No sh*t: 'Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4' is coming to PETA
When Babae Sa Septic Tank hit cinemas in 2011, nobody would have guessed that the image of Eugene Domingo wallowing in sh*t would evolve from a grotesque punchline to, well, a series signature, as the series went on. Thus, it was with a kind of reverent joy that we attended the media preview for Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It's Live Sa Cheter! at the Philippine Educational Theater Association Theater Center. As the title suggests, the upcoming production marks the franchise’s first foray into live theater, having previously satirized the pretensions of local filmmaking from the relative safety of the big screen and online streaming.
As guests settled into their seats, we were welcomed by PETA Artistic Director J-mee Katanyag, who noted that rehearsals for the show had barely begun, so what we were about to see was just a taste of what audiences could expect when Septic Tank 4 officially opens in June. We opened on a conversation between director Marlon Rivera, producer Melvin Lee, playwright Joshua Lim So, and actor JC Santos on the state of local theater; from jukebox musicals and onstage nudity, to the proliferation of NCR-based corporate theaters, the conversation was rendered all the funnier by virtue of its participants all playing exaggerated versions of themselves.
The discussion is interrupted by the arrival of Eugene Domingo herself, who informs the group that they will be staging a contemporary production of Aurelio Tolentino’s Kahapon, Ngayon, at Bukas. But even as Domingo designates herself the mother of Philippine Theater, her plan to stage the “anti-colonial” play on a ship in the middle of the West Philippine Sea with a cast of thousands invites more questions than it answers. By the time Domingo’s gang of “young stunnaz” hit the stage, it’s clear that the production will happen, regardless of what her (reluctant) collaborators think or say.
Ending the preview with a triumphant cry of, “THIS IS PHILIPPINE CHETER!” to riotous applause, the cast settled down for a quick question and answer session. Final set design or costumes notwithstanding, the very idea of Domingo, Rivera, et al. would be aiming Septic Tank’s signature observational humor at local theater is provocatively brilliant; just as the first three Septic Tank outings delivered hilarious indictments of poverty porn, mainstream filmmaking, and prestige projects, respectively, the mind reels at what the team has in store for Philippine Theater.
Speaking with PhilSTAR L!fe after the preview, Septic Tank co-creator Rivera, along with Chris Martinez, said that the decision to take on local theater tropes by way of a play within a play stemmed from the notion that, “The world has changed so much from 2011, [and] we’re always thinking about, ‘What do we talk about next?’”
As for the decision to play a heightened version of himself, Rivera said that it made perfect sense in the context of what had come before: “Being on stage [with Eugene] is the most meta expression of Septic Tank—I used to belong in her universe, and now I’m really in this universe!”
For her part, Domingo shared that she relished every chance to return to the stage and actually considered her over-the-top Septic Tank persona as one of her favorite roles. She also reassured the gathered media that Oh Sh*t! It's Live Sa Cheter!, much like its predecessors, would have real things to say about its chosen subject.
@philstarlife 'Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live Sa Cheter!' is going to run from June 19 to August 16 at the PETA Theater Center. Tickets will be available via TicketWorld. #angbabaesaseptictank4 #entertainmentnewsph #celebritynewsph ♬ original sound - philstarlife
When asked about how “sh*tty” the play would get in terms of dropping names or calling out people, Katanyag told L!fe, “We’re very mindful of being responsible… even if we’re doing blind items and references, we’re going to focus more on how to make a play—[or] how to bastardize one—and how power is being questioned in the process of theater-making, the power of stories, and the power of the Filipino people staging and performing their stories.”
Domingo echoed the sentiment, stating that, “For this particular show, when we talk about Philippine Theater, we’re not joking—we are serious. We’re going to show you how to be a theater person, [and] everybody is required to be a triple threat—we’re gonna sing, we’re gonna dance, we’re gonna act; we’re fighting, we’re making you laugh, we’re making you cry, and most of all, you get out of the theater a little smarter, a little prouder, and a little more nationalistic.”
Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It's Live Sa Cheter! will be staged at the PETA Theater Center with a run of 50 shows from June 19 to August 16. Tickets are available at Ticketworld.