On April 30th, I attended a performance of the play "Marisol: The Edge of the Apocalypse," written by Jose Rivera and performed at the Victoria Espinosa Theatre in Santurce as part of the Festival of Puerto Rican Theater, in association with the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture. It starred an amazing cast, including Lissette Cruz and Dolores Pedro, playing the titular Marisol and a black angel, respectively. In essence, the show was an experimental, vibrant and thought-provoking piece in which a woman is used as a tipping point for the angels, who choose to rebel against God. The result is an exercise in surrealism and absurdity in the best way, as the image-heavy work was incredibly stirring, helped along by the incredible costumes, setting, lighting and performances.
Marisol follows the titular character, a young Latina who works at a publishing company in Manhattan, navigating the harsh world of the city. Her guardian angel shows up to tell her that the angels are starting a revolution against God, and New York City becomes a battleground. Marisol has to navigate that battleground, joining and relating to the homeless and the displaced, who then side with the angels in order to win the war and stave off the apocalypse. The story itself is very barebones and very thematic - the characters are not very complex or deep, but they do not need to be since they are just archetypal. The strength of the script comes from the broad and pressing themes that are presented, like the lack of faith in a brighter future, the attempts by the poor to operate in the world of the rich, and the ways in which homeless and disenfranchised are treated as invisible. In terms of scripts, it is not the most naturalistic piece, but I really enjoy seeing this kind of surreal, artistic imagery set on a stage.
The performances in the play were amazing, and very much in keeping with the stylized nature of the piece. Lissette Cruz had such a wonderful vulnerability to Marisol, and she showed through her slight, fragile body movement and small voice that she was frequently overwhelmed in such a big world. At the same time, she showed great range, asserting herself when need be and carrying herself bravely. Dolores Pedro, playing the guardian angel, was suitably tough and nurturing, her haunting eyes showing her reticence to wage war against God, but her strong, authoritative voice easily bringing the audience over to her cause. The homeless and displaced that Marisol meets along her journey also had a great deal of sorrow to them, using stylized articulation of their bodies to show how tormented they were. The juxtaposition of tormented and graceful in the angels and other character were fantastic, and truly a wonder to behold.
4. Paragraph 4—The Design
Set:
Did it establish a definite mood and correct time period for the play?
Lights:
Did they convey appropriate mood, emphasis, and brightness?
Costumes and Makeup:
Were they true to the period of the show and to the characters?
Sound:
How did the sound effects and music contribute to the show’s mood?
If this performance was a musical, what is your opinion of the orchestra’s performance?
These masterful performances are echoed by an equally strong technical aspect to the play, from sets to music and the brilliant costumes. The set was designed like a game board, seemingly to show how each character and event was a piece of Marisol's life, and how they moved fit into a greater scheme that she was not cognizant of during the play. There is little of a definitive time period for the play established by the setting and costumes, but it does seem to be a strange echo of modern times, as evidenced by the characters being burn victims in wheelchairs, and the guardian angels turning to leather jackets and fatigues instead of their wings (which are beautiful when seen earlier in the play). The sound effects and music offered a haunting, foreboding atmosphere to the play, as frenetic noises and sad tones offer a dark world for Marisol to inhabit.
The audience around me during the performance was riveted by the play - no surprise, since the intensity of the piece left little room for checking one's watch or becoming bored. The overwhelming sadness and lively energy coming all at once was enough to bring a couple of audience members to tears; the rest could not take their eyes off Marisol or the rest of the cast. Overall, I would say that the show was a huge hit; I am a big fan of presentational works like this, and I felt very much like Marisol as she navigated the big scary world that God could not protect her from. Just as she learns to take responsibility for her own life, we have to as well, and that is the powerful message that Marisol leaves us with.
