After two movies and a streaming series, there is absolutely no question that Eugene Domingo has mastered playing a parody of herself, which she, Marlon Rivera, and Chris Martinez popularized in the Babae sa Septic Tank franchise. In its fourth installment, the meta-commentary and satirical series leaps onto the world of theater. Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter! takes the larger-than-life Domingo and sets her ambitious vision toward the world of live theater. Within the world of Septic Tank, Domingo’s character has become the ultimate symbol of artistic indulgence, where all the best (or worst) intentions of the industry are amplified to their most ridiculous extremes to expose the excesses of human nature in pursuit of the production and making art.
In this play, Domingo calls together a veritable who’s who of Philippine theater – including Melvin Lee, Stella Cañete-Mendoza, Andoy Ranay, Joshua Lim So, Meann Espinosa, JC Santos, and Marlon Rivera, all playing heightened versions of themselves – to mount an ambitious revival of Aurelio Tolentino’s Kahapon, Ngayon, at Bukas, which was first staged in 1903.
The inherent stakes of this seditious, anti-colonial classic are taken to its extreme when Domingo wants to perform the piece on a boat in the middle of the disputed West Philippine Sea. Naturally, things take a turn for the madcap and campy when Domingo veers off course, and begins to make changes in the production, turning away from Tolentino’s original vision, and sailing the cast straight into a literal and figurative storm.
Told in two acts, Babae sa Septic Tank 4… opens with a pitch. The cast arrives at Domingo’s home for a friendly dinner. The whole first act is exposition, allowing the characters to discuss the current state of theater, illuminating on some of the misconceptions (that it’s doing great, for example), while lamenting the amount of musicals in comparison to straight plays. It’s a highly didactic opening act that throws insights side-by-side with sharp punchlines as playwright Chris Martinez seizes every opportunity to land some hilarious, comic punches to the industry.
These comedic punches can be very funny if you are quite familiar with the world of theater. However, for a lot of people who are not “in the know,” they’ll find it funny because of the delivery alone. The majority of the cast has rightfully captured the rhythm and tonal qualities of the play for maximum comic effect; it’s funny because it sounds funny and delivered funny even if you don’t get it – though some jokes still land even if you are new to Philippine theater like when Eugene Domingo and her gang of Ugeng-gengs (an ensemble of theater-trained “youngstannas”) parody the different style of the different theater groups from PETA to UP Theater to Repertory Philippines. This nearly hour-long first act is just a setup for Act Two, where both plot and themes of which they would parody fully.
In Act Two, the cast are rehearsing the play within the play, and we watch it transform from what was set up in Act One as a defiant act of protest, one carrying the true heart of theater, and turn into a modernized, contemporary revival that is far more musical than straight play, which was something the whole act one was lamenting on. Through this, Babae sa Septic Tank 4… parodies theater’s current “golden age” by dramatizing the worst impulses of theater practitioners: prioritizing spectacle over truth; accessibility over authenticity. It doesn’t always stick the landing: the fictionalized version of theater feels too big, too campy to make any real harsh criticism. While it is undeniably funny, for sure, but the comedy and the hilarity ultimately overshadow the social commentary.
If anything, though, everyone on stage is clearly having a good time. Eugene Domingo remains a commanding presence, and the entire production revolves around her. JC Santos fires on all cylinders, fully deploying his complete arsenal of talents – singing, dancing, comedy – and does a stellar performance that matches Domingo’s energy in every scene. Meanwhile, the ensemble playing the Ugeng-gengs is a total blast, filling the stage to create the kind of ordered chaos that keeps the pacing fast and energetic. The costumes and the stage design help us realise the state of camp that we’re experiencing here. It is a humongous undertaking, but director Maribel Legarda keeps it all moving and flowing.
Ultimately, the play is a success by the very nature of how fun and funny it is. While I wish it could have been as insightful and precise with its commentary and theatrical satire as the original Ang Babae sa Septic Tank film was for cinema, it remains, regardless, a truly great time at the theater.
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Catch Eugene Domingo’s latest meta-comedy live on stage! Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live Sa Cheter! runs until August 16, 2026, only at the PETA Theater Center. Tickets are available at bit.ly/SepticTank4Tickets.
