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PETA’s ‘Kislap at Algo’

Fred Hawson

<p>The two one-act plays of this twin bill were first staged by PETA in 2024, two of eight new works under the title of &quot;Control + Shift: Changing Narratives, Reclaiming and Reshaping Stories.&quot; The next year, only Dominique La Victoria&#x27;s &quot;Kislap at Fuego&quot; and Mixkaela Villalon&#x27;s &quot;Children of the Algo&quot; were chosen to be staged in &quot;Control + Shift 2025.&quot;</p><p>This year, the same two plays are again re-staged under the new title &quot;Kislap at Algo.&quot; This rationale is best expressed in the words of PETA artistic director J-mee Katanyag, &quot;By placing folklore beside feeds, myth beside memes, this pairing embodies Control + Shift’s narrative change approach by asking how tradition and technology collide, converse, and co-exist, and how Filipinos continue to imagine revolution in a rapidly shifting world.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>KISLAP AT FUEGO</strong></div><p>Directed by Maribel Legarda and J-mee Katanyag.</p><p>Written by Dominique La Victoria</p><p>Filipino adaptation and dramaturgy by Bienangela Mapagu</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769867874826[02] KAF - CJ Navato and Kyle Napuli.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">CJ Novato and Felicity Kyle Napuli. <em>Handout</em></span></span></span></div><p>Ten days before her birthday on New Year&#x27;s Day, a feisty young woman named Gabriela (Felicity Kyle Napuli) went into the forest where the Kapre (CJ Novato) lived. Her father picked mangoes from the tree of the Kapre, so the creature asked for Gabriela as his servant as the payment for the crime. When Gabriela entered into the Kapre&#x27;s world with her sack of books, she met Kapre&#x27;s two minions — Pipay (Carlon Matobato) and Leron (Ekis Gimenez) — who seemed to know something about her that she didn&#x27;t.  </p><p>Dominique La Victoria gave this hour-long play plenty of elements — Filipino folklore, the Catholic religion, the Spanish occupation, and the Philippine Revolution, with special mention of Dr. Jose Rizal and his &quot;Noli Me Tangere.&quot; The production design of Boni Juan (with the set of Kapre&#x27;s forest and the costume) was impressive, as enhanced by the lights of Rafa Sumilong and the projections by Bene Manaois. There was also puppetry and shadow play involved, accompanied by the ethereally atmospheric music and sound by Kabaitan Bautista.</p><p>Too bad I was not able to see this play in 2024 and 2025, starring real-life couple Kim Molina as Gabriela and Jerald Napoles as the Kapre. However, the new actors Novato and Napuli also made a great romantic pair (despite their 10-year age gap), as evidenced by the thrilled screams of kilig heard whenever they had looked in each other&#x27;s faces or shared an intimate moment. Matobato and Gimenez (the only one left from the original cast) were very funny, whether as Kapre&#x27;s sidekicks or as Guardia Sibil.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>CHILDREN OF THE ALGO</strong></div><p>Direction and Production Design by Johnnie Moran</p><p>Written by Mixkaela Villalon</p><p>Dramaturgy by Mikaundre Gozum Santos</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769867959767[02] COTA Casts.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">The cast of &#x27;Children of the Algo.&#x27; Handout</span></span></span></div><p>They were Gen Z online content creators. BPO executive Yani (Nyla Festejo) talked about life and lifestyle topics. College student Jen (Frances Marie Akol) talked about art, beauty and food reviews. Graphic artist Owen (James Pe Lim) talked about gaming and sigma manhood. Fast-food server Mark (Otep Madriaga) was a gay provinciano who talked about his experiences in the big city.</p><p>At first, everything was light and happy, but soon. the harsh realities of life wormed into their content — from the country&#x27;s decreasing birth rate to reasons why Filipino youth have no ambition, from being a troll, to how monthly salary and expenses are not &quot;mathing.&quot;</p><p>As Yani, Festejo exuded an air of class. Akol gave Jen a down-to-earth vibe. Pe Lim (the only holdover from the original cast) and his bruh Owen were as cool and controversial as ever. Madriaga delivered the play&#x27;s most sobering messages, but his Mark did so with campy flair.</p><p>The main content of the play are basically the same since when I saw it first in 2024 — the curated online personalities and their favorite hashtags.  For sure, the script had been updated with current memes, from &quot;6-7&quot; to flood control.</p><p>The set consisted of a two-tiered movable metallic frame with multipurpose boxes on which the four actors weaved in, out and around. The lights of Rafa Sumilong would flicker and the sounds of JJ Valerio had static whenever the characters rebelled against the status quo — an ominous warning about the dangers online. </p><div><br/></div><div><em>“Kislap at Algo” runs until February 7 at the PETA Theater Center.</em></div><div><br/></div><p>This review was originally published in the author&#x27;s blog, “<a href="https://said-fred.blogspot.com/2026/01/review-of-send-help-marooned-madness.html">Fred Said.</a>”</p>

<p>PETA’s ‘Kislap at Algo’ pairs a folklore-infused historical romance with a sharp-eyed portrait of Gen Z life online. Together, the twin bill traces how stories still carry the power to unsettle, provoke, and ignite change.</p>

PETA’s ‘Kislap at Algo’ pairs a folklore-infused historical romance with a sharp-eyed portrait of Gen Z life online. Together, the twin bill traces how stories still carry the power to unsettle, provoke, and ignite change.

Theater review: Folklore meets the feed in PETA’s ‘Kislap at Algo’

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Theater review: Folklore meets the feed in PETA’s ‘Kislap at Algo’

Fred Hawson

Published January 31, 2026 10:14 PM PHT

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PETA

Kislap at Algo

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