Marissa Chibas is Revolutionary at REDCAT

There is a revolution afoot at the REDCAT and Marissa Chibas is to thank, as her one-woman masterwork, Daughter of a Cuban Revolutionary, makes its world premiere in the downtown Los Angeles theatre presented by CalArts.  Chibas, whose family history provides a captivating glimpse into the pre and post revolutionary periods in Cuba, gives a voice to all those silenced by the likes of Fidel Castro as she vividly revisits old wounds her relatives experienced.

A shockingly passionate storyteller, Chibas (writer/performer and Head of the Acting Program at CalArts) is a voice that needs to be heard, which in the case of Daughter of a Cuban Revolutionary, includes those of her father Raul, mother Dalia and uncle Eduardo, all of whom have important stories that are longing to be discovered, and in the hands of Marissa are well preserved.  

Entering the REDCAT, a sandy beach and video projected ocean waves symbolize not only the Venezuelan Amazonian scene where Marissa nearly drowned, providing her a chance to flashback on her not too distant past, but equally represents the shores traversed by many Cubans seeking refuge in America.  Exquisitely crafted and visualized by Dan Evans' scenery, Rebecca M. K. Makus' lighting, Colbert S. Davis IV's sound and Adam Flemming's video, Marissa sets the evening's tone as she drowns herself in memories, recalling her near-death experience and likewise similar events in her family's lives.

Of the three key narratives explored, it is the shortest, that of Marissa's uncle Eduardo Chibas, that strikes the strongest note.  Marissa makes a triumphant transformation into the once frontrunner for the Cuban presidency, recreating the call to arms he made during a radio broadcast while denouncing corrupt government officials.  With three hauntingly powerful bangs, a waft of another voice silenced by the Cuban government fills the darkened theatre, marking the moment Eduardo shot and killed himself live on-air in 1951.

"You don't start your final day thinking it's your last," are the poignant words spoken by Raul Chibas through the voice of his daughter, and one cannot help but become impassioned by the struggles he and all other revolutionaries have experienced throughout history.  Therein lies the driving force behind Daughter, a show wrought with political discourse that can easily reflect similar sentiments in current troubled countries in the Middle East and elsewhere around the globe.  Raul, who co-wrote the "Manifesto of the Sierra Maestra," published in 1957, did not die on the day he spoke those words, thanks to a mysterious radio call to his captors moments before his possible demise, but shortly after was exiled from his homeland spending the remainder of his life in America.  Having provided help to Castro's 26th of July movement, Raul believed change was necessary though he was not happy with the final outcome.  As Marissa states, her father has been erased from Cuban history, which is a testament to the importance of her show, as his story is able to live on for generations to come.

Marissa's recreation of her childhood on the west side of Manhattan with her family provides a glance at a group of people who were forced to abandon their roots yet still found bliss in being together.  The most colorful of the bunch, when performed by Marissa, is her mother Dalia, who was the runner-up for Miss Cuba in 1959.  Giving her a gossipy flair, Marissa jumps into the role of her mother with great ease and offers a welcome lighter air between the strong-willed men of the family book ending the performance.   

Shedding her clothes much like the layers of her past, Marissa transforms from one family member to another, and under the direction of Mira Kingsley, the weaving between the numerous historical and deeply personal memories holds firm.  Marissa has crafted a riveting piece of work, on both a theatrical and historical level, and as long as she continues to provide a forum for voices lost, those who fought for their freedoms will remain alive.  The fervor and pride with which Marissa screams the final line of her show drives it all home, "I am the daughter of a Cuban revolutionary."

Performances continue through January 21, 2007 at the REDCAT, the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater, located at the corner of W. 2nd St and S. Hope St., inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall complex.  Tickets can be purchased at the REDCAT box office, by calling 213-237-2800 or by visiting www.redcat.org.  This spring, Daughter of a Cuban Revolutionary will tour to New York, presented by INTAR from May 9-June 2, 2007, at the DR2 Theater, 103 East 15th Street.  For tickets call 212-279-4200.

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