Get ready: Battalia Royale!

MANILA, Philippines - The energy in the room is intoxicating. People are ready to go apesh*t. As the show gets underway, marshals in fatigues start yelling at the feverish mob to move out, and everyone literally starts running. You do your best to follow the flashlights, as you are ushered around this maze of an abandoned school, pretty much like a bunch of cattle, until you arrive at this human pile of unconscious students. They start waking up.

The class adviser, Fraser Salamon (played by the impeccable Bodjie Pascua), nonchalantly explains the school excursion has been cancelled, they were knocked out by a gas sedative released in the bus, and now every student has to play a game. The game? A game to the death! He continues to explain that the collars on their necks monitor breathing and pulse, and if more than one student remains alive after the game, everyone will have to die.

One of the brash students cry out, “Bulls*t!” And that is exactly how you feel. Bullsh*t. The suspension of disbelief isn’t hitting you yet. You see a bunch of kids dressed in uniform, you are certainly in the middle of an abandoned school compound, but come on, a game to the death?

Your doubts remain until one jolting moment later. What happens causes the students to start screaming and panicking. They bolt in all directions, scattering for their lives. This pumps the electricity of the crowd right back up. The guards start barking again to move your ass. And you think, “Okay, this is the real sh*t.”

Let The Games Begin!

Class Hope of Our Lady of Guadalupe High School, with class advisor Fraser Salamon (Bodjie Pascua)

This live-action interactive play is a loose adaptation of K. Takami’s controversial Japanese novel-turned-film Battle Royale. The hot lesbian chicks in skirts, blood ‘n’ gore galore, psychosexual neurotic undertones — it’s all there. But the main difference? You are right there.

The guidelines at the back of the ticket read: “You can see them, they cannot see you. You can’t touch them, but they can push you. Be alert.” True enough, in the ensuing scenes, another kaboom goes off as a dynamite of blood explodes — a smattering of red on your shirt and arms. The song Alkohol by Radioactive Sago Project perfectly cues with the explosion, and the crowd goes wild like it’s some crazy beach party. Except you can almost smell the blood in the air.

There will be times when multiples scenes are happening in different places simultaneously. Expect that you won’t be able to watch every scene. It’s my first time to encounter this “choose your own adventure” element in a play, and I like that you are left wondering how the other students suffered their horrible deaths. It is part of the whole experience. 

There is also a “bonus round” where the crowd can decide the fate of one student — reminiscent of the gladiatoral arena of Roman times. The unlucky student is given one minute to beg and whimper for his life. You will almost feel sorry for the guy. Well, almost.

In the first night I watched, the bloodthirsty mob gave the thumbs down. On the second night, the seemingly savage crowd gave a thumbs up, much to my surprise. This would’ve been a heartwarming moment for mankind, except we all know how this bloody story ends. (It is very interesting to note how this scene came about as an “accident” and became the highlight that raised a lot of questions about how we view our humanity versus violence.)

To add more unpredictability, the ending changes every night. How awesome is that? At the last show, the character of Kakai (obvious crowd favorite) was there for the final showdown!

Organized Chaos Is Fun

Sneaking in a little quality time with Kakai, a crowd favorite at Battalia Royale.

The Sipat Lawin’s Facebook page reads: “Method to the madness. Madness to the method.” For an ambitious show that could’ve been a logistical nightmare, the whole flow was very organized — in a very chaotic way. Big thanks to the commendable director JK Anicoche and his group of barking marshals, who I think thoroughly enjoyed bossing us around.

The abandoned school was a stroke of genius. If this production is an ensemble of actors, then the location is your bida. I simply cannot imagine doing Battalia Royale anywhere else.

The fight scenes were enjoyable. They can be choreographed better, more realistic and “to the death,” which can push that hyperreality effect to the hilt. The blood and sound effects were well-planned — all gunshots and flesh-hacking were on cue with the blood splattering — which made each scene crazy-fun to watch.

The acting ensemble is pretty good, though some scenes were not played out to maximum effectiveness. My favorite group to watch is the “mean girls” led by the jock Sebastian. Rhapsodic, carnal, and feral — they were, to say the least, very stimulating. Among 40 students, the most exciting character written into the story had to be Kakai. I must commend the actress (Thea Marabut-Yrastorza) for giving a colorful and multi-layered take on a psychotic, sexually abused teenager — turning the story’s most manipulative killer into a lovable character.

The other memorable characters who gave strong performances: Carmina, Jezreel, Jessica, Lakhi, Julius, Sophia, Timothy, June, and Malaine. But since this is an ensemble cast, everyone had to chip in their own “little” way. They all deserve a good clap.

What more can I say? Battalia Royale could be the most groundbreaking play in the last decade. God bless the Sipat Lawin Ensemble.