Ricky Lee’s ‘Para kay B’ stage adaptation showcases the potency of the written word

Deldoc’s adaptation was mounted in other venues such as the University of Santo Tomas and BGC Arts Fest, to name a few. In 2017, he participated in Lee’s scriptwriting workshop, which allowed him to revisit the script and complete the adaptation of the book’s entirety. Staged by LA ProdHouse and Fire and Ice Live! last March 2025, the production returned to the Doreen Black Box Theater at Ateneo de Manila University on September 12 and ran until September 28 with a new set of alternating cast members.

“A rerun is never just a repeat,” Deldoc says. “Ang teatro ay hindi isang permanenteng teksto. Ito ay buhay na pakikipag-usap, pakikipagsalubong, at paglikha ng kahulugan [Theatre is not a permanent work of literature. It is a living conversation, encounter and meaning-making],” he adds.

Read more: Tanghalang Pilipino’s ‘Pingkian’ raises the flag again, more impactful and resonant than before

Among the latest iteration’s most striking elements is its minimalist and modular set design. Offering audiences the chance to read the play and refer to their imagination in building the world Lee has built, Para kay B becomes a captivating experience that immerses the people—familiar or not—in the novel. The writings on the wall effectively bridge the novel and the play, letting the written word come alive through the actors’ masterful performances, engaging video projections and sound design.

“The staging of the play reflects this complexity,” says director Yong Tapang Jr as he talks about the importance of language and silence in communication and how highlighting this enables audiences to feel the weight of the moments when characters speak. “I want the stage to feel both intimate and expansive, allowing for a fluid exploration of the emotional highs and lows that come with love,” he continues.

This may not be the first time a literary masterpiece with a significant following in Filipino pop culture has been adapted for the stage. And true, the novel’s twist in storytelling where the author and his characters begin speaking to each other innately contains theatricality. But with Via Antonio’s (Erica) precise comedic timing and resonance with her role’s psyche, Martha Comia’s (Irene) versatility in portraying several ages of her character, Manok Nellas’s (Sandra) trust in the power that stillness and naturality bring to an actor, Liza Diño-Seguerra’s (Ester) vulnerability and depth in being the voice of same-sex love and Ava Santos’s (Bessie) courage to show the many faces of womanhood make the stage adaptation of Para kay B a riveting work on its own.

More than exploring the timeless and oftentimes overused theme of love, Para kay B offers a more nuanced perspective as it highlights the social conditions that complicate the characters’ varied lenses on it. In tackling conflicts such as incest, social class differences, homosexuality and more, the play then highlights the bigger conflict between the belief in fate or predetermination and will. It is with the latter that the characters, while flipping through the pages of their experiences while in a confined space, break out from the conventions and prejudices of society’s superstructures and demand for a more respectful ending.

Para kay B is not just an anthology of love stories. It is, in and of itself, a love letter to the power of literature to expand our minds and understand why we pursue love and why not.

NOW READ

PETA’s award-winning musical ‘Walang Aray’ returns, featuring new cast members

Rare works by artist Nena Saguil on display this September 2025

What to expect at the 2025 Likhang Habi Fair in Makati this October