Cast for Off-Broadway Musical "Celia" Announced

After seeing Yerba Buena in concert last year, I walked away marveling at the vocal purity and range of Cuban singer Xiomara Lougart. So there was an immediate reaction of yeah! when the announcement was made that Lougart would be playing the lead role of Celia Cruz in the off-Broadway production of Celia.

The role of Pedro Knight, Cruz's husband and the narrator of the story, was grabbed by Puerto Rican Modesto Lacen. Last year, Lacen received rave reviews for his performance in Gardel the Musical, based on Argentina's most famous tango singer, Carlos Gardel.

As for Lougart, she left Yerba Buena in order to persue the role of Celia. It will be a loss for the band, but it looks like she's been moving in another direction for awhile now. Last year Lougart released her self-titled album Xiomara with songs written by Meme Solis and Andres Levin. For those curious to hear the new Celia, you can get a taste of her talent at Xiomara Lougart's MySpace page.

The musical is set to open on September 12, 2007 at New World Stages. Now all you have to do is think of some critical business or pressing personal reason why you just have to be in NYC this fall!