La Bamba: A Musical – Grand Theatre, Blackpool
Danceathon with an infusion of Latin America and traditional rock n roll, is entertaining enough to excuse its style over substance in this bilingual jukebox musical.
La Bamba introduces us to Sofia (Ines Fernandez), a young Latino woman with an upbringing immersed in Latin American heritage enriched with colourful cultural traditions. Sofia narrates us through her younger years as she pursues her dreams of becoming the next big Latino music star which is abruptly hindered by industry execs who insist that she changes her name, and water down her cultural identity to make her more acceptable to American audiences.
The musical is inspired by Richard Steven Valenzuela, better known as Ritchie Valens, whose quick rise to 50s fame with the Mexican folk inspired ‘La Bamba’, made h...