From MLB to Broadway: José "Candelita" Iglesias on Starring in Buena Vista Social Club

José Iglesias has spent more than a decade playing professional baseball at the highest level, earning an American League All-Star selection with the Detroit Tigers and becoming a fan favorite during his time with the New York Mets. Now, the Cuban-born athlete known in the music world as Candelita is making his Broadway debut.

Iglesias plays a narrator of sorts in Buena Vista Social Club, the Broadway musical inspired by the legendary Cuban album and the musicians who created it. For Iglesias, the role is deeply personal. Born and raised in Havana, he grew up surrounded by the music featured in the show before moving to the United States at 17. Now, he gets to sing and dance to those songs onstage every night, including “El Cuarto de Tula,” a song he remembers hearing while walking through his neighborhood in Havana.

In this interview, Iglesias talks about making the leap from the baseball diamond to Broadway, why he cried the first time he saw Buena Vista Social Club, the surprising differences between preparing for a baseball game and a Broadway performance, and the possibility of making new music with his fellow cast members. He also reveals which three of his former MLB teammates he’d recruit to join the cast.

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

How did you go from Batter’s Box to Broadway?
I got lucky. The production saw something they thought was gonna match the musical. So, my whole off-season changed. I’m not throwing balls, I’m not hitting. I learned a script. I learned body languages. They did such a great job with this show that I want to do it right, especially to respect the fans of Broadway, in general. I’m living a dream every single night. You saw how special it is. It has it all, acting, music, history, dancing. I have nothing but respect for these guys. They work hard, the dancers, the musicians, the production, everybody. Not the narrator. I’m not in the whole show, as you see. I’m at the beginning, in the middle, and the end.

How did the music of the real Buena Vista Social Club influence your life and your background?
I’m born and raised in Cuba. I came over when I was 17. We had no cars in Cuba, so we’d walk everywhere, and you’d hear “En el barrio La Cachimba se ha formado la corredera…” I get to sing that song [“El Cuarto de Tula”] on Broadway now. The first time I saw the show, I cried like four times. I couldn’t believe it. They put a lot of heart into it. They’re not just acting and singing and dancing; they actually feel it. I’m telling you, they put a lot of love to it from the heart, because a majority of us are Latin, and some of them are Cuban and we grew up with that music. When I talk on stage, I’m speaking from my heart. I’m not just following a script. I feel it every single night. When I get to dance to that music, it’s right here.

What’s harder: hitting a 99-mph fastball or performing live on Broadway?
They have their responsibilities and similarities, but hitting a ball, with all due respect to the cast, is harder to get a result on. Don’t get me wrong. I’m telling you, those dancers, those musicians…They play for two hours. As a baseball player, we’re going through injuries, just like dancers and musicians. But baseball is harder just because the matter of the script, the one I have in front of me, doesn’t move like the ball moves.

How does your training regimen for baseball differ from your training regimen for Broadway?
It’s different muscles when I’m on a baseball field. In order to play a seven o’clock game, I show up around like 12, 12:30. I have lunch and then I go to the hot tub. I get my blood flowing. I go to the weight room. I activate the little muscles. I probably have a small lift. Go to the cage, get loose, work on my direction and the swing based on the pitcher. I do my homework.

In the theater, we show up an hour [before the show]. In terms of preparation, it’s easier. Baseball is a hard sport that’s not just the two hours [of a game]. What makes you tired as a baseball player is not the game. It’s the preparation. It’s the post-game recovery. We travel every two, three days. Here, I’m two blocks from the theater. I shower, I warm up my vocals, and then I get in the zone and just have fun. It’s an easier process than baseball, for sure.

Will there be any new Candelita music in the future?
One hundred percent. As we speak, we work on the project. We have a bunch of beautiful songs that are gonna come out real soon. I’m also working on a surprise: I got here and I started vibing out and connecting with these great musicians here at Buena Vista Social Club, so we’ll probably have surprise Candelita music with the cast of Buena Vista. I had never done a song with those Cuban elements, but the sounds put me back when I was a kid. I’m pretty sure it will be very fun.

If you could cast three other MLB players in Buena Vista Social Club, who would you pick?
Hmm. That’s interesting. I’m thinking of every team I’ve played for. I think Sean Manaea [New York Mets pitcher] would be great. He’s a human first. He’s such a great guy, very humble, very passionate. We have [Juan] Soto [Mets outfielder] playing the bass just playing music in the back of the room, so he’d enjoy the music of it. Probably not the acting or the walking and talking and all that, but he would be there. And then I think I will have [Francisco] Lindor [Mets shortstop], as well. He loves music, he loves the entertainment world. Those three guys, for sure.

Does doing this show mean that you’re done with baseball?
That’s a good question. I only stopped playing literally last year. I’m not officially retired yet, neither physically nor mentally. If I get that call in the off-season to go to spring training to compete for the position or however the case may be, I think I will go. I feel good, and I know I can back that up. But if that call doesn’t come, I’m ok with that, too. Personally, I’m very pleased with the career I had: 15 seasons in the big leagues. Like I said, if they call, I’ll be there; if they don’t call, I’ll be here.