This Saturday, the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts will host a one-night-only performance of Lavoe en Sinfónica, a theatrical concert that brings the life and music of Héctor Lavoe to the stage alongside a live symphony.
Taking on the role of Lavoe is Raúl Carbonell, a veteran performer whose decades-long career spans acting, music, comedy, writing and directing — he even became an immigration lawyer along the way.
Born in Puerto Rico to a father who was a pioneer of radio and television on the island, Carbonell entered the entertainment industry early, starring in his first film at just eight years old. He went on to build a wide-ranging career, including years as a comedian known for his popular character “Papo Swing.”
But portraying Lavoe is the role he has returned to time and again, one rooted in deep love and admiration for the salsa icon.
“I have been a fan of Héctor Lavoe since I was a teenager. And Héctor Lavoe, for me, was an idol,” said Carbonell in an interview with the Bronx Times.
Lavoe’s music became a defining influence in Carbonell’s life during the 1970s, as salsa emerging from New York spread to Puerto Rican airwaves and across Latin America.
Carbonell first took on the role in the acclaimed off-Broadway musical “¿Quién Mató a Héctor Lavoe?” in 1999, earning an ACE Award for Best Leading Actor. After 88 performances in New York, he reprised the role in Miami and Puerto Rico in later years, and brought his portrayal to the screen in the 2011 film “Lavoe,” which explored the singer’s emotional life and personal struggles, including the drug use that led to his death from AIDS-related complications in 1993.
Despite years spent embodying the salsa legend, Carbonell only met Lavoe once, in a brief encounter at a television studio in Puerto Rico.
“I said, ‘Hey, my name is Raúl Carbonell. What’s up?’ That’s all,” he recalled.
He also narrowly missed seeing Lavoe perform live while playing a hotel gig that rotated acts including Lavoe, Willie Colón and the duo Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz.
His performance is grounded in longstanding study of the sonero. Trained in theater at New York University School of the Arts, Carbonell said he approaches the role by analyzing not just Lavoe’s voice, but his physical presence.
“I studied all the videos I could find. His behavior, his physical language,” Carbonell said. “Not only speaking and his looks, but the way he moves. That’s an expression of his character, too.”
Carbonell has worked across nearly every corner of show business, and is now focused on his documentary series “Vive Puerto Rico,” which explores the island’s history, from its pre-Columbian roots to its natural resources.
Still, he continues to return to Lavoe. At 74, Carbonell said his performance in Lavoe en Sinfónica will have audiences laughing, dancing to classics like “Mi Gente” and “Periódico de Ayer,” and reconnecting with the singer’s enduring legacy.
“His legacy is not that — his legacy is the music,” he said. “I am proud that I can sing his songs. The love that people have for him, their respect. That is his legacy.”
Lavoe en Sinfónica will take place on Saturday, March 28 at 8 PM at the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are available online or by calling the Lehman Center box office at (718) 960-8833 or 8835.
Reach Marina Samuel at msamuel@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
