READ – On March 2, 2025, Eduksine went to PETA Theater Center to watch Jun Lana’s Anino sa Likod ng Buwan, a play directed by Tuxqs Rutaquio. Organized by The IdeaFirst Company, the play is performed by acting powerhouses Elora Españo, Martin del Rosario, and Ross Pesigan, alongside their exemplary understudies Denise Esteban, Edward Benosa, and Vincent Pajara. The one-act play focuses on the complex web of lies and games occurring between Emma and Nardo, a couple forced out of their homes by heavy militarization, and Joel, their “nice” military friend.
Take a look at the Anino sa Likod ng Buwan reviews made by Eduksine’s team:
Sharlene’s Review (Batch 11):
March opened with the theatrical run of Jun Lana’s Anino sa Likod ng Buwan. With the play directed by Tuxqs Rutaqio, the show runs for an hour and forty five minutes, starring Elora Españo (Emma), Martin Del Rosario (Joel), and Ross Pesigan (Nardo). Set in the 1990s, when people were forced by heavy militarization to flee their homes, husband-and-wife Emma and Nardo find friendship in a soldier, Joel. What seems to be a mundane night of cards ends up being filled with the craziest of twists, making viewers hold their breath through scenes packed with tension, sexuality, and betrayal all at once.
The power of set design truly heightened the experience for the audience. From the large tree that looms above Emma and Nardo’s frail, wooden house, to the accurate resemblance of the stage to the film–the art direction was simply exquisite. It makes the viewers voyeuristic as they take a look into the characters’ lives from their seats. The fact that the audience first sees Emma bathing, naked and alone, presses onto this intruding persona. The sound also married perfectly into the play, adding depth to emotion-heavy scenes. Viewers were at the edge of their seats as Emma and Joel’s forbidden relationship unraveled; as Emma told about hearing Ka Samuel, her father, hidden in an underground bunker; and as Joel drew a gun on Emma and Nardo as he confessed to knowing the truth–that the two aren’t married, and that he never loved Emma. All of these revelations were accompanied by scores that rose at the perfect time, making the play all the more impactful.
Everything is about strategy, as Joel claimed, and it presses on the metaphor of their webbed lives. From day one, it has been a card game between the three characters, between the military and the insurgency. With the lunar eclipse, a split second in the dark, their motives and inner desires would come out. The actors were able to translate this tremendously through their performances.
Ross Pesigan was able to bring both bursts of humor and gripping dialogues to the stage as Nardo. In a story sewn with deep secrets and grave themes, he is able to move the audience with his portrayal of empathy, conviction, and love for the country. Aside from his moving performance, Pesigan is also able to make the audience laugh because of his comedic timing, proving his strong charisma.
Martin del Rosario commands the stage in his theater debut. He is able to exude Joel’s masculinity, with a deep voice that booms throughout the walls of the theater pairing perfectly with his macho body acting. Del Rosario shows the chillingly violent side of his character as well as his faux friendliness, making the audience nervous at his unpredictable nature.
Elora Españo wins the audience with her exemplary portrayal of Emma. Her acting in the last sequences were one-of-a-kind, from her last exchange with Joel to standing below the ashes of a kapre’s cigarette. Españo exhibits Emma’s braveness, femininity, and vulnerability with such precision. In her, the audience sees the intricacies of womanhood, what it feels to be a woman amidst a war, and what it feels to fight and to love.
Anino sa Likod ng Buwan doesn’t shy away from explicitly telling the story of war and its steam, of comrades and enemies, of women and her truths. Through its cast’s groundbreaking performances and its story’s fearlessness in mirroring social truths, the play is a true class act.
Cielo’s Review (Batch 11):
Tuxqs Rutaquio’s theatrical adaptation of Jun Lana’s Anino sa Likod ng Buwan is a raw, immersive experience that thrives on unpredictability, intimacy, and quiet devastation. The play follows Emma (Elora Españo), Joel (Martin Del Rosario), and Nardo (Ross Pesigan) as they navigate survival, morality, and personal turmoil amid the turbulence of war. What starts as an uneasy gathering spirals into a psychological drama, unraveling truths too sharp to ignore.
From the opening—a stark, unflinching moment of vulnerability—the play commands attention. The actors’ performances are nothing short of gripping, their chemistry palpable and their stage business seamlessly executed. Españo’s portrayal of Emma is both commanding and haunting, wielding her femininity as both a shield and a weapon. Del Rosario delivers a nuanced Joel, balancing charm with an unsettling edge, while Pesigan’s Nardo serves as a mirror of innocence lost, his presence grounding the chaos with an air of quiet despair.
The set traps the audience in their world, thick with secrets and unspoken grief. Even from the sidelines, the lighting shapes the unease, blurring the line between intimacy and entrapment. Every element breathes life into a world where morality flickers like a dying flame.
Nangungutang para sa prinsipyo.
Is survival itself a betrayal?
Salamin ng kalungkutan.
In war, is there anything left unbroken?
May immoral pa ba sa gerang ‘to?
Or is morality the first thing to burn?
Emma then moves in the direction of the tree, where the kapre’s cigarette burns like a fading ember, a ghost of something greater, or a whisper of myth. A doubt remains once it eventually falls, smothered by the wind, a question lingers: was it ever real? Or simply another shadow behind the moon, trapped between truth and survival, between myth and reality, like Emma, and.. us?
For Tickets and Information
Anino sa Likod ng Buwan will continue its theatrical play at the PETA Theater Center until March 23, 2025. Catch the full experience of Anino Sa Likod ng Buwan and grab your tickets now at https://ticket2me.net/event/21994?ref=KEVIN_TUBIERON. For more information, visit The IdeaFirst Company’s Facebook page. The play is strictly for adults only.