Daily TribuneIt not only pokes, but presents the kind of political theater we see today, and bravely articulates questions that must be addressed head- and heart-on — should theater insiders do something about the status quo.
EUGENE Domingo leads a stellar cast in ‘Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4,’ a hilarious and sharp roasting of the Philippine theater industry.
Photo courtesy of Philippine Educational Theater Association
It was a birthday evening well spent, having watched Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Shit, It’s Live sa Cheter with director Julius Alfonso, and the 26 June show buyers were Palanca award-winning screenplay writer Eric Cabahug, film maverick Rico Gonzales and publicist Ivy Lisa Mendoza.
All the superlatives you have read about the play are correct. During the two-hour and plus running time of the Chris Martinez-written and Maribel Legarda-directed theater version of the movie, it made theatergoers laugh out loud and had them in stitches. A standing ovation was inevitable at the play’s curtain call.
Act 1
The first act of the play unfolds as a satire, targeting the personalities and pretentions of the people who are part of the legitimate stage. The chaos and drama, resolutions and resolve are spot on.
It not only pokes, but presents the kind of political theater we see today, and bravely articulates questions that must be addressed head- and heart-on — should theater insiders do something about the status quo.
Is it about time for a paradigm shift and make theater not just there to entertain and make its market remember songs, groove with the ditties and behold the spectacle, but as the platform for action and movement, catalyst for change and the currency for urgency?
Making the laugh burst spontaneously are the cast, from Domingo, to Andoy Ranay, Stella Canete-Mendoza, Meann Espinosa and JC Santos who are not just part of a circle of friends but an in and out theater fellowship.
Their banters are priceless and chemistry truly felt. They enjoy and have the time of their lives as they exchange lines, committed to themselves and the truths of the stage versions of their personalities. The newbie in the group, Joshua Lim, holds his own amid the irreverence and larger-than-life divas and co-actors on stage.
Domingo reigns supremely on the PETA stage, fully committed to the illusions of grandeur and excesses brought by the successes of her movie-based character. There is a lunacy and darkness to the created persona on stage.
Laughing at the antics and shenanigans of the theater cuts deeper and is more disturbing because all of us are not only accustomed, but have accepted that Domingo’s character is already an integral part of our way of life.
We grunt about her callousness, yes. We get pissed by her abrasive attitude coated by being a celebrity, definitely. However, we do nothing about it, swallow everything hook, line and sinker, and when the laughter subsides, we want more of the absurdity and inanity.
Act 2
The second feels longer, repetitive to the point of boredom, particularly the longish display of the archaic English and contemporary use of language for the Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas.
The seditious play reduces to a musical extravaganza. It is the ultimate wake-up call of this satire which exposes the flaws and feeble-mindedness of people. And though the laughs are still on high decibel, this part of the play screams that it hurts more when we all laugh.
For mercilessly roasting the Philippine theater universe, for the commitment of its actors to portray their assignments with chutzpah and truth, Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Shit, It’s Live sa Cheter is worthy of everyone’s time and hard-earned pesos.
