The Nether: A Review of Red Turnip Theater's Production
The Nether is a stage play written by Jennifer Haley. It
tackles the issues of virtual living like what we are experiencing today in the
internet since most of the world’s population is connected online. This sci-fi thriller
also tackles the dangers of social media.
Even though the stage production cannot do CGI special
effects like in the movies, Red Turnip Theater did very well to show it by
using imagination. Red Turnip decided to stage this foreign play when the
founding members of Red Turnip with exception of Ana Abad Santos saw the play
abroad and decided to stage it here.
The technology of this future timeline shown in the play is
really beyond human capability. It reminds me of the holodeck of Star Trek The
Next Generation and The Matrix. The Nether or the virtual world in the story
breaks the human limitations as if it reminds you of the Matrix or Ghost In The
Shell. But this is just the norm of the story. It is also a futuristic crime
thriller like Blade Runner and Ghost In The Shell.
Just like the anime/manga Ghost In The Shell, it is also
something cerebral and philosophical which will really shake your brain cells
active. If The Nether was a graphic novel, I am sure the play will fit right in
in Vertigo comics. Even though it is sci-fi, the story is not for the kids just
like the disclaimer of Vertigo comics in their publication: Suggested for
mature readers only. There are scenes or dialogues that may be disturbing for
the younger audience especially in the Filipino setting.
The Filipino cast did very well bringing the story in
Philippine theater even though the story is Westernized and director Ana Abad
Santos did well in staging it even though she never saw the foreign production.
It just shows that she already has this story in mind based on what Rem,
Topher, and Cris told her.
The Nether is now one of the lists of my favorite stage productions
along with 33 Variations which Red Turnip did in the previous season and they
closed this season with the best stage material. The Red Turnip cast are
Bernardo Bernardo, Jenny Jamora, Bodjie
Pascua, TJ Trinidad, Anna Berenguer-Testa and Junyka Santarin. For more geeky reviews, follow this blog and like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.
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