REVIEW: ‘The Art of Breaking Up’ is an uneven exploration of relationships falling apart

REVIEW: ‘The Art of Breaking Up’ is an uneven exploration of relationships falling apart

“Teatro Kapamilya’s staging of the play delves into different kinds of breakups, but certain creative choices distract from what could have been a profoundly moving portrayal of heartbreak and healing.”

 

The specific grief one feels at the end of a romantic relationship and the complicated process of moving on are painfully familiar sensations to many, which is why the themes of The Art of Breaking Up endure. The variety of breakup scenarios presented in this staging is meant to give every audience member at least one version to relate to, and some are more resonant than others. 

This updated version of George de Jesus III’s 2009 play, Kung Paano Maghiwalay, adds more contemporary touches to the script as well as other elements meant to balance out the heavy drama with moments of either music or comic relief. 

Some of the cast deliver emotionally devastating performances, but the production moves so quickly between the various scenes (punctuated by some on-the-nose musical numbers) that the more impactful moments are not given an opportunity to linger in the audience’s consciousness. The result is a comprehensive, albeit uneven exploration of the different ways people try to move on after their relationships have run their course.

Romantic entanglements

The main couple in the story are the Baby Boomers, Ben (Teroy Guzman) and Anita (Roselyn Perez), who have been married for decades, but who have spent the last several years in misery. Theirs is easily the most engaging and moving of the love stories, a complex relationship where two people from an older generation should have parted ways long ago but stuck it out because of social convention and a warped sense of duty. As Ben approaches the end of his life, he asks Anita if there is any love left between them and she cannot answer with much conviction. Their other scenes are devastating reflections on regret and sad resignation to their fates, Guzman and Perez delivering performances that will haunt the audience long after the curtain falls.

Ben and Anita’s two children are plagued with romantic complications of their own. There’s eldest daughter, Lou (Nikki Valdez), whose happy, long-term relationship with her girlfriend, Kat (Anna Luna), ends disastrously because of infidelity. Their romance’s slow demise culminates in an explosive confrontation, masterfully performed by both Valdez and Luna, that exposes raw heartbreak and pain and stands out as one of the play’s most memorable moments.

In contrast, Lou’s brother, Dino (Jameson Blake) makes less of an impression. He has one serious relationship that still haunts him, with Ina (Analain Salvador), and then ends his latest dalliance with the high-spirited Carla (Yesh Burce) in a surprisingly calm and casual manner. She suggests, almost offhandedly, that they should split up, and he agrees without argument.

What follows is an elaborate web of romantic entanglements as many of the characters seem to simply switch partners. Ina eventually gets together with Jake (Brent Manalo) who was Carla’s ex. Jake was also involved with Gab (Yen Santos), who was with Dino and then, she ends up with Hector (Jel Tarun). At one point, when Kat was still unsure about her sexuality, she and Hector were a thing. And then, there is the only other queer couple of the group, Erwin (Jude Hinumdum) and Ferdz (Dingdong Bahan), who are mutual friends with the other characters.

From the casual to the cathartic

Performed in-the-round, the play does not follow a linear narrative but focuses more on emotional moments between each pair. The first act is mostly devoted to how each couple ends their relationships while the second act shows how they came together. There is a certain poignancy in this reverse chronological approach as the audience knows in advance how each love story will reach its inevitable conclusion, even as they watch the happy origin stories of these doomed romances.

Every breakup is treated differently and ranges from the casual to the catastrophic. Dino and Carla simply decide that it’s time to end their relationship, in an almost business-like manner. Carla’s relationship with Jake, which began via text, ends the same way. Burce is consistently lively and coy as Carla, which makes her stand out among the many female characters in the cast.

Gab and Hector’s relationship implodes over a small issue (him not opening the car door for her), and as Santos hysterically blurts out profanities, the audience is as bewildered as Tarun’s Hector. In other scenes, Santos plays a more subdued and reasonable character, which makes one wonder what led her to become so unhinged.

Ferdz and Erwin’s breakup is another painfully memorable scene, as it begins with a seeming calm efficiency as they decide what to do with their spare keys, shared possessions, and their dog. Hinumdum’s restrained anger and hurt are palpable against Bahan’s cold and calculating responses, particularly the latter’s eagerness to start dating new people. 

Distracting elements

With six couples (exchanging partners at various points) to follow, the story is already quite dense. Some of the individual performances could have made more of an impact if there were not additional elements thrown into the mix.

As part of this particular staging, director Dudz Teraña includes renditions of popular love songs (performed by Kolette Madelo and Benedix Ramos) in between the various breakup scenes (musical direction by Jeff Hernandez). However, instead of adding nuance to the proceedings, this decision has quite the opposite effect in that it sometimes undercuts the raw emotion on display by having a vocalist belt out to the audience what they are supposed to feel. About a dozen songs are performed throughout the course of the show and more often than not, the lyrics repeat what has just been said, making it seem like the show does not trust its audience enough to figure out what has been going on. 

There are only a couple of moments when the musical numbers are well-deployed and these are when the vocalists portray the younger versions of Ben and Anita, as they reminisce about their past. But every other musical intervention seems distracting at best, and painfully redundant at worst.

Another addition to this staging is Meann Espinosa’s Everyman, who transforms into a different, quirky side-character in every scenario including a beleaguered ride-share driver, a pizza delivery person, a café waitress, and a snobby supermarket customer. Espinosa is a consistent scene-stealer, showcasing her versatility as a performer and effortless ability to command the stage for the few minutes that she appears. But more often than not, her interventions seem unnecessary and distract from the action at hand. Some of her characters do not even interact in any meaningful way with the main cast, and her presence, as delightful as it is, sometimes feels superfluous.

From the wreckage

Surrounding the stage (production design by Julio Garcia) are physical debris of lives shared: suitcases, furniture, crates, clothing, footwear. As the play progresses, emotional baggage is shed and old wounds exposed. 

The diverse range of relationships portrayed in this production, enhanced by some compelling performances by Guzman, Perez, Valdez and Luna, paint a vivid portrait of how love can leave a trail of destruction in its wake.

As the characters come to learn, there actually is no “art” to breaking up: it’s a messy, complicated process that sometimes leaves no closure. All they can really do is find the courage to pick up the pieces and start anew.

This reviewer watched the 8:00 PM, November 5 press preview show.

 

Tickets: PHP 1,236 – PHP 2,575
Show Dates: November 6 – December 6, 2026
Venue: PETA Theater Center, New Manila, Quezon City
Running Time: approx. 2 hours and 30 minutes, with a 15-minute intermission
Producer: Teatro Kapamilya, PETA Plus
Creatives: George de Jesus III (playwright), Dudz Teraña (director), Julio Garcia (production designer), Hershee Tantiado (costume designer), Jeff Hernandez (music director), Ian Torqueza (lighting designer).
Cast: Teroy Guzman and Carlos Siguion-Reyna (Ben), Roselyn Perez and Bibeth Orteza (Anita), Jake Cuenca and Jameson Blake (Dino), Janella Salvador and Nikki Valdez (Lou), AJ Sison and Brent Manalo (Jake), Yen Santos (Gab), Anna Luna (Kat), Jel Tarun (Hector), Analain Salvador (Ina), Jude Hinumdum (Erwin), Yesh Burce (Carla), Dingdong Bahan (Ferdz), Kolette Madelo, Sheena Belarmino (featured vocalist), Jarren Garcia, Benedix Ramos (featured vocalist), and Meann Espinosa (Everyman)