Christian Bables’ stage debut turns explosive in VLF’s ‘Taksyapo’

The film actor joins theater veterans in a rage-fueled play about heartbreak, healing, and choosing peace.

“Taksyapo,” one of the stage plays currently running under the Virgin Labfest (VLF), marks mainstream actor Christian Bables’ baptism of fire. 

He joins a formidable team of theater veterans: playwright John “Sweet” Lapus, director Tuxqs Rutaquio, and comedienne Mosang. The casting alone has generated strong buzz, especially with Bables making his live stage debut.

Known for his nuanced portrayals of queer characters on screen, Bables takes on JM, a gay man navigating the aftermath of heartbreak. “He is in that very painful place of asking: ‘Bakit ako iniwan? Bakit ako pinagpalit? Bakit hindi ako sapat?’” he tells radar Entertainment in this exclusive interview.

 “Underneath JM’s anger is immense grief, rejection, and insecurity. When he finds the Taksyapo counter, throwing plates and glasses gives him a physical release. But the real healing? It’s finding Ate Maya—someone who listens without judgment and gives space to his hidden pain.”

The play draws from a simple but visceral idea: the urge to release pent-up anger. “I was inspired by my own personal experience in the Taksyapo booth in a Filipino restaurant in Tarlac,” Lapus shares. “It gave me an instant, magical release from all my stress that day.”

Strangers in a rage booth: the ultimate balancing act

Named after the Kapampangan expression used to vent frustration, “Taksyapo” centers on two strangers who meet in a rage booth. JM (Bables) and Maya (Mosang) form an unexpected connection in a space built for emotional outbursts. What binds them is immediate and unfiltered. “It’s their shared anger. That’s the big factor,” Lapus explains. “Realizing that they have so many things in common helped create an instant, beautiful friendship.”

Under Rutaquio’s direction, the production leans into contrast. “The play thrives in gorgeous contradiction—it’s funny, chaotic, painful, and political all at once,” he says. “Visually and structurally, we approached it with a kind of controlled unpredictability. The staging is fluid and dynamic, allowing emotions to shift instantly from comedy to deep discomfort. I want the audience to feel slightly unsettled.”

Home is where the stage is

For the cast and creative team, the project also feels like a return to familiar ground. Mosang embraces the challenge of playing Maya. “I’m very grateful to VLF for giving me different characters each time. This year is truly unique because it deals with such a wild spectrum of different emotions,” she says.

Rutaquio, for his part, was drawn to the material’s honesty. “John Lapus brings humor into uncomfortable truths in a way that completely disarms the audience first, then hits them emotionally right after,” he notes. Lapus echoes the sentiment, adding, “My return to the stage made me realize that theater indeed is my first, truest love among all the arts I do. I am just so incredibly happy that Philippine theater is alive and kicking!”

Beyond its humor and spectacle, “Taksyapo” carries a clear message about self-preservation. “In our world, ang daming stress, pero pwedeng i-balance!” Mosang says. “Dapat lang ilabas muna anumang nararamdaman natin. Then breathe. Ayokong ma-stroke, ’no!”

Bables adds, “Peace is a personal responsibility. You cannot always expect other people to give you closure or happiness—it’s not their obligation. At some point, you have to choose yourself and your peace. Don’t hold grudges, because anger just imprisons you.”

In true Virgin Labfest fashion, “Taksyapo” carries social weight without preaching. It invites audiences in with humor, then asks them to confront the emotional toll of modern life.

Catch Set D on June 6 – 2 PM and 8 PM; June 11 – 8 PM; June 12 – 2 PM; June 17 – 8 PM; June 18 – 2 PM; June 24 – 2 PM; and June 28 – 8 PM. For updates, visit the official pages of VLF, CCP, Tanghalang Pilipino Foundation Inc., and Writers’ Bloc across Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.

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