social Club biography says he launched his recording career with debut single “Tambor” in August 2023.
His music reached a much larger baseball audience during his 2024 season in New York. “OMG” became closely associated with the Mets during their playoff run and debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Digital Song Sales chart. Billboard reported that the song gave Iglesias his first appearance on any of its charts.
Iglesias also performed “OMG” at Citi Field after a Mets victory over the Houston Astros, turning a music career that had developed alongside baseball into a highly visible part of his season with the team.
His Six-Week Broadway Run Starts August 27
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Iglesias will appear as the Narrator in the Tony Award-winning Buena Vista Social Club. The official production site lists his limited engagement from August 27 through October 4 at New York’s Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.
The musical is built around the music of the Grammy-winning 1997 Buena Vista Social Club album and is developed and directed by Saheem Ali, with a book by Marco Ramirez and choreography by Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck.
Iglesias told PEOPLE when his casting was announced that representing the Cuban heritage at the center of Buena Vista Social Club was deeply meaningful to him, particularly while making the debut in New York.