Friday, May 1, 2015

Review of UP Repertory Company's KARITAS AT DAMASO: Intent to Insult

May 1, 2015




The advertisements I see in Facebook about this twinbill of plays intrigued me. The invitations seem to be for a big summer party instead of for a theatrical play. They even exhort audiences to come dressed in summer musical festival attire! I am not really so sure what to expect here.

Showtime for the matinee today is 3 pm. The venue is Tandang Sora Hall, a building I had never been into when I was a student in UP Diliman years back. It is where the College of Social Work and Community Development is housed. I reached the place already a little past 3 pm, But the audiences are still lining up in the sweltering heat outside. 

When we were let in, people can sit freely anywhere they wanted. The seats were just plastic stacking chairs arranged in a big oval, in three rows.  Too bad though that the airconditioning was not adequately strong enough to cool the whole room, especially because it was a full house at the Bulwagang Tandang Sora today, despite being a holiday. 

The first play presented was ISANG MAGSASAKA by Eshei Mesina. It was about a farmer trying to pick his life back up after a violent attack on their community left several of his friends raped, maimed or dead. Completing the triumvirate of characters was his daughter who was an activist, and a male nephew who was a soldier. It was my bad that fatigue and the heat got to me during the running time of this play. The material felt like I had heard this in many a UP play or indie film I had seen before. So before long, I began to drift and feel really drowsy. In fact, I was startled when the all talk-no action play just suddenly ended. 

There was a 15 minute break after the first play was over. While they were setting up for the next play, they played loud dance music that assaulted our ears, while strobe lights relentlessly assaulted our eyes. I tried my best to tune out the music and keep my eyes closed the whole time, but 15 minutes seemed to last so long.

Before the second play KARITAS AT DAMASO by Dax Carnay started, they announced that the play was rated SPG (Special Parental Guidance) for containing controversial or lurid material. The play began with a man and a woman (clothed in tights with reflectorized accessories) began simulating sexual positions and acts on center stage, while three cross-dressers and a girl gyrated on all four corners of the stage area. When the lights came on, it was obvious from his collar that the guy is a Catholic priest (named Damaso), and the girl is a Catholic nun (named Karitas). Another nun (named Salve Regina) brought in a young girl who was raped by another priest so they can "help" her recover her virginity. 

From there, the play then went into unthinkable and outrageous acts and songs about rape, sex and Jesus which were supremely salacious and malicious, in the guise of "humor". I cannot see any reason why a script like this was even written in the first place, except perhaps to insult the Catholic Church (in particular) and all Christianity (in general). Is that why an organization for atheists and agnostics was one of their major sponsors? OK, I admit I may not be within the age demographic targeted by this play, but I dread to consider that something decadently nihilistic and wantonly hedonistic like this fits the current standard of what's "cool" or "fun". 

I learned to love the theater when I was a student in UP Diliman. This is a love that I have up to now, and I have been blogging about the theater shows I watched regularly for several years now. I thought that at my age, I am already mature enough to watch all kinds of plays. However, this one is something else. It still repelled me with its total lack of redeeming value. I actually felt physically sick after watching this piece of shock theater. I originally had a party to attend afterwards, but I went straight home instead to try and recover from extreme disgust. I fear though the bad taste it left may take days to wear off.





29 comments:

  1. Well, as a Christian I can't appreciate this play. Do we have rights to express what we feel, so I respect them. And I am not judging the actors and actresses...they are just doing what the directors and writers want them to do.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It seems like material content. I hope they just focused on the story instead of the sexuaility part.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have not seen the play, but I can feel your disgust. I can't believe they even allowed the play to be shown there where the audience will most likely be the youth.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's weird, I believe theatre play scripts are usually vetted and approved by some people before they are shown? What's the reason behind these plays then?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The University of the Philippines, my alma mater, is the cradle of independent theater. Theater is what keeps me going back there up to now. I have seen all kinds of theater there when I was a student and as an adult. But this is the first time I have seen anything as unfortunate as this one.

      Delete
  5. It's been a while since I've watched the Repertory mostly because it's been really weird as of late.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Were you also from UP Diliman? I usually watch Dulaang UP plays. I think this is the first UP Rep production I have seen in recent years.

      Delete
  6. What horrible plays. Atheists being the major sponsors of the shows just says it all. I love them but not what they believe in or do. (Hate the sin, not the sinner) I'm sorry you watched that Fred, praying you recover quickly from it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I’ve been to several plays before, though none of them seemed as controversial and intriguing as that. Despite the appalling effect that the viewers got from it, I still wish to see it for myself just out of curiosity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Raquel. I may be in the minority. I actually read RAVE tweets about this play! Seeing those positive tweets made me feel more disturbed.

      Delete
  8. I laughed at "loud ears that assaulted our ears" but stopped laughing as I read more. What on earth is that play???? Yeah, I guess you're right about having an atheist sponsor has a lot to do with the script. Perhaps one of the members of that organisation wrote the script??? I'd hate to be in your place having to stomach all that in. I'm surprised you didn't walk out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Walking out felt like a good idea at that time, but I was seated in a tight section of the audience circle.

      Delete
  9. Until when the play will be shown in UP! Im interested! Very interested! Damaso is a character priest from Rizals book. Priest and nun having sex? Interesting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. May 1 was already the last day of their limited run. Many people shared your interest and curiosity about this play. The matinee show I watched was full house!

      Delete
  10. Its not that I am an Aetheist or something. i am a catholic. I just have this broad mind on watching shows or maybe plays about religion and stuff.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have seen all sorts of religious satires and sex comedies. I draw the line when they use vulgar street language about sex in the same sentence as name of Jesus.

      Delete
  11. Sad to know that plays like this are already done these days. If it's done merely for humor it still not appropriate to discount the possibility of insulting other people's beliefs. :-(

    ReplyDelete
  12. Akala ko maganda, but reading your review made me think also why on Earth such play plot was ever conceived.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just curious, why was your initial impression of the play "maganda"?

      Delete
  13. I watched plays in UP during my undergrad, and I loved how the political issues were laced beautifully with each song, dance, and act. it is unfortunate that there's a play as disgusting as what you described. I think they went more for controversial than actual art.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh, I have watched a lot of UP plays as a requirement for a course. When I look back now, I sometimes wish I have watched more than the required plays. But reading what you have experienced, I guess I have to read reviews first before going.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hmmmmm. The second skid sounds rather disturbing. What exactly are they trying to convey with such a provocative theme?

    ReplyDelete
  16. I've not seen this previously but this is so terrible omg!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Well, you what they say about artists...It is how they express their craftmanship, though weird and hedonistic at times...I hope they don't give out a terrible message on the audience.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Good for you for being in honest with your review Fred. The first play sounded like the content was a bit too much, but that second one?! Wow, I am not sure I could have lasted until the end..

    ReplyDelete
  19. I never really watch this kind of play before.. But I hope you can enjoy a better play in future..

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love to watch this kind of musical plays. So awesome to see them on stage.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I see the play not just for humor, and not an insult directed to the Church. Rather, thinking deeper, I see it as a play questioning the people's views on religion - how they actually believe in Jesus, what kind of faith do they have.

    And about the script and the atheist sponsor, it's not UP Rep's, it's UZ Eliserio's, 2005(?).

    ReplyDelete
  22. It's a satire and is meant to show why faith is subversive.

    ReplyDelete