Long running show a staple for Havana visitors

The (Havana) show goes on! And on and on and on… Havana’s famed Tropicana will mark its 85th birthday on Dec. 31, 85 years of what Emma Gonzalez Alarcon of Havana tour company Turarte says has been non-stop performances, with the show that began in 1939 continuing to be staged during such turbulent times as World War II and the Cuban Revolution.

Dec. 31 will see a particularly lively performance, Gonzalez Alarcon promises. “The best groups in Cuba will participate,” she reports. “It’s important because we’re going to show our culture.”

The long-running, open-air, nighttime show — which promises guests “a paradise under the stars” — features both Cuban dancing and music by performers wearing colourful costumes.

It was rumoured in the 1950s that the Mafia had a stake in a show. Current music performed at the huge venue includes mambo, cha cha cha and son, and Afrocuban music as well. Circus-style performers are also included in shows that last around an hour and 45 minutes.

“We’re going to show you our culture and our music,” Gonzalez Alarcon continues. “It’s very Cuban, very original.”

The shows see guests provided with rum, another staple of Cuban culture. Men have traditionally been given a cigar when they arrive at the nightclub, while women receive a rose.

The Tropicana’s success has led to the opening of similar nightclubs bearing the Tropicana name in Varadero and Santiago de Cuba. with Gonzalez Alarcon suggesting that while those nightclubs have entertaining shows as well, they might not have the same cachet with tourists in some cases as their Havana counterpart as they don’t have its long history,

Meanwhile, Havana-based tour guide Iliana Lima says those visiting her hometown should make a point of seeing a Tropicana performance,

“If they ask (if they should go), I tell them of course,” she states. “I think it’s a shame not to.”