REVIEW: The unwieldy ‘Mapanakit!’ is a romantic triple bill in need of a unified perspective
Despite solid work from its professional and homegrown actors, YPC Stage’s series of one-act plays by Eljay Castro Deldoc ultimately ends up flat and confusing.
As part of YPC Stage’s mission to bring community theater artists from Biñan, Laguna to bigger venues, Mapanakit! Mga Dulang Bittersweet represents a much-needed effort to diversify the pool of talent that gets to stage their work in Manila’s theaters. Fittingly, as a show that hopes to present the company’s versatility, the production’s three one-act plays are meant to explore themes of romantic love within vastly different genres—united only by their being written by the same playwright, Eljay Castro Deldoc.
However, as admirable as the initiative behind it is, this triple bill ends up being a cumbersome show that never gets to sustain its energy or sense of intrigue. Despite a number of solid performances from established actors and relative newcomers alike, the scripts often hold them back through inconsistent characterization and by trying to bite off more than they can chew. The production’s bid for variety turns into an excess of ideas.
Ang Liknayan ng Ating mga Katawan
Ross Pesigan, Jury Sanchez; Photo Credit: YPC Stage
Mapanakit!‘s first offering is a psychological thriller in which high school student Hershey Mae (played by Jury Sanchez) is confronted by her teacher, Mr. Banakon (Ross Pesigan) over her involvement in another student’s disappearance. Sanchez makes the most of an admittedly odd character, placing Hershey Mae on a tightrope swinging unpredictably between naïve delusion and evil genius. Pesigan comes off less self-assured by comparison, his character’s motivations becoming more confusing and difficult to believe with each new reveal. Still, director BJ Borja makes their intellectual face-off visually interesting, blocking them in constant orbit to each other, assisted by Gabo Tolentino’s dynamic lighting.
At the same time, Deldoc’s script requires major suspension of disbelief from the audience, as it vaguely explains Hershey Mae’s “dangerous” research (through plenty of jargon) while building a twisted, forbidden romance between the two. This would have all been easier to digest if Borja leaned much harder into the material’s darkly comic elements, which already prove effective when acknowledged here. But instead, much of this play is treated with grim urgency—which only makes it harder to take its repeated explanations of various scientific theories seriously, and makes the student–teacher relationship at its center that much more uneasy.
Ilihan at Kalingaw: Ang Lihim na Istorya ng mga Buringkantada
Gab Pangilinan, Euden Moje; Photo Credit: YPC Stage
The most cohesive of the three plays is a take on a Bicolano myth, in which a chronicler named Ilihan (Gab Pangilinan) faces punishment from her tribe for writing poetry for her lover, Kalingaw (Euden Moje). Deldoc quickly establishes personal stakes within this fantasy setting, ultimately touching on the restriction of a woman’s freedom, even as she plays an essential role for her community. The difficulty here, however, is that Deldoc’s script is just so bogged down by long-winded detail and heavy-handed exposition that its romance becomes diluted in a sea of other half-defined ideas, which only muddies the focus of the show.
Pangilinan is an immediately earnest presence on stage, making sure that Ilihan’s defiance doesn’t undermine the tenderness she also exhibits—while Moje is a capable foil in his stoicism and helplessness against the rule of law. With that said, there’s a lack of closeness or a sense of shared history between the two, making their actual love story take even more of a backseat. But Borja at least knows to treat this material with reverence and just enough of a sentimental touch so that it ends on a more sincere, emotional note rather than a purely cerebral, lore-heavy one.
Ganito ang Pinangarap Kong Kasal
L-R: Loudette Barias, Phi Palmos, Kokoy de Santos; Photo Credit: YPC Stage
Taking Mapanakit! into more typical rom-com territory, the third part of the production follows a love triangle involving best friends France (Phi Palmos) and Kris (Loudette Barias), who both harbor a crush on schoolmate Noel (Kokoy de Santos). There’s an instant swell of energy when this final play starts, thanks to effortless comedic chemistry between Palmos and Barias, who make the bare stage feel busy with activity. Deldoc’s writing and Borja’s direction are at their most effective when these actors (together with a charming de Santos) are simply allowed to play—the rapid changes in the characters’ relationships naturally leading to confusion and jealousy.
Unfortunately, the comedy then shifts into laborious drama that lacks the nuance that adult friendships and queer relationships should have. Whatever tension ought to exist is lost to unexpressive direction and frustrating character decisions that the script doesn’t earn, even as the actors remain convincing in their heartbreak. With the characters’ personalities now almost fully muted, this story becomes plain and non-specific, and by the end it becomes difficult to see or care for any significant growth these people have gone through. Mapanakit! may succeed at portraying a wealth of experiences of love, but it misses the chance to bring them together under one strong, personal perspective.
This reviewer watched the 2 PM, July 25 press preview.
Tickets: P1,500
Show Dates: July 25 – August 9, 2026
Venue: IBG-KAL Theater, University of the Philippines – Diliman, Quezon City
Running Time: approximately 3 hours (with two 10-minute intermissions)
Company: YPC Stage
Creatives: Eljay Castro Deldoc (Playwright), BJ Borja (Director), John Carlo Pagunaling (Production Design), Gabo Tolentino (Lighting Design), Arkel Mendoza (Sound Design), John Paul de Paz (Technical Direction)
Cast: Jury Sanchez, Ross Pesigan, Gab Pangilinan, Euden Moje, Phi Palmos, Loudette Barias, Kokoy de Santos, Sheena Gonzales, Joy Angeline Orzo, Rijs Dale, Rozel Aniceta, Danica Samson, Jenver Mallete, Rinoa Lockhart, Jamir Alzate
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