How did Grammy-winning music icon Gloria Estefan find her latest project? She didn’t. It found her.
“In 2019, I got a call from Michael Shulman, the producer, who had bought the rights to the story,” says Estefan. “And he asked me to watch ‘Landfill Harmonic.’ I watched it, I was so inspired.”
“Landfill Harmonic” is the 2015 documentary that tells the fascinating story of the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, a Paraguayan musical group that plays instruments made entirely out of recycled trash. That story now forms the basis for the stage musical “Basura,” with a book written by Karen Zacarías and music and lyrics by Estefan and her daughter Emily. The musical will make its world premiere at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre later this month, with preview performances set to begin on Saturday, May 30th.
“This is actually the first time ever that a mother and a daughter have written an original score for a Broadway show,” says Emily. “We collaborate incredibly together. I think that with her vocabulary that you’re going to recognize in the melodies and certain lyrics, and then my freshness when it comes to the rhythmic component and other melodies…it’s just the best of both worlds.”
“Basura” is set to run through July 12th on Alliance Theatre’s Coca-Cola Stage, with an “official” opening night performance scheduled for Friday, June 12th. The production is directed by Tony Award nominee Michael Greif (“Rent,” “Dear Evan Hansen”) and features a cast of both young talent and established stage veterans.
Gloria and Emily Estefan have nothing but praise for their experience working with Alliance Theatre.
“They’re edgy, they take chances, the theatre-going audience here is very savvy, and I think we’re going to get a really good idea of what things work in the show,” says Gloria Estefan. “Hopefully everything will work because we’ve worked really hard! But it’s a great place to launch.”
Click here for more information on “Basura” — and click the video player in this article to check out our interviews with Gloria and Emily Estefan!
