Overview
Synopsis
José Rivera’s Marisol is a haunting and poetic play that follows Marisol Perez, a young Puerto Rican woman from the Bronx who works in publishing. When she survives a brutal attack on the subway, she finds herself thrust into a world unraveling at the seams. Marisol’s guardian angel visits her and explains that God has grown senile and must be overthrown to save the universe. The angels abandon humanity to wage war in heaven, leaving Marisol vulnerable in an increasingly dystopian New York, where food turns to salt, the moon disappears, and society descends into chaos.
As the play progresses, Marisol struggles to survive amid urban violence, the collapse of social order, and the grotesque transformations of the world around her. Torn between despair and resilience, she becomes a witness to divine rebellion and human fragility, embodying the search for hope and dignity in a landscape of spiritual and social devastation. Rivera combines magical realism, political satire, and apocalyptic imagery to craft a modern morality tale about survival, faith, and the fight for justice.
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Context
José Rivera wrote Marisol in the early 1990s, a time of urban crisis in New York City marked by rising crime, homelessness, and economic inequality. Rivera, a prominent Puerto Rican-American playwright, drew on his own experiences growing up in the Bronx and his exposure to liberation theology, magical realism, and political unrest. The play reflects anxieties of the era—social decay, racial tension, and a disillusionment with institutional religion—while also exploring the resilience of
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Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
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Lead |
Female |
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Supporting |
Female |
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Supporting |
Female |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Featured |
Female |
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Ensemble |
Not Specified |
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Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
Allegory is a storytelling device in which characters, events, and settings represent abstract ideas or moral qualities. In theatre, allegorical plays often deliver social, political, or religious messages beneath their surface narrative.
A literary and theatrical style blending realistic narrative with fantastical elements to explore complex truths.
Poetic dialogue is language in a play that goes beyond everyday speech, using rhythm, imagery, or musical qualities to express deep emotions and abstract ideas. Instead of plain conversation, characters may speak in heightened or lyrical ways that reveal the intensity of their feelings or the dreamlike quality of the world around them. This style encourages audiences to focus on the beauty and meaning of the words, not just the plot.
Satire is a dramatic style that uses humor, irony, and exaggeration to criticize human behavior, social institutions, or political systems. In theatre, it highlights flaws and hypocrisies through wit and parody, encouraging audiences to laugh while also reflecting on serious issues. Satire can range from lighthearted comedy to biting social commentary, making it both entertaining and thought-provoking.
A 20th-century artistic movement that sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind, often manifesting in dreamlike or illogical theatrical elements.
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Themes, Symbols & Motifs
Themes
Survival in a Collapsing World
At its
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Guide Written By:
Jason Engleman
Humming show tunes day and night.