Marisol

By José Rivera

Marisol depicts the story of the titular character, a copy editor for a Manhattan publisher. Though she is a white-collar worker, she still chooses to live alone in the tough section of the Bronx where she grew up. The play opens with Marisol barely escaping a vicious attack on her subway trip back to the Bronx. Later that evening, Marisol’s guardian angel pays a visit to tell her she can no longer serve as Marisol’s protector because she has been called to join the revolution already in progress against an old and senile God who is dying and “taking the rest of the universe with him.” Soon, Marisol is caught up in the Armageddon being fought on the streets of New York City.

Director Juan Castaneda says, “No two people ever give the same answer to what Marisol is about. Is it about religion, or politics, race relations, the environment, gender equality, inner city violence, economics, poverty, or any other world issue you can think of?  Our mission with this production is to figure out how to respond yes to all of those themes.  Then we must help audiences realize that all of the issues surrounding these topics are interconnected.  They are all one issue the same way we as people are part of one Earth.  Finally, we must inspire audiences to realize that unity is the only way to combat these issues.”