Washington, DC’s GALA Hispanic Theatre is staging the world premiere of Aguardiente: Where Magic Transcends Borders. GALA commissioned the musical, which is written, directed, and choreographed by multiple Helen Hayes Award winner Luis Salgado, as part of its current 50th-anniversary season. Salg ado also wrote the lyrics alongside Daniel A. Gutiérrez, who additionally composed the music for the production and serves as the show’s music director. Aguardiente tells the story of two New York writers (originally from Colombia and Puerto Rico) who face immigration and artistic challenges as they create a new show in the United States. The duo rediscovers their heritage not only through music but also through magical realism. This bilingual production (with English and Spanish subtitles) blends several Afro-Caribbean musical styles, including Bomba, Currulao, and Cumbia. Ahead of the musical’s April 30 opening, DC Theater Arts’ Julia Tucker spoke with Salgado and lead actor Samuel Garnica, who plays writer Alberto.  This interview has been edited for clarity, length, and flow. Luis Salgado and Samuel Garnica Luis, how did you come up with the idea for Aguardiente, and when did you realize it needed to be a musical? Luis Salgado: I was commissioned to do it by GALA. Rebecca Medrano [GALA Co-Founder and Executive Director] had been very specific that for the 50-year anniversary, we wanted to do something new and original. I had just directed a show in Colombia called Ella Es Colombia, and Rebecca wanted the show to have a Colombian influence, so I thought, “Hey, I’m freshly familiar with a lot of ideas based on the show I just did.” I decided to take a first stab at the idea with Daniel Gutiérrez [of the band Manteca Blue], who I knew I wanted to be the composer. We started from there. When we went to Bogotà, we started studying Aguardiente … what the drink is, how people relate to it, and how it creates community and embellishes culture. From all of that, I started writing. We started having scenes and songs connect, and it was like, “Oh my god, we are really writing a musical.” I pitched that to Rebecca, and she said, “If you think you’re going to be able to do it, let’s go.” The show ended up becoming a fusion of Puerto Rican and Colombian cultures, but also representing as many Latin American cultures and ideas as possible. At the end of the day, it’s really about the courage to create something new, and that’s exactly what we’re doing. Luis, this is your first full original musical, and you’ve performed in several Broadway productions, including the original cast of In the Heights. How did building a musical from the ground up shift your creative process compared to directing or choreographing existing works? And how did your Broadway background prepare you for this project? Luis Salgado: I really consider it a blessing to be a part of so many new shows. All my Broadway shows have been new shows. I’ve been in the room with brilliant artists like Andy Blankenbuehler, Thomas Kail, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, developing what In the Heights became. I’ve also worked with Jerry Mitchell, Sergio Trujillo, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, and Alexander Dinelaris doing On Your Feet!, and Pedro Almodóvar and Bartlett Sher developing Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. For me, creating something new is where I thrive. The thing is, as a director/choreographer, I’ve always gotten other people’s writing, and it’s easy for me to guide them on where to go and ask the questions that help clean up exposition. It’s been 20 years of doing that now. The change here is having to edit my own work. That’s a problem because now I need to be confronted with, “Is there too much exposition here? Is there a reason to sing here? Is it clear enough?” That has been delicious, and I give so much credit to our cast, whether in a workshop, in pre-production, or, more importantly, now in rehearsals. Working as an ensemble with our Aguardiente cast, I’ve discovered how to clean up the script, make it more active, and cut exposition. It’s been such a beautiful collaboration. I just hope that I do justice to all of those beautiful humans that I have learned from in the way that I get to tell this story. Samuel, tell me about your character, Alberto. What drives him throughout the story, and what have been the most rewarding and challenging aspects of bringing him to life? Samuel Garnica: Alberto is a brave writer. He is a character in the middle of a dilemma about the best way to make his art possible and visible, not just in his community but also to all people who feel connected to Hispanic culture. In the middle of that creation, he has to go against internal dilemmas and doubts about his ability to create. Through his writing partner, Alejandro, he finds a way to make this possible. Luis welcomed not just me, but also many of us in the cast to create some of the plots, dilemmas, and other aspects of the show. That is a privilege nowadays to be part of creating a character and a show. Samuel, I know you played Emilio Estefan in the Second National Tour of On Your Feet! and have performed in GALA and other regional productions. What has it been like originating a role in a world premiere musical? How has that experience differed from stepping into an established role? Samuel Garnica: I’m originally from Venezuela, and I came to the United States just to study English. As an immigrant, being able to bring a story about immigrants fighting for their roots and their Hispanic heritage is something that I relate to as an actor. In On Your Feet!, I was able to portray an iconic figure of our Hispanic culture, bringing a message not just about the impact of our culture, but also about our family. Alberto is a character who has some relations to Emilio Estefan. Both characters are trying to make it through the barriers of the industry. Emilio Estefan succeeded in becoming the icon that he now is for our Hispanic community, and Alberto also succeeds in standing strong and honoring his Hispanic roots.  Samuel Garnica as Alberto, Sebastián Treviño as Alejandro, and Shayla Hernández as Kiara, appearing in ‘Aguardiente: Where Magic Transcends Borders.’ Photo Daniel Martínez. The show blends several Afro-Caribbean musical styles, including Bomba, Currulao, and Cumbia. Luis, how did those musical styles influence your choreography and staging choices? Samuel, how has working with this variety of musical styles enriched your journey as a singer/actor? Luis Salgado: Well, the Bomba, for example, is part of my life, so having it in the show is making sure that I represent the truth of where I come from. Then, it’s expanded into a question: What is our diaspora, and what is the African influence on our Latin American heritage contributing to our lives? I think it contributes a lot, so then that leads me to the Pacifico areas of Colombia to do the Currulao or the Cumbia. But then, it doesn’t stop there, because we ask, “What are some other influences?” So, we’re really investigating this musical fusion that the African heritage in our cultures gives all of us. In a way, that connects to the basics of nature, like honoring the rivers, the land, the places where we come from, and the growth of coffee.  All of those elements highlight Colombian heritage and Puerto Rican heritage through the fantasy that both characters, writers Alberto and Alejandro, are creating. In the real world, Alberto and Alejandro are fighting, trying to find their voices to honor this music and those sounds, but they are in tension with the system that tells them that a musical has to be done a certain way so that the audience really grasps it. The writers in the show oppose this tension. It’s about brotherhood, friendship, and creative outlets, but it’s also about the tension between art and self-discovery and listening to your true voice versus a system that imposes how things should be done. Alberto and Alejandro have to deal with the funding, the deadlines, and the marketing expectations. At the end of the day, the Currulao, the Bomba, and all of these beautiful sounds bring them back into the breath of their truth, of where they come from, and what it is that they have to say, because they are telling stories of unheard voices. Samuel Garnica: Usually, nowadays, the spaces for our music in musical theater specifically are very few. So the fact that there’s a new musical that empowers our voices, our culture … being able to sing along with the ensemble, the rest of the cast, and our musicians who honor our music is a privilege — it’s amazing. I feel very honored to be part of it, and, complementing what Luis just said, the audience is going to have a beautiful journey through many aspects of our culture. Not just music, which is the main candle torching the show, but also writers, poets, and many other artists that influence our culture. So, for the audience interested in learning more about Hispanic influence, they’re going to get a blast of interesting information. Luis Salgado: I think that the music is the story. Samuel Garnica: Absolutely. Luis Salgado: The way that all this fusion is coming about and the way that the audience gets to see it being discovered in front of our eyes, it’s like we’re writing the show as it reveals itself to the audience in real time. The music has everything to do with the division of those two worlds. Samuel Garnica: Yeah, definitely. You see how the music not just influenced them [Alberto and Alejandro] as the soul of a writer, but also influenced the show that they are writing. It’s an amazing journey that flows through their creative process, but it also reflects in the play that they are writing in Aguardiente. What do you hope audiences take away from this story, and what do you think will most resonate with DC theatergoers?  Samuel Garnica: It is very unique and interesting to see musical theater full of Hispanic, Latin, and African American influences. The audience will have the chance to have this amazing journey and to go deeper with all the aspects that are mentioned in the show. Nowadays, with the political and global situations, getting to do this show in Washington, DC, specifically, is a very meaningful symbol of what Hispanic culture means for this country. It’s going to be an amazing invitation for the audience to see the show and get to know more about Hispanic culture. Luis Salgado: For me, I’ve been working in DC for a while now, and thanks to GALA, other doors have opened for me. The first thing is to honor a space that has been so meaningful, important, and poignant in my life as a director, because GALA believing in me as a director was one of the reasons I stopped performing and said, “I’m going to dedicate my life fully to creation.” To share that with GALA and DC audiences as part of the 50-year anniversary is one of the greatest rewards. I would love to inspire the audiences that come to see the show. The sound that we’re going to be sharing inside this theater … I don’t know that Washington, DC, has heard this before. The kind of fusion that Daniel Gutiérrez’s music is creating … we already mentioned the Currulao, Bomba, and Cumbia sounds, but there’s also mambo, jazz, and contemporary music styles. The band is going to be so hot that you’ll have a concert, for sure. Then on top of that, it’s heavy-duty choreography, and we are dancing. We’re going from choleric rhythms to salsa rhythms to cirque-like moments of contemporary dance styles. Then there’s this musical theater element. On top of that, there’s the art, the story, and the heart of representation, of dreaming and migrating to follow your dreams. Do you accomplish those dreams, or do you go back home because you realize that home is where your heart truly is? I think people are going to deeply identify with so many different moments, depending on where they come from. We’re striving to make something really universal, but that fills us with love and pride to continue to go further, to continue to go beyond … and for all of those reasons, I’m excited for people to come see the show. Running Time: Approximately two hours and 30 minutes, including one intermission. Aguardiente: Where Magic Transcends Borders plays April 30 to May 24, 2026, at GALA Hispanic Theatre, 3333 14th St NW, Washington, DC. Performances are Thursdays-Saturdays at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM. Purchase tickets $25–$60) online or call 202-234-7174. SEE ALSO:GALA to premiere new musical ‘Aguardiente’ (news story, March 23, 2026) ...read more read less