Recycling is an instrumental theme smoothly played in Alliance’s ‘Basura’

Based on the documentary film “Landfill Harmonic,” itself an account of the formation of the Recycled Orchestra, “Basura” follows a group of teenagers living in the impoverished community of Cateura on the outskirts of Asunción, Paraguay.

Cateura is most famously the site of a massive landfill where multiple countries have dumped their garbage for years, leaving the residents to sift through the piles in order to make a living.

Mandy Gonzalez (left) as Mónica, the disillusioned mother of Nambi (Jaci Calderon). (Greg Mooney/Courtesy of Alliance Theatre)

Protagonist Nambi’s only escape is listening to classical music, a passion she shared with her late father. When the optimistic Mario begins offering free music classes to the youths of Cateura, Nambi jumps at the chance to finally pursue something outside of scavenging garbage. When the group’s instruments are stolen, they adapt by making new instruments out of recycled materials from the landfill. Friendships form, and the orchestra members find themselves with an opportunity to lift themselves out of their current circumstances.

The bones of the story are familiar: A well-meaning educator galvanizing a group of disparate teens around a mutual love of the arts is a well-trod template. What sets “Basura” apart is the environmental and class commentary inherent in its centering of the people and things that we treat as disposable. Karen Zacarías’ book digs into the idea that beauty and hope can be found in even the most unlikely of places, while also integrating themes of familial trauma and governmental neglect.

The script could go deeper into these subjects, but such explorations are somewhat limited by its sentimentality. Zacarías is interested less in issuing a call to action and more in showing how determination and community can enable the inhabitants of Cateura to find pockets of joy in an otherwise difficult life.

She is aided by the emotional score, composed by the mother-daughter team of Gloria and Emily Estefan, with orchestrations by Tony Award winner Alex Lacamoire. At times percussive and lively and at others somber and reflective, the score is permeated by an earnestness that augments the aforementioned sentimentality. Ballads such as the emphatic “I Wanna Run” and the more delicate “I Can Hear the Stars” are highlights.

Nathan Diaz, Zack Calderon and Dario Alvarez portray some of the orchestra members in "Basura." (Greg Mooney/Courtesy of Alliance Theatre)

The cast is strong all around. Jaci Calderon gives a breakout performance as Nambi, radiating an openness and vulnerability that makes it very easy for the audience to connect to her. She is contrasted by the superb Mandy Gonzalez, who brings sharp edges and a powerhouse voice to Nambi’s cynical and disillusioned mother, Mónica.

Kevin Del Aguila is a perfectly affable presence as music teacher Mario, though he is perhaps the most underserved by the script, which never fully explores his personal life or his motivations for establishing this orchestra.

The rest of the students fill their roles well. Zack Calderon is a standout as Nunu, an unhoused boy who comes up with the idea for the young musicians to make their own instruments. The script never specifies if Nunu is neurodivergent, but the eccentric charm of Calderon’s performance would seem to suggest it. Meanwhile, Dario Alvarez, who plays the guarded and sarcastic José, carries one of the play’s most impactful moments.

The musicians lend an ear to their teacher, Mario (Kevin Del Aguila). (Greg Mooney/Courtesy of Alliance Theatre)

It is the relationships between these students, second only to Nambi’s relationship with her mother, that anchor the play. This is, at its core, a story about how a community can come together and uplift one another through times of hardship, and seeing the tenderness that evolves between the members of the Recycled Orchestra is what gives “Basura” its emotional weight.

Director Michael Greif and the design team help to deepen this sense of community by giving the setting of Cateura a deeply lived-in feel. Costume designer Dede Ayite dresses the actors in a range of shabby and well-kept clothes, many of which look like they were likely pulled out of the landfill. David Korins creates multiple rotating sets to evoke the characters’ modest but cherished homes. As for Greif, he directs the cast with a sensitivity to detail, creating small background moments with various members of the orchestra so as to enhance the sense of familiarity between them.

There are moments where the careful balance between the play’s light and hopeful tone and its more grim backstory does falter. To state the most obvious example would unfortunately be too big a spoiler, but it is disappointing to see the conflict between Nambi and her mother, which is rich and emotionally complex, resolved so quickly in the name of a happy ending.

In these ways, this world premiere does not quite live up to its full potential. However, as a story about the importance of community and collective joy and, more importantly, about finding the beauty within the imperfect, “Basura” definitely hits the right notes.