Fans of slapstick comedy will delight in Dulaang UP's underdog story Kung Paano Nanalo sa Karera si Rosang Taba. The children’s book-turned-stage play features plenty of physical comedy, pop culture references, and infuses its humor with today’s Pinoy trends— from characters sporting duck clips to TikTok dances to SB19’s hits.

Running in less than two hours, Rosang Taba is based on Dean Francis Alfar's beloved children's book about self-worth, grit and determination, as well as the fight for freedom and independence.

Inspired by the bullied indios during the Spanish colonial rule, the story tells the legacy of the fictional obese character, Mama Rosa (a show-stealing Kiki Baento of Walang Aray), a Filipina who works as a housemaid for the Governor General (Jojo Cayabyab) and his wife Andrea (Meann Espinosa). 

In the play, the Filipinos are called Katao, the Spanish folk Ispancialo and the Philippines is called Hinirang. If Mama Rosa is the heroine, the villain is the arrogant, racist Ispancialo aristocrat Pietrado (Victor Sy), who looks down on the Katao folk – like a male version of Karen – and enjoys throwing insults at the natives, particularly Mama Rosa.

Racism, bullying and discrimination still exist today, and so the tale of Rosang Taba remains to be relevant. It aims to inspire those who feel shamed and oppressed.

Rosa, who is not only deemed the “inferior race” for being a Filipino but is also physically flawed because of her weight, did not allow herself to be defeated. She fought for her rights and privileges, and the independence of her family and the Katao people. Her courage forged a path for big changes in the community.

Rosang Taba — penned by Rody Vera and Maynard Manansala and directed by José Estrella, Issa Manalo Lopez and Mark Daniel Dalacat – is not only a simplified reimagining of the Spanish colonial period, but also a variant of Aesop’s fable The Tortoise and the Hare. The play culminates in a cleverly rendered race between “unequal” partners, Rosa and her enemy Pietrado.

The small production will run in the brand-new IBG-KAL Theater at the University of the Philippines, Diliman from 19 April to 5 May. Performed in a black box theater, it is more intimate and allows for plenty of audience interaction, with simple, clever and flexible, production design.

Rosang Taba is colorful—like a fiesta. Energetic, boisterous, and excessively cheerful. The simple story of the brave Mama Rosa and her courageous defeat of the Ispancialo bully is made elaborate by multiple stories within stories.

The story jumps from timeline to timeline: the future, where Mama Rosa’s three granddaughters (Rosanna, Rosa Mia, Rosalinda) are running a restaurant called Mama Rosas with singing cooks and cumbancheros; the past, which is Mama Rosa versus Pietrado; and it is also meshed with the legend of Lakambini, as told by Mama Rosa’s kind parents. Part of the cast are Peewee O'Hara, Skyzx Labastilla and Aldo Vencilao

At the Q&A held after the press preview on 14 April, lead star Baento said that she was inspired by the team behind the production and described how they give their best every single show.

“Hard work po talaga. Pinaghirapan naming lahat. Kahit ano pa ’yung task na na-assign sa ’yo, lahat ay nagbigay ng hard work. Pangalawa po, para po sa audience. Unfair, kung bibigay ko kahapon ’ta’s ngayon hindi. Lahat ay dapat makakuha ng same quality ng palabas — at ’yung mensahe,” Baento said with contagious enthusiasm. (It’s really about hard work. We all worked hard. Whatever task was given, all worked hard. Secondly, for the audience. It’s unfair if whatever was given yesterday won’t be given today. Everything should be of the same good quality, and then the message.)

Baento said that the story is not just to empower chubby women, but also the bullied and the outcasts. “Kahit isa lang ang ma-inspire, at maka-inspire pa siya ng ibang tao, eh di sabay-sabay tayong lalaban.” (Even if just one person is inspired but will inspire more, then we’ll fight together.)