At rise.. we are back in the 1990s. Josè' Rivera's Obie Award winning play, Marisol, is steeped in absurd magical something.. Prescient and loaded with symbols that Rivera imagined? Or, did he see the future? The play won acclaim in 1993.
Almost thirty years later, Marisol reappears with questions that are now world wide. Will the human race survive? This is no longer a rhetorical question, is it?
Taylor Scott and Jade Santana
Photo by John Dlugolecki
No clever situations here. The laughs are ironic and warped with no simple conclusions. What happens when your Guardian Angel (Taylor Scott) takes a powder!?? God's in failing health and there's some kind of Heavenly war?
"Logic's been executed by a firing squad!!"
And, as her world tumbles out of control, Marisol (Jade Santana) desperately bargains with God.. "Dios Mio!"
Director Amanda Weier waxes poetic about the script, comparing it to "a painting by Chagall.. Or? A Banksy!" There may be an opportunity for Hieronymus Bosch lurking in the wings?
Marisol presents an uneven challenge to both the cast and the audience. The premise that a twenty six year old woman, Marisol Perez, has been murdered when here she is in what presents to be a literally moonless landscape where the poles of the Earth have flipped and life .. civilization is circling the drain? It's not a lot of fun.
Was Rivera seeing the future? Is our world preparing for the end of life as we know it? Thankfully, the playwright finally shares a crack for some light to shine in. .But meanwhile, this production may be somewhat under represented in tone and presentation.
Brad Bentz's stark design on the Open Fist's broad stage is dark; appropriaely foreboding. The absurdity of the goings on permeating the story line is more realistic than the bizarre foundation of the theme. Should madness beget madness?
Opening Night Audience was responsive and the optimism at the climax of the play is welcome.
Please see this production and weigh in. It is an honest effort over all..
Cast
Jade Santana Marisol
Taylor Scott Guardian Angel.
The creative team includes scenic designer Brad Bentz, lighting designer Matt Richter,
sound designer Christopher Moscatiello,
costume designer Mylette Nora,
props designers Bruce Dickinson and Anna Kraus Choreographer Yusuf Nasir. Saskia Young serves as associate producer, and John Dimitri is the production stage manager.
Press Relations: Lucy Pollak
Marisol by Josè Rivera
Directed by Amanda Weier
Open Fist at The Atwater Village Theatre Complex
3269 Casitas
Los Angeles, CA90039
Performances run September 12 through October 24, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m.
(no performance Saturday, October 3).
An additional performance will be held Monday, Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. . Tickets range from $26 to $40
Tickets and Information:
www.openfist.org
(323) 882-6912
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