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.

 

Jenny Jamora and Bernardo Bernardo

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.