By Panchali Illankoon
Pictures by Nimalrsiri Edirisinghe 

Cinnamon Life, in collaboration with John Keells Foundation and in association with Nations Trust Bank, announced the staging of the West End-licensed musical “La Bamba! The Song of Veracruz” at Cinnamon Life, City of Dreams, Colombo from 24-28 April 2026, with seven performances across five days. 

La Bamba! The Song of Veracruz is presented in partnership with London-based theatre company Paul Morrissey Ltd. and is set to deliver a performance with vibrant music, dance and storytelling inspired by Mexican heritage. La Bamba! held its world premiere in 2023 at Leicester Curve before a West End run and UK tour, and was the recipient of raving reviews for its delightful entertainment factors, featuring anthems from Marc Anthony, Shakira, Ricky Martin, J-Lo and many more. The musical features a cast of 19 performers, six musicians and a production crew of 40 with full stage design. 

Having previously brought down international productions such as ‘The Sound of Music’ and ‘Mamma Mia!’ in 2018, La Bamba! is Cinnamon Life’s first production to be hosted at its own state-of-the-art 900-seat capacity premises – Forum since its opening last year. At a press conference hosted on 5th February 2026, Kamal Munasinghe, Senior Vice President - Colombo City Hotels and General Manager of Cinnamon Life, shared that they are looking forward to hosting major events at their own venue, adding that “with La Bamba! We are taking the first step in positioning Cinnamon Life as an entertainment and cultural hub and Colombo as a tourism hub for soft attractions.” 

Local Casting Call for La Bamba! 
What makes this production all the more exciting is the opportunity for local participation in the West End musical. The local cast will be guided under the direction of the local associate director, veteran theatre practitioner Jerome de Silva, together with Soundarie David as the local associate music director. 

“Sri Lanka has done many musicals on an amateur scale, which have compared very well, so we have always had the talent but lacked the resources and opportunities to work in global productions. This is a great opportunity for our local talent to be part of,” shared de Silva. 

Auditions for the cast are scheduled to be held on Sunday, 15th February.  “La Bamba! is a vibrant, fast-paced juke-box musical, and we are looking for singers, dancers and actors to be a part of the cast and ensemble”. De Silva shared that the auditions are open to children ages 8-10 and adults from ages 18-40, by performing a song by Ricky Martin, J-Lo or Shakira and a dialogue excerpt from the musical.  Those interested in auditioning can sign up by filling out the form available on cinnamonboxoffice.com/auditions. 

La Bamba! The Song of Veracruz will take place from 24th to 28th April 2026 at Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams.  Early access tickets for NTB American Express or Mastercard Credit Card holders are now available, and public ticket sales open on 15th February 2026 via www.cinnamonboxoffice.com