MARISOL – Open Fist Theatre
Reviewed by Amalisha HuEck
Powerful Production – HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Imagine: what would it be like if God were too old — and dying? If Karma crashed into the moon, and the ripple effects are triggering a chain of calamities? Heaven is burning and angels are leaving us — they can’t protect us anymore. The dark ages are upon us, and we need to be ready.
As we sit on the edge of apocalyptic times, with tornados, fires, earthquakes and tsunamis raising the stakes high, one can easily believe in the upcoming destruction and eventual renewal of the existing world.
Open Fist Theatre Company presents a revival of MARISOL. Written by José Rivera, the show had its first premiere in 1992 at the Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville, Kentucky. This Obie-winning play is directed by Amanda Weier who paints a picture of darkness and evokes the mood of our dying world.
In her director’s note, Weier states, ‘As to why now feels like the right time to revisit Marisol, I feel like in so many ways we are living out conditions described in the play – we got homelessness and fires, we’ve got racist factions terrorizing communities. Throw in existential questions surrounding AI’s impact on, well, everything, and the recent loss of a universally beloved guardian angel called Dolly Parton … the timing is actually almost too perfect.’
Located in New York City, the story follows Marisol, a young girl who works as a copy editor in Manhattan, but lives in the Bronx — in a scary and dangerous part of the city. Strongly portrayed by Jade Santana who has encounters with her beautiful Guardian Angel (Taylor Scott), and asks her all kinds of questions, only to find out that there is going to be a revolution of angels and the angel cannot protect her anymore.
In all the darkness there is light: the bond of love and strong friendship between Marisol and her co-worker June (Grace Soens), which gives us hope and comfort. June invites Marisol to get out of the Bronx and live with her. But there is another challenge: June’s mentally disturbed brother Lenny, Jack Sharpe, whose obsession with Marisol is scary and so unbalanced.
Other standout performances of this talented cast are Matthew Goodrich as Man with Golf Club, Carmella Jenkins as Sandy, Barbara Lee Bragg as Woman with Furs, Mara Michelle as Young Woman, Hutchins Foster as Man with Scar Tissue, and Chima Rok as Man With Ice-Cream.
The creatives are Brad Bentz (interesting scenic design), Mylette Nora (creative costume designs), Christopher Moscatiello (sound design), Matt Richter (lighting design), and lovely props have been handled by designers Bruce Dickinson and Anna Kraus. Choreography is done by Yusuf Nasir. Saskia Young is an associate producer, and John Dimitri is the production stage manager. Lucy Pollak takes care of Press Relations.
Marisol is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Dramatists Play Service and its running at Open Fist at The Atwater Village Theatre Complex, 3269 Casitas Ave. LA, CA 90039, from September 12 through October 24. The performances are on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 4 p.m. (no performance Saturday, October 3). On Monday, October 5th at 8:00 pm there is an additional performance. Running time is 100 minutes with one intermission.
Tickets range from $26 to $40 and they can be purchased at 323-882-6912 or at www.openfist.org