Bronx, NY—Lehman Center for the Performing Arts CELEBRATING THE 45TH ANNIVERSARY is proud to present THE THREE KINGS & THEIR QUEENS, on Saturday, November 8, 2025 at 8:00 pm. Produced by David Maldonado Entertainment and associate producer Joe Conzo Sr. Enter the golden-age of Latin music through The Three Kings & Their Queens, a theatrical musical concert that transports audiences back to the “Home of Mambo” at the legendary Palladium nightclub in New York City in the 1950s where Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Jewish, Italian, Irish, and African American patrons danced nightly to music of the “Big Three”–Tito Puente, Tito Rodríguez, and Machito.
The Three Kings & Their Queens features a live big band orchestra led by musical director Steven Oquendo and vocals from Frankie Figueroa, former lead singer for Tito Puente’s legendary orchestra, the show celebrates the rhythms, voices, and revolutionary spirit of Latin music royalty. The story is woven together by the Emmy-award winning poet and executive director of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Caridad De La Luz, “La Bruja,” under the direction of Waddys Jáquez. The cast includes Bobby Allendeas Tito Puente; Michael Stuart as Tito Rodirguez; Yaharia (YaYa) Vargas as Graciela; Anissa Gathers as Celia Cruz; Grizel “La Chaci” Del Valle as La Lupe; and K7 as Machito.
Known as “The Home of the Mambo,” the Palladium Ballroom was America’s most important venue for the development of Latin music and dance throughout the 1950s. Mambo music and dance were co-created at the Palladium where Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Jewish, Italian, Irish, and African American patrons danced nightly to music of the “Big Three”–Tito Puente, Tito Rodríguez, and Machito.
The Palladium was the most famous Latin nightclub of the era because of its location in midtown Manhattan where people from all economic and social backgrounds—working class, middle class, and high society—gathered to dance the night away. In an era when divisions in society were prevalent, the Palladium offered unity on the dance floor. It was one of the few places where differences in race and class were set aside in the name of music and dance. From celebrities to dishwashers, everyone was welcome at the Palladium where patrons were judged based on their dancing ability rather than the color of their skin.
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. is supported, in part, by public funds through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council and the Bronx Delegation. Additional funding is provided by the New York State Council on the Arts with support from the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
We are thrilled to share that Goya Foods has agreed to renew their sponsorship for this season which will help Lehman Center expand our reach to the community. In addition we have secured funding from the Howard Gillman foundation to help grow our programming. The 2025 season is also made possible through sponsorships by Con Edison, Havana Café, Friends of Lehman Center, and our cherished audience members.
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is on the campus of Lehman College/CUNY at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY 10468. Tickets for THE THREE KINGS & THEIR QUEENS on November 8, 2025 at 8pm (VIP $115, $90, $70, $60, $50) can be purchased by calling the Lehman Center box office at 718-960-8833 (Monday through Friday, 10am–5pm, and beginning at 4pm on the day of the concert), or through online access at https://www.lehmancenter.org/events/three-kings-and-queens. Lehman Center is accessible by #4 or D train to Bedford Park Blvd. and is off the Saw Mill River Parkway and the Major Deegan Expressway.
