What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1470438
people while stuck in the car with them, so to speak. Janyce Caraballo, who plays Olivia, says she's never seen a mother- daughter story quite like this one. That's why she wanted the part so badly. "It's unique to see a mom who's not part of her daughter's life and what does it look like to reconcile?" Caraballo says. "It's such a great story about family that we're born with and the blood that connects us and the found family of folks we'll meet along the way." Now Caraballo takes very seriously the charge to portray Olivia in all her complexities, to do her justice. She's young and full of life, but also knowledgeable and wise beyond her years. One thing that makes the pair's interactions riveting, she and Munoz agree, are the very obvious similarities between them even as they work through disputes. "They're both very headstrong women," but also a little broken, Munoz says. Beatriz feels strongly about forming a connection with her daughter by sharing their cultural background, since she's proud of her heritage and traditions. "The background of her story is not new — undocumented immigrants in search of a better life — I've been in shows with those characters. But this relationship is special because of the mother-daughter connections and what happens along the way that gets them to see each other and accept each other for who they are in the end." Munoz shares those qualities of feeling motherly to a certain extent while also being a free spirit who is rooted in her traditions. Caraballo meanwhile identifies with Olivia's love of reading, saying a couple of the production's songs are centered on the authors and books that her character is obsessed with. She and her character both like to use reading as a way to escape reality. She expects that audiences will be able to relate to the complicated relationship that Olivia has with her mother. "A lot of folks have (that), to have so much love for a mother but also have some blocks in the way to really discover who we are and be authentic," Caraballo says. "Miss You Like Hell" places mental health in the spotlight 4 WHAT'S UP! JUNE 12-18, 2022 Miss You Continued From Page 3 FAYETTEVILLE When long-since estranged mother Beatriz (Francisca Munoz, right) sees something disconcerting on the blog written by her daughter Olivia (Janyce Caraballo), she rushes to retrieve her, calling for a weeklong roadtrip across the country. The pair meet a motley crew along the way as they work out their differences in the musical, "Miss You Like Hell," on stage at TheatreSquared. (Courtesy Photo/Wesley Hitt for T2) with discussions of self- harm and suicide, and that's what Caraballo thinks makes the story particularly incredible. She's modeling through her character that it's OK to ask for help and reach out to other people when you need it. "We talk about being rafts, separate in the ocean, but Olivia says we aren't in separate boats, we're all in the ocean, all in this together," Caraballo says. "You realize that you're never really alone."