As we wait at the edge of a tumultuous era to see what November will bring, Jose Rivera’s Marisol couldn’t be more relevant to the hope and fear stirring these climates. Artfully weaving the poetic with the terrifying, this apocalyptic tale set in the Bronx brings life to the chaotic landscape that results when despairing angels revolt against a “senile God.”

Emily Pate’s multifaceted portrayal of Marisol Perez combines childlike terror with warrior determination, in an urgency that progresses as the world she knew unravels around her. Gripping performances by Jenny Keto and Bastion Carboni show us what happens when fear drives creeping instability into full-force lunacy.

The use of on-screen visuals to enhance a set can be distracting if not handled properly, but in this production the technique achieves remarkable balance. Everything on the monitor—most notably the stunning graffiti art on various New York walls—enhances each scene’s mood and atmosphere without distracting from the stage. The Off Center, with its ceiling of exposed beams and colored wires, is a fittingly dramatic setting for such a story, and the immersive effect adds immediacy to an already emotionally wrenching tale.

Dark as Marisol is, a thin line of hope underlies its landscape, brought to the surface by the characters’ evolution from desperation to determination. In a world without systems, its barriers removed, unprecedented possibility for change presents itself. Marisol ultimately asks who we are when we’re stripped of our familiar obligations, then forces us to examine what our obligations become in an age for which we have no precedent. We’re ready to ask this of our politicians, but Marisol reminds us that we must ask ourselves as well.