A powerful piece of Puerto Rican theater is coming to Los Angeles this fall.
Open Fist Theatre Company is presenting a rare revival of Marisol, the Obie Award-winning play by Puerto Rican playwright José Rivera. The production will take the stage at Atwater Village Theatre in Los Angeles beginning in September, bringing Rivera’s surreal, darkly funny story of faith, survival and an unraveling world to Southern California audiences.
For Puerto Ricans and anyone interested in Latino theater, Marisol is an opportunity to experience the work of one of Puerto Rico’s most accomplished playwrights and screenwriters.
A Puerto Rican Story at the Center of an Apocalyptic World
Marisol follows Marisol Pérez, a young Puerto Rican woman living in the Bronx whose life is turned upside down when her guardian angel abandons her.
The angel has been called away to join a cosmic rebellion against a senile God, leaving Marisol to face an increasingly chaotic and frightening world without divine protection.
As New York City begins to descend into chaos, Marisol is forced to navigate a world where the boundaries between reality, faith and the supernatural begin to disappear.
The result is a strange and thought-provoking combination of magical realism, absurdist theater, dark humor and apocalyptic drama.
But beneath the surreal story are very human questions: What happens when the systems we trust begin to fail? What does faith mean when everything around us feels uncertain? And how do we hold onto our humanity when the world seems to be falling apart?
Those questions helped make Marisol such a distinctive work when it premiered in the early 1990s, and they remain central to the play today.
Meet José Rivera
José Rivera was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1955 before moving with his family to New York. His Puerto Rican background and experiences growing up in the United States have influenced much of his work as a playwright and screenwriter.
Marisol earned Rivera an Obie Award for playwriting in 1993, establishing it as one of his most recognized theatrical works.
Rivera’s career extends far beyond the stage. He wrote the screenplay for The Motorcycle Diaries, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, making him the first Puerto Rican screenwriter nominated for an Oscar. His other screenwriting credits include On the Road, The 33, Trade and Letters to Juliet.
That makes this Los Angeles production especially interesting for audiences who want to explore Puerto Rican contributions to American theater and film.
Why Marisol Still Feels Relevant
Although Rivera wrote Marisol decades ago, the production’s themes have not exactly become less relevant.
The play imagines a society experiencing profound instability while its protagonist searches for meaning and a way forward. Director Amanda Weier has described the play as feeling particularly relevant today, noting the uncertainty surrounding the world and the questions Rivera’s story raises about humanity’s future.
That combination of surrealism and very real anxieties is part of what makes Marisol stand out.
And at the heart of it all is a Puerto Rican woman trying to survive.
Marisol in Los Angeles
Open Fist Theatre Company is presenting the production at Atwater Village Theatre, located at 3269 Casitas Ave. in Los Angeles.
The production is directed by Amanda Weier, Open Fist’s associate artistic director. Jade Santana stars as Marisol, with Taylor Scott as the Guardian Angel.
Event Details
Marisol
📍 Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90039
Presented by: Open Fist Theatre Company
Previews: September 10 and 11, 2026
Opening Night: September 12, 2026
Closing Night: October 24, 2026
Performances:
Fridays at 8 p.m.
Saturdays at 8 p.m.
Sundays at 4 p.m.
Monday, October 5 at 8 p.m.
There is no Saturday performance on October 3. The production has a running time of approximately 90 minutes.
A Chance to Support Puerto Rican Representation in Los Angeles
Los Angeles has a huge Latino arts and entertainment community, but productions centered on Puerto Rican stories and Puerto Rican creators are still something worth highlighting.
Marisol offers audiences the chance to see the work of a Puerto Rican playwright whose career has stretched across theater, film and television, while experiencing a story that places a Puerto Rican woman at its center.
For CaliRicans, that’s exactly the kind of cultural event worth putting on the radar.
Whether you’re a theater fan, a fan of José Rivera’s work, interested in Latino theater, or simply looking for something different to experience in Los Angeles this fall, Marisol is one production to keep in mind.
Where to Get Tickets
Get tickets here: MARISOL in Los Angeles
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