by: Paul R. Benson
Marisol was a smash hit! If you are reading this on April 4th or 5th, then you still have time to see the last showings of Marisol on April 5th or 6th. All showings are at 7:30PM in the Station Theater, 223 N Broadway Ave, Urbana. Regular admission is $15, and $10 for students and seniors.
The story is a very unique two act play written by José Rivera. The setting is New York City, Winter, 1992. Homeless people are being burned alive by Nazis, the moon has vanished, and all the food and water is turning into salt. Marisol Perez, the main protagonist, (played by Melody Contreras), lives in a very rundown apartment in the Bronx with an angel statue that she prays to before going to bed. She struggles to get sleep as her neighbors are rowdy and one neighbor is banging on her door thinking Marisol is someone who moved out. The neighbor leaves and comes back with a gun, she shoots through the door and is about to kill Marisol. All of a sudden, the night goes quiet, and the neighbor turns into salt.
“Marisol must struggle to survive and fight for her life in an apocalyptic Earth full of death and despair”
After Marisol goes back to bed in terror, she is visited by her guardian angel, (played by Laura Alcantara). The guardian angel tells Marisol that she has to fight in a war against a senile God who’s tearing the universe apart, and she cannot protect Marisol anymore. This sets up the rest of the play, as Marisol must struggle to survive and fight for her life in an apocalyptic Earth full of death and despair. Marisol and her friend June, (played by Dominique Allen), try to stick together to protect each other, but are constantly being attacked by June’s violent and mentally ill brother Lenny, (played by Ryan Yapp).
There is a lot of nightmare fuel that audience members might be confused about if grounded in reality, but for this play you have to go into it expecting to be in a surreal dream. At face value the play might not seem very intellectual, but don’t be fooled into thinking so, as the play has a rich underbelly of meaning. The idea of a dying God is reminiscent of Nietzsche’s post-structuralist thoughts on God being dead. How does religion defend itself in a modern setting that has taken the spotlight off the medieval representation of God? Marisol subtly represents this idealistic war between the defenders of heaven and the dim reality of modern humanity.
The cast really steal this play. All of their performances fit the characters perfectly. Laura Alcantara’s portrayal of the leather guardian angel was stellar. Melody Contreras as Marisol added a vibrant touch of positivity that the audience could really sympathize with and root for. As Marisol suffers through hell, you want her to be safe and it feels like a brick to the face that she is not. The same goes for Dominique Allen as June. When June and Lenny are fighting it’s hard not to get lost in the performances. Ryan Yapp as Lenny, plays a convincing madman who contorts his body in a very unsettling manner. Meaguell Gaines as the Man with Scar Tissue and Jess Schlipf as the Woman in Furs gave a prominent performance that rejuvenated the energy in the second act. Meaguell Gaines delivered some needed humor to the plays tension. Jess harnessed the insanity of a lawyer who lost everything, and I can still hear her yelling “Credit Risks!”
The play is full of local talent. Everyone who worked on this did a really good job and it shows in the final product. Go out to see this play and support the Station Theater. Marisol is a must for those who want to be rocked to the core!
