Review: 'Karne' by the FEU Theater Guild

Ordinarily, I'd come in to watch a university theater production without much expectations. A good story, an ok stage set up, passable acting, the seemingly required "shocking" twist, and then the curtain call.

But in "Karne", written and directed by Dudz Terrana, what I saw or rather experienced was anything but ordinary. And it's not just because of the bowl of adobo I was holding by the time the story had reached its climax. 

While I have been invited to watch productions of FEU's theater organization, this was my first time going and I must say that if the previous offerings were as good as this, then I definitely missed out on a lot.

A reimagining of Roald Dahl's "Lamb to the Slaughter", this stage play by the FEU Theater Guild is by far the most unexpected and most satisfying piece of story-telling I've watched from a non-professional theater company.

I mean, upon entering the space, there was that foreboding sense of tragedy I couldn't shake. As I didn't know anything about Dahl's short story, I was really coming in blind to this one.

But then immediately catching my attention was the actor seated stage right wearing a bestida in the saddest shade of ochre, silently watching as guests made their way to their seats. 

I found mine in the front row and was surveying the stage when I noticed her get up and walk towards the turntable a few feet in front of her. She put a record on then made her way towards the kitchen where she brought out a large wok and placed it on top of a stove. She then started chopping ingredients and to my surprise, proceeded to actually cook. As the flavorful scent of the simmering ingredients began circulating around the small theatre, I thought to myself, "I'd love to have a taste of that".

As it turns out, Mary (Julia Ramas), is a loving and patient housewife to Police Captain Patrick Patrosa (Rafaelle Pascua). We see in a flashback scene how they met and how they began their relationship with so much love and promise, Patrick being as charming as he possibly can to win over the beautiful maiden.

Navigating married life during the Martial Law era of 1980 in the town of Lutoban, Zamboaguita, Negros Oriental, we see the couple's interactions with their neighbors as they go about their day with everything seemingly blissful--until it's not. We find out that Patrick is like a ticking time bomb whose, but this is something Mary has grown to accept. Whether it is out of love or out of fear, only Mary can say. 

Patrick's subordinates, as well as Mary's closest friends however, have a very different opinion about it. Naturally, conflicts arise and the narrative is so well-written and fast-paced, there was no dull moment at all.

It helps that Terrana decided to include some comedic aspects delivered by Ellen (Ysabel delos Reyes), Maloi (Bjorn Pestaño), and the two funniest characters Dante (Jharelle Villalobos), and Estang (Heleina Li). These light-hearted moments gave the audience time to relax and enjoy a sense of comfort that maybe everything will turn out fine after all. 

The acting and the dialogue (Bisaya, Tagalog, and English in equal doses) were simply as authentic as it could get especially from the actors who played Patrick's police force: Enopia (Justin Abalos), Credo (Kirstan Obregoso), and Elnar (Arvin Javier). All of them were born decades after Martial Law and yet they somehow managed to put forward adult characters shaped during a time of unique circumstances.

"We have to serve for the truth, we have to serve the script, the play and we have to respect the writer and the director on what he wants tp convey," said Ysabel delos Reyes, the fashionable Ellen, during the talkback session.

As Patrick, Rafaelle Pascua becomes a living, breathing egotistical, narcissistic and temperamental man that viewers can easily hate. The feared police captain simply gets away with whatever abuse he dishes out to anyone unlucky enough to cross his sight, something the actor admits he feels bad about after the play.

In portraying Mary, Julia Ramas embodies the definitive Maria Clara, soft-spoken, effortlessly charming, and gifted with the patience of a saint. 

[-I will now venture towards spoiler-ish territory so be warned.-]

So it was a bit of a shock how the climactic part of the story unfolded. Without getting too much into the details, the scene was executed perfectly. But perhaps even more shocking, at least to me, was when Mary slowly made her way towards the audience, a bowl of adobo in her hands. Then as if in a dream sequence, she stopped in front of me and offered the dish.

At this point, I didn't know what to do but just stare at her outstretched arms, wondering if this was still part of the play. It honestly felt like minutes had passed before I finally decided to take the entire bowl. I have to say that the adobo was really good and I managed to eat all of it while the cast and crew answered questions from the audience.

How Julia managed to convey the depth required to be Mary is a story in itself. 

"My tita passed away just at the start of 'Karne'," Julia says. "She was initially my nanny but I considered her family growing up and she is a big component sa pag-build ko ng character for Mary, who like her, was too kind, too selfless and too forgiving. She chose to stay for my sake so I reclaim her voice through Mary and dedicate this character to her."

"I always find myself empathizing with people especially women who may be fearful of using their voice against abuse," she adds. "That's why it's important for me to give justice to the role because I want to show everyone that their day of redemption will come and that they can always bounce back stronger than before." By Dexter R. Matilla

For those who haven't watched it yet, here are the remaining dates for "Karne" by the FEU Theater Guild:

October: 16–18, 23–25, 30

November: 6–8

The house will open at 6 PM and the show will start at 6:30 PM.

Ticket Prices:

₱200 – Students from outside FEU Manila

₱500 – Regular Guests

₱700 – VIP

Facebook: Far Eastern University Theater Guild

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Twitter/X: @ftg1934

Related: FEU Theater Guild cooks up thrilling Filipino dark comedy 'Karne'