Barefoot: Review of ANTHROPOLOGY: Computerized Catharsis

March 13, 2026

Software engineer Merril (Jenny Jamora) was the legal guardian of her younger half-sister Angie (Maronne Cruz) who had mental health issues. One year ago, Angie never came back from school and was eventually given up for dead by the police investigating her case. Merril never moved on from her loss, and decided to "resurrect" Angie by programming an algorithm fed with all the data Angie had on her phone and laptop. 

Seeking closure, Merril asked "AI Angie" to tell her more details about the day Angie disappeared. As required by "AI Angie," Merril needed to reconnect with her ex-girlfriend Raquel (Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante) and their estranged mother Brin (Jackie Lou Blanco) to ask if she could access their devices for more digital information which may help. Then one day, from out of left field,  "AI Angie" came up with a startling theory. 

Barefoot Theater Collaborative's offering for Women's Month this year is a play written by a female playwright Lauren Gunderson, directed by a female director Caisa Borromeo, and starring an all-female cast of four. Gunderson described "anthropology" as "a feminist sci-fi thriller that asks how we imagine the future and who is allowed to survive it." Borromeo called it "a play about connection - between sisters, ... between logic and emotion."

In the middle of the black box theater was a raised circular stage. There were tracks on its outer rim, so Merril can move her box furniture around. There were four monitors strategically-located around the stage, where we can all see AI "Angie." The most mesmerizing feature of Sarah Facuri's set was this big white disc that moved above the main stage, which created an illusion of technological futurism, as enhanced by D Cortezano's lighting effects. 

The Stage

Jenny Jamora is not new to futuristic plays, as she had once played a detective investigating online crime in "The Nether" (Red Turnip, 2017). Her Merril was hoping her "AI Angie" can somehow help her move on from her sister's death, but her science project actually opened up more wounds -- between her, her sister and people around them.  Always the sensitive actress, Jamora totally surrendered to Merril's pain and passion to see things through.

Maronne Cruz has been a standout performer in all the productions I've seen her in, even in smaller roles, like the prophetic raven from "Horse and a Boy," the worldly maid in "Othello," the sexy stewardess from "Company," the neurotic friend from "Waitress," to last year's "We Aren't Kids Anymore." Her role as Angie has got to be the most impactful role even if most of it was as a AI avatar on a computer monitor, saving her best for the powerful finale. 

MIkkie Bradshaw-Volante's Raquel was left out in the cold when Merril prioritized her sister's death over their relationship. Bradshaw-Volante was able to portray the nuances of a woman caught between still being in love with a former lover and her own testy relationship with said lover's sister. Film actress Jackie Lou Blanco tackles a thankless role of a repentant mother whose drug addiction caused her to abandon her daughters in the past. 

The Cast at the Curtain Call

AI is truly dominating the way we live in this generation. You can ask your phone's AI app any question and it can answer back with full details almost spontaneously, in any language. People have made their AI apps their personal friend who can provide a shoulder to cry on and words of advice or solace. Gunderson provokes thought of AI "replacing" a departed loved one, but also warns us about the risks of losing true human connection because of it.   

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"anthropology" runs from March 13 to 29, 2026 at the Doreen Black Box Theater in Arete in the campus of the Ateneo de Manila University. Tickets at P2500 (Premium) and P2200 (Regular), from Ticket2Me (LINK).  They implement a 𝚂𝚃𝚁𝙸𝙲𝚃𝙻𝚈 𝙽𝙾 𝙻𝙰𝚃𝙴 𝙰𝙳𝙼𝙸𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙾𝙽 rule because of the intimate nature of the play. Latecomers will not be admitted once the show has started.  The play runs for 1 hour and 40 minutes without an intermission. 

Here are the links to my reviews of the two other plays by Lauren Gunderson that I have seen:

SILENT SKY (Repertory Philippines, 2018) (LINK)

THE HALF-LIFE OF MARIE CURIE (MusicArtes, 2024) (LINK)