Movie, TV and recording stars headline the new "Mambo Kings," set to open Aug. 18 on Broadway.
Esai Morales and Billy Dee Williams return to Broadway with the project. Morales performed in Al Pacino's production of "Salome" in 1992. Williams replaced James Earl Jones in "Fences" in 1988.
Also appearing in "Mambo Kings" are Justina Machado of "Six Feet Under" and Grammy winner Albita.
"The Mambo Kings," based on Oscar Hijuelos' novel, follows the Castillo brothers, Nestor and Cesar, from 1950s Havana to the nightclubs of Manhattan.
Morales and Williams will play Cesar and the nightclub impresario Fernando Perez, respectively. Other roles, including that of Nestor, have not been cast. Producers Daryl Roth and Jordan Roth made the announcement Wednesday. Creatives on the project include Hijuelos, writer-director Arne Glimcher and composer Carlos Franzetti.
"Mambo Kings" plays San Francisco's Golden Gate Theater May 24-June 19. Previews in Gotham begin July 20 at the Broadway Theater.
Contact Robert Hofler at
bob.hofler@variety.com