Robots Invade Tanghalang Ateneo

R.U.R. (Robot Unibersal ni Rossum) is a Filipino adaptation by Guelan Varela-Luarca. I say adaptation and not translation as indicated in the souvenir program because there were changes from the original like the nationalities of the human characters. The play is the maiden offering of Tanghalang Ateneo for its 37th Theater Season with the theme Staging Revolutions.

  Helena Glory (Gel Basa) and Harry Domin (Avie Alcantara)


Karel Čapek, a Czech writer, wrote the play in 1920, 2 years after the World War 1 ended and 3 years after the Legion of Russia was established. After the play was staged, the word robot became popular in science fiction and language as a whole. The TA staging is directed by Jk Anicoche and stars the TA pool of actors, all students in the university. Jerome Ignacio, the lead of the film Filemon Mamon, has a vital supporting role as the doctor who will eventually modify the robots in Act 2.

  Radius (Geo Celestino) gets pricked by Dr. Gall (Jerome Ignacio)


Divorced from the text's sociopoliticoeconomic musings in the form of America or Russia as the ultimate world power (depends on which version of the text), R.U.R. can certainly stand on its own interpretation by the director. Instead of being the innocent ingenue in the original, Helena Glory is quite aware of her sexuality in this version and plays the game of seduction (in dance form) with Harry Domin quite deftly. However, there was not much chemistry between the two actors compared to the 'lovers' in the last scene of the play. Migyle Jimenez (Robot Primus) and Camille Abaya (Robot Helena) energized the whole stage with their very organic chemistry. 

     Robot Helena (Camille Abaya) and Robot Primus (Migyle Jimenez)

A winning element of this production is the set design. It really evokes the feeling of an island where you can do anything with its sand, light strips of cloth, and bamboo. It gives a sense of entrapment at the same time, entrapment in one's Messianic complex which will eventually make everything fall apart. Glory's gown designed by Santi Obcena is also very eyecatching.

  The cast and artistic staff after the press preview


Anicoche envisioned the play as a celebration of life and the Filipinos as the world's finest leaders. In his R.U.R. world, the foreigners in the person of Alquist, Hallemeier, Busman, Gall, and Fabry all have to adjust to the Tagalog language which is not their mother tongue. This is a very strong postcolonial statement considering that Filipinos are always the ones adjusting to foreigners.

R.U.R. runs from Sept. 30 to Oct. 17, 2015 at the Fine Arts Blackbox Theater, Fine Arts Annex, ADMU. For ticket inquiries and reservations, you may contact 0917-631-4387.


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