IN BETWEEN THE MOON AND THE SUN
Written by Martina Demaio and Sol Wigisser; Directed by Bibi Sanchez
Presented by the New York City Fringe Festival
Chain Studio | 312 W 36th St. 4th floor, New York, NY 10018
Thu April 2 at 6:15pm, Sun April 12 at 3:55pm, Thu April 16 at 9:25pm & Sat April 18 at 10:35pm
Photo credit by Charlie Huff
At The Chain’s Studio Theatre, In Between the Moon and the Sun is an intimate and beautifully staged two-hander that makes striking use of a limited space.
Martina Demaio (Luna) and Sol Wigisser (Sol) enter with suitcases, and through poetic movement, dancing, stretching, they invite us into their world. The simple act of unlocking the suitcases signals shifts in time. From the beginning, Luna and Sol feel cosmically bound, as if their meeting were written in the heavens. Young women from Argentina and Mexico, they arrive in a new country with a shared dream of becoming actresses.
The play unfolds as a tender portrait of friendship. The opening movement sequence eases us into their connection as they quickly become each other’s sun and moon, inseparable companions navigating life in New York City. Through their shared hopes, ambitions, and daily struggles, we watch them carve out space as young immigrants pursuing careers in the arts.
The design is simple but effective. A table filled with props beneath it becomes both shared and divided space. As their journeys diverge, Luna remaining in New York while Sol returns to Mexico after her visa is denied, the stage transforms to reflect their separate realities. Their friendship continues across distance through WhatsApp calls, video chats, and late-night conversations about everything and nothing.
The direction clearly defines these two worlds while allowing them to drift into one another in dreamlike, almost magical ways. This fluidity reinforces the closeness of their bond, even as geography pulls them apart. Sol’s additional storyline, navigating a long-distance relationship with her boyfriend Matt, who offers marriage as a way to stay together, adds another layer of emotional complexity.
The integration of English and Spanish feels organic and deeply authentic. One of the most powerful moments comes during Sol’s emotional breakdown in Spanish, capturing the truth that some feelings can only be fully expressed in one’s first language.
The piece is beautifully structured and emotionally resonant for most of its runtime. However, the added coda at the end detracts from what the play achieves so gracefully. The moment breaks the established world of the play and introduces a layer of commentary that feels unnecessary. The themes it seeks to underline are already present, woven with care and subtlety throughout the writing. Trusting the audience to sit with that quiet understanding would have allowed the piece to end on a more powerful and lasting note.
Even so, In Between the Moon and the Sun remains a moving and thoughtfully crafted exploration of friendship, distance, and the shared pursuit of dreams. Its strength lies in its intimacy, its sincerity, and the delicate way it captures two lives orbiting one another, even when separated by continents.
Click HERE for tickets.
Review by Malini Singh McDonald.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on April 4, 2026. All rights reserved.
