COURTESY OF CASON DOYLE
Independent vignettes come together on the court in the first Mainstage production of the semester
“A Lunar Rhapsody,” written by José Rivera, centers around a Brooklyn community awaiting the lunar eclipse on the local basketball court, unfolding through three distinct storylines that are connected through the presence of the time-travelers that appear throughout the entire show.
Sara Koviak directed and choreographed the play, shaping the movement and staging to reflect the characters’ relationships and interactions. Koviak’s version, performed at Pope Auditorium, is the first-ever student production of “A Lunar Rhapsody” in New York City.
When the doors opened for the audience, the actors were already setting the scene, and all remained on stage throughout the entire show. Through detailed warm lighting that mimics a summer evening and the textured set design of a lived-in basketball court, viewers were immediately transported into the setting of a group of five teens — Abel, Clara, Lola, Mia and Piri — playing basketball, dancing and teasing each other.
Their friendships felt organic as they delivered their lines with ease and confidence, showing not only strong stage presence but also genuine trust in one another.
Zara Dautruche, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’28, plays Mia. The role is Dautruche’s first in a mainstage production at Fordham.
“It was very collaborative, as this was a new show for us and we were building it from the ground up,” Dautruche said. “It felt great to be listened to in the room and for all ideas to be allowed.”
Dautruche spoke to the cast’s harmony as an ensemble throughout the entire show.
“We really connect off of each other’s energies, even if we don’t have dialogue directly with each other,” she said.
Among the teens gathered on the court, Abel emerges as a quiet, yet affected presence, carrying a loss that sets him apart and holds the challenge of tackling the deep emotions of grief and loss. The teens teasingly remind him of his place on this planet and stage a punching match to “knock out” his feelings and thoughts of doing the same.
In discussion of female friendships, Clara, Lola and Mia explore the struggles of being a woman, commenting on “being touched or looked at.” The group emphasizes the difference between “if my future” and “when my future,” underscoring the uncertainty that shapes their outlook.
In between scenes, time travelers from another planet called Dimensionals 1 and 2 constantly surveilled the scenes and often added comedic relief with their dramatic emotions and overly long physical skits, including handshakes and synchronized dances. Their silly energy drew the audience in. Their parts naturally intertwined with the scripts of the scenes, as they would react to and judge the humans for their choices.
Dimensional 1, played by Nicholas Matos, FCLC ’27, explained that although the role was playful at times, it was also physically demanding.
“I would come into rehearsal with some new ideas of weird, wacky movements I could do that would work with certain moments,” Matos said.
The cast takes its final bow, closing out a full week of performances together on stage. (COURTESY OF CASON DOYLE)
Rather than continuing the teens’ narrative, the play distinctly shifts into the second storyline, slowing its pace to focus on an older couple’s conversation, where bickering and subtle jabs added levity. As the audience tuned into this couple also awaiting the lunar eclipse, they dove into the life the characters share and what they advocated for.
“This scene is filled with so much on their mind, so it’s good to sit and reminisce and see how things evolve through all this time,” Luis Ovando, FCLC ’28, who plays Piri, said.
Ray, a former public school teacher, is attempting to settle into retirement after the death of five of his students. Due to this loss, he is hesitant to connect with Abel and his friends, who he meets through Felicity, his free-spirited wife. She gently peels back those layers, allowing the audience to glimpse the depth of their relationship.
Their storyline ends with a lunar eclipse that Felicity insists on watching with Ray, who is indifferent at first. She uses the eclipse as a way of expressing her anxiety about their time together running out. It becomes a bittersweet moment as they slowly dance, reflecting on 40 years together. Ray apologizes for mistreating Felicity while running from his grief, finally facing his emotions in a moment of growth.
The next storyline follows three roommates, Isla, Catalina and Paloma, who bonded over being queer Latinas pursuing careers in law. Tensions rise when Catalina and Paloma reveal they have been secretly together, while Isla is still in love with Catalina, her ex-girlfriend. At a picnic celebrating Paloma’s promotion to partner and their plans to leave the city, Isla swallows her pride, congratulates Paloma and reflects on who they once were: independent fighters for justice and equality.
Catalina, played by Amanda Sofia Rodriguez, FCLC ’26, highlighted the strain of the trio’s relationship.
“I do think the more you know about people, the more complicated it can get, but it’s your job to choose whether or not you want to embrace that complexity with people,” Rodriguez said.
The scene powerfully captures the depth of friendship, reminding the audience that while relationships can be messy and confusing, growth depends on the decision to move forward together. “A Lunar Rhapsody” drives home the idea that everyone, no matter their age, gender or ethnicity, deals with their own inner challenges. Yet, we are all placed under one moon for a brief moment, much like a lunar eclipse.
“All three groups are going through such different things. At the end they come together, they all intermingle with each other and it just feels like the basketball court is a metaphor for the world,” Matos said.
Each character navigated personal struggles while striving for a sense of salvation and love, whether through relationships, friendships or internal battles. No matter if you were a dimensional time traveler or a high school student, you could feel the raw emotions of these characters that came to life beneath the Pope Auditorium lights.