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Long live
the salsa queen!
 BY
WANJIRA BANFIELD
Blue
and blonde wigs, vibrant purple and hot pink sequined dresses,
lashes long enough to caress the clouds, and a powerful voice that
has moved audiences all over the world…all just snippets of the
life of Cuban musical sensation Celia Cruz.
The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade
County launched the late international music star back into the
hearts of her fans with the hit musical Celia: The Life &
Music of Celia Cruz.
The 60-year journey began with black and white photos revealing
Celia Cruz as a child, a teenager, a musician and a loving wife.
A love story like no other, the events of Cruz’s life were
recreated through the eyes of her beloved grief-stricken husband,
Pedro Knight, who in ailing health took the audience on a
magnificent timetable of tribulations, successes, fears, passions
and, above all, love.
Not only are we taken inside the heart of Celia Cruz, but also the
love she had for her country. The depiction of Cruz’s disregard
for Fidel Castro prompted much applause from the audience. The
conditions of the nation compelled Cruz and her husband to vow to
never return to their homeland.
The couple soon took refuge in the lights and glamour of New York
City.
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more]
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