About Us But Not About Us: Was It Love or the Need to Have More?

At first, I wasn’t sure if About Us But Not About Us would be my kind of theater. While I have a special appreciation for straight dramas, I usually lean more toward musicals and production-heavy shows, so I had reservations about watching a play hugely driven by dialogue — and not in our mother tongue, at that. But it didn’t take long for me to get completely pulled into what was happening onstage.

The play, originally a film by Jun Robles Lana, unfolds inside a restaurant, with revolving chairs that shift depending on whose emotions are in focus — or, at times, who appears to have the upper hand. A single table and two chairs make up the stage, where Eric (Romnick Sarmenta) and Lancelot (Elijah Canlas) spend much of the story. There is a mesh-like panel behind them that doubles as a doorway between the past and the present, with a waiter coming in and out to provide comic relief almost before and after every heavy scene. Its pandemic backdrop becomes an interesting addition, showing how distance—physical and otherwise—comes into play in relationships.

The stripped-down production makes everything feel intimate, with the audience close enough to catch even the slightest change in a character’s facial expression. I did wish the actors had microphones, though, as some lines were difficult to make out, especially during pivotal, emotional scenes.

What makes About Us But Not About Us thrilling is how much it hides greed underneath an already problematic romance. On the surface, you might think it is solely about the mystery surrounding the relationship between a professor, his student, and his former partner, a writer. But the deeper the story goes, the messier it becomes, revealing the cracks beneath each character — their grief, ambition, hunger for power, and need to be seen, understood, and “loved.”

As more parts of their stories came to light, one question kept coming to mind: Was there really love between these characters in the first place, or were they just using each other to fill the parts of themselves they felt were missing? At one point or another, it felt unsettling to see how far they could go as their wants, insecurities, and greed begin taking over.

But the characters are what make the story so intriguing, too. Nobody is exactly a villain or a victim, and everyone has their own version of what’s happening. Sarmenta’s Eric is convinced he’s not doing anything wrong by spending time with his student, Lancelot — or maybe that’s just what he wants to believe — even as his relationship with Marcus (Epy Quizon) becomes increasingly complicated. Canlas’ character, meanwhile, has two sides that he portrays very effectively, including one whose pursuit of his desires seems to know no limits. Then there’s Marcus, celebrated in the story as the modern Nick Joaquin, who has layers of his own. He starts off almost as a mystery, until he is forced to confront his inner wounds.

Quizon was the biggest revelation for me. I’ve always known and respected him as a seasoned actor, but there was something especially compelling about watching his portrayal onstage. Even with his character’s strict and reserved personality, he still managed to get the audience laughing in particular scenes. Canlas and Sarmenta were standouts, too, especially seeing them perform the production in full English — live and without the luxury of multiple takes.

By the end, About Us But Not About Us leaves you with more questions than answers. It makes you sit with the uncomfortable thought that people can be right in their own heads — and the terrifying realization of what they are willing to risk, or who they are willing to hurt, just to get what they want.

So, was it love, grief, or power that was About Us But Not About Us? Or, was it about broken people yearning to get something they thought would make them whole — or, perhaps, become more? 

That question makes the story quite difficult to shake, even as the lights go down.

About Us But Not About Us is back for one final run from October 2 to October 25, 2026 at the Power Mac Center Spotlight Blackbox Theater in Circuit Makati.