Advance Sighting of a Broadway Hit

Since this is my first appearance in The Citizen, let me start with a few words of introduction. 

I’m Christine and I have a problem. I have a lifelong show addiction. 

It started as a kid training into ‘the city’ from my Long Island home with my Grandma Peggy who was born in midtown Manhattan in 1919. The silly amount of my  disposable income that goes to show tickets (that sometimes also require plane tickets and hotel rooms) is all her fault!

Lucky me, Basura was one that didn’t require a plane ticket to NYC. It was right here at the Alliance Theater in Midtown Atlanta. 

Rather than the tried-and-true, proven Broadway musicals that come to The Fox, the Alliance is a testing ground for new and unknown shows. Anything I see there, I go with no expectations and an open mind. And last week – BAM! 

I predict you’ll be hearing more about the new production from Gloria and Emilio Estefan called Basura. I wish I had seen it earlier and could have encouraged you to go see it too. I suspect you’ll have some more opportunities – perhaps in a future, post-Broadway visit to The Fox. 

In Spanish, Basura translates to trash. Trash the Musical? Doesn’t sound like the best subject for a musical does it? This isn’t green furry Oscar in a can on PBS. It deals with difficult and timely topics about people barely surviving at the lowest end of the economic hierarchy living alongside the Cateura landfill in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay. 

In spite of the disturbing aspects of the subject matter, or maybe because of it, the Estefans and their team brilliantly wove a touching human story into a script and score that will make you laugh and cry. Thus, achieving the highest calling of art, which is to produce an emotional response. 

The fictional script draws heavily from the real-life experiences of the people who formed the Orquesta de Instrumentos Reciclados de Cateura. The first Act sets up the story, covering some of the seemingly insurmountable tragedies facing this group of impoverished would-be musicians. The score and performances were solid, yet I headed into intermission feeling the bleakness their story conveyed. 

The second act is a Rocky-esque, overcoming-of-adversity, laughing-crying journey that parallels the orchestra’s real world continued existence. It is touching and uplifting without getting overly sappy or ignoring the reality these Paraguayan musicians have faced. 

The Alliance show was very well cast. The individual performers are talented singers/actors, who played their roles so credibly it was easy to believe they are the characters they were representing. There were many moments in the arrangements of the songs that felt like careful decisions to avoid getting too cliche or campy, which I appreciated.

The musicians who played off stage in the orchestra also delivered solid performances, as the music is integral, not simply because of the musical genre of the show, more importantly because the story itself is about how music can be a universal language that has the power to change lives.

In addition to the high quality of the musical and acting talent, there were some wonderfully choreographed scenes that let the talented cast show off their dance steps too. Lest we not overlook the carefully crafted set design that I’ve come to appreciate as a key part of what the Alliance Theater team is able to deliver.

It was truly an enjoyable evening and a show that will stick in my memory. Saving my playbill so that I can tell people I saw this show when it first emerged. The Alliance has been a proving ground for Broadway success in the past (Tony-award winning Maybe Happy Ending), and I think it may happen again.