Review: Marisol “forces the audience to look chaos in the face”

Ruby Poffinbarger - Contributing Writer

From Left to right: Nyx King as June, Calista Lythgoe as Marisol, and Eric Pio as Lennie. Photos from MC Flickr

The Monmouth College theater department put on a production of José Rivera’s Marisol this past weekend, directed by Edrass Chávez-Alvarado. The play follows Marisol Perez, a Puerto Rican woman caught amid a war between God and the Angels, as New York City turns into an apocalyptic war zone. From acid rain to extinct apples, neo nazis and male pregnancy, the play forces the audience to look chaos in the face. The Black Box Theater was transformed into a back alley of the Bronx: graffiti, missing persons posters, boarded-up windows, and a crown of braided thorns hanging from the ceiling all set the tone of the play before characters even took the stage.

Director Edrass Chavez-Alvardo and Stage Manager Ryan Ulrich.

Calista Lythgoe plays the leading role, Marisol. Their emotional choices in the depiction are moving, making the character their own. Lythgoe’s character work showcased care for the role and a deep understanding of Catholic culture. Eric Pio’s portrayal of Lenny was the correct amount of disturbing and devastating. Pio’s ability to play a mentally unstable man was oddly accurate and slightly terrifying. While she had limited lines, Maya Blackmon’s depiction of the Angel allowed desperation to save humanity to shine through between physical actions, wardrobe changes, and the character’s progression to violence.

Maya Blackmon as Angel.