By snoadmin
“The moon carries the souls of dead people to heaven. The new moon is dark and empty. It fills up every month with new glowing souls. Then it carries its silent burden to God. Wake up. Up. Wake up.”
This was the opening statement beginning the play “Marisol,” written by Jose Rivera. The University Players Theater was filled with the smell of alcohol, cigarettes and decay. All the audience could hear was a loud radio blaring statistics about global warming, poverty and local accidents as the play began.
There was dark, misty lighting on the stage. The supporting cast’s faces were covered in dirt, and their bodies were covered in rags as they all coughed loudly. Then there was Marisol, 26, a tough New Yorker from the Bronx who worked for a publishing company.
She experiences confusion about her life as social issues and conditions are discussed. The question “why?” is often asked by her character. The answer lies within each audience member’s interpretation.
The play revolves around the fallen angels who told Marisol she couldn’t trust in love. The play can be interpreted in many ways, and I believe Rivera wanted to force the audience to think critically.
The angel came to Marisol in a dream to tell her they were going to wage a war against God. There is a prominent spiritual aspect to this concept. In the Bible, the angel Lucifer turned on God and became Satan. Marisol began reading that verse. Her sarcasm helped lighten the intense and rather disturbing play as she screamed that she couldn’t believe she was going to get “knocked up” by God when the angels came to her in the dream, referring to the Virgin Mary.
The mix of comedy and political awareness made the play enjoyable and at the same time powerful in stirring up controversy, thought and wonder about facing a troubled future while holding on to hope. Marisol lost everything as the war began: her best friend, home, job and religious symbols. All that was left was poverty and sorrow in the world.
Throughout that time she had one thing, and that was the hope that God would conquer in the end. She did not believe anyone on the street who told her she had to fight. “Marisol” shows the inner strength of a human being when she or he has a sense of God.
As Marsiol, Angela Lopez had a raw way of capturing the audience into the turmoil she was experiencing. Jason Justin and Arin Gullen were also exceptional in their character portrayals as Lenny and June, respectively.
The play encompassed evil, which soon became burdensome to watch. I would have hoped for more scenes of joy and goodness. You could not passively watch the play. It was thought-provoking and overall the type of play you can not help but discuss afterwards.
People of all religions, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds could leave with a different interpretation of what Rivera was trying to portray. I would recommend the play to anyone who questions our world’s conditions and is searching for something more than what the world has to offer.
