I’m not that familiar with the Norwegian playwright and “the father of modern drama” other than having read ‘A Doll’s House’ back in college. So coming into CAST’s staging of an adaptation of his ‘An Enemy of the People’ was refreshing as I had nothing to compare it with. The adaptation, written and directed for the stage by Nelsito Gomez takes on the title ‘In the Eyes of the People’ and Gomez brings a heart serving of Filipino-ness in his reworking of the play. Set in modern times in the fictional Visayan town of Sta Christina, the play is a battleground for truth, politics, science, and the good of the people.

The play opens with a press conference about the grand opening of a hot spring resort in the town of Sta Christina. It is the project of Mayor Peter Lopez (Ron Capinding), who hopes the resort will make the town a tourist destination that would “rival Boracay” and brings thousands of jobs and tourism money to his small town. He invites his sister, Dr. Tricia Lopez-Ramos (Jenny Jamora), to talk about the benefits of the hot springs as she is the head scientist in charge of the project. From the get-go, we can see that the mayor is charming and has a way with words while Tricia isn’t comfortable in the spotlight but the brother-sister tandem is resolute that this project would be good for the town until Tricia discovers there’s an unknown bacteria growing in the waters and as she calls on her brother to delay the opening to ensure the safety of the people, Peter weights in on the loss of income and jobs that a delay would cause. Complicating the issue is Triccia’s daughter, Pauline (Jam Binay), who works in a local paper with her boyfriend Enzo (Zoe De Ocampo), who are deadset in revealing the truth. Rounding up the cast are Nor Domingo as Triccia’s husband Alvin and Katskie Flores as Ruby Ganpon, Peter’s competition for mayor in the upcoming election.

The play is practically a face-off between brother and sister as they weight in on what is truly good for the people. The jobs and economic security versus their health over a bacteria that may or may not be the cause of the sickness a young girl has caught after swimming in the hot springs. The younger members of the play, Pauline and Enzo, represent a tug-of-war between the ethics of responsible journalism while Alvin is the bystander who wants none of the trouble.

What’s amazing about this staging and the writing of the adaptation is how real this whole play feels. The relationship of brother and sister complicates the arguments and the filial ties being torn up by this debate is what makes this show so remarkable. There’s an added layer of the Visayan-ness of the characters. At some point, the dialogue shifts for a brief moment to Bisaya when Ruby and Triccia share some words about the issue and it strikes home. The way the play figures in politics, greed, and ignorance plays so close to the hilt in some real-world issues that are troubling us today.

As someone whose family is from the Visayas, there’s aspects of the characterizations that feels so real to me. The stars of the show, Jamora and Capinding, are what sells this fiction and presents it as a relevant allegory for our time. Jamora’s Triccia is such a great example of an educated Visayan woman (in the play, she’s finished her PhD in Harvard), learned and unaware of her own power. This is amplified by the way she deals with her brother. Capinding’s Peter is a pitch perfect portrayal of the grounded, jolly Visayan man who grew up with money but downplays it as he tries to portray himself as an everyman. There’s a posture and a sway about him that reminds me a lot of people that I know from Bacolod. Jamora and Capinding’s performances are so visceral and authentic that they completely take full command of that stage. It’s electrifying to see them at work and because the Mirror Studios is such small, intimate performance space, you see everything up close. The two never miss a beat.

The play teeters into the milieu of upper class problems, with all the characters so highly educated and sophisticated, but it is completely tempered by the arrival of Ruby Ganpon. Katskie Flores is a force of nature as she delivers a powerful take down that grounds the play and reminds us about the people who are not so privileged and who are the ones whose lives are really at stake. This exchange can sometimes feel pedantic and a little on-the-nose but the message is so necessary, especially in these times when everyone is out just for themselves and not thinking about society as a whole.

The stage design is simple, with the characters coming in to change the set and furniture to move into a new scene but the narrative is supported by the backdrop turning into a full on projector screen. The projection designs by GA Fallarme helps situate us in each moment – the press conference, a public debate, and the outside world in the form of social media content – the simplicity of the set allows for the projections to fill in the gaps to amplify the spectacle of this battle of wits.

It’s fast-paced and funny but ‘In the Eyes of the People’ is also through-provoking and leads us into a call to action. I’m mostly amazed at how Fiipino this production is originating from an Ibsen play.

‘In the Eyes of the People’ is down to its last weekend at the Mirror Studios.

My Rating:

In The Eyes of the People will run until May 4, 2025 at The Mirror Theatre Studio. Get your tickets here.