What Went Down at the Gala Night of Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4

At the gala night of Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4, the franchise turns its satirical lens toward Philippine theater in its first live adaptation.

When it was finally time for the gala night of Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4, it felt like stepping into a room full of theater kids who hadn’t seen one another in a while, greeting each other with high-pitched voices and beso. The cast and production team of the franchise have made no secret of their hope to reach even the quietest corners of the country with this live adaptation. Even so, the show’s core audience has remained consistent since the first film, with theatergoers arriving in boots and patterned outfits that caught the glow of the venue’s neon lights.

So it was hardly surprising that not even 30 seconds after the show began, the audience had already burst into laughter the moment she appeared. There she was, the show’s main character, playing none other than herself: Eugene Domingo. Theater as a medium tends to amplify its characters. But to set the record straight, “Marami kaming similarities, but most of all, hindi ako kasing ambitious ni Eugene Domingo! [We have a lot in common, but above all, I’m not as ambitious as Eugene Domingo!],” Domingo tells Vogue Philippines.

Having written the script for the live adaptation and now bringing the material face-to-face with its fans, Chris Martinez says the experience is like writing about the many facets of the people he considers his childhood friends. “Kilala ko na sila so I just have to pick a facet na maaaliw ang mga tao [I know them so well that I just have to choose one side of them that people will find entertaining],” Martinez says, laughing as he looks at actor Andoy Ranay beside him. It certainly seems to work, as Ranay quickly became one of the audience’s favorites throughout the show with his boundless energy. “Oo maaaliw nga ‘yong audience pero mapapagod ako! [The audience will definitely have fun, but I’ll be the one getting exhausted!],” Ranay butts in. He may have been exhausted, but his energy never let up until the curtain call, prompting the audience to break into chants.

On the other hand, leave it to the two youngest members of the main cast, JC Santos and Joshua Lim So, to sum up the entire play in just two words: wild and siraulo [crazy]. “Feeling ko nga ito ‘yong pinaka-extreme among the four when it comes sa pull ni Ate Uge sa mga tao! [I think this is the wildest out of the four, especially when it comes to Ate Uge’s ability to draw people in!],” So exclaims. Santos, meanwhile, insists that the show is far from typical “cringe humor,” pointing to how each cast member comes prepared with their own ad-libs. “Sobrang explosive ng lahat, lahat may baon na galing. Hindi mo alam kung kailan puputok o kung ano ang susunod na mangyayari [Everyone brings something to the table. They’re all explosive performers, so you never know who’s going to steal the moment or what will happen next],” Santos adds.

All things considered, Domingo says she simply wants to preserve what made the material special. “We all want to acknowledge the fact na ‘yong unang Septic Tank ay minahal because we were fearless. We really showed what [was] happening and we said something about it. Ayon din ang ginawa namin sa two, three, and now [We all recognize that the first Septic Tank was loved because we were fearless. We showed what was really happening and weren’t afraid to say something about it. That’s exactly what we did with the second, the third, and now this one],” Domingo says.

The production is set to conclude its 50-show run on August 16.