Play 'Ateng' Unveils LGBTQ+ Struggles in Drag Club Setting
The cast of "Ateng" with writer Vincent de Jesus (third from the left) and director Rem Zamora (fifth from the left) during a press conference for the play at Rampa Club in Quezon City, October 29, 2025.
Jaehwa Bernardo, News
MANILA — The stage of Rampa, a well-known drag club in Quezon City, is set to undergo a transformation as it hosts "Ateng," a dark comedy that delves into the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community in the early 2000s.
Based on a Palanca Award-winning piece by composer Vincent de Jesus, "Ateng" is set in 2005 and follows the story of Juicy, an impersonator who is infatuated with — and often taken advantage of by — his boy toy Onyx, which creates tension with his older sibling, Kiwi, who owns a beauty parlor.
At a recent press conference, De Jesus shared that the re-staging of "Ateng," which was first presented in 2005 at the Virgin Labfest, has been a seven-year endeavor.
TV personality Boy Abunda, who co-produces the play, had long encouraged De Jesus to revive "Ateng," having seen a previous staging. Their plans were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Abunda reached out again in June to finally move forward with the production.
"It's really a struggle of Ateng (Kiwi) fighting for his worth in a society that marginalizes him, but he's fighting that struggle for his 'sister,'" De Jesus said.
De Jesus mentioned that the play aims to show young people "how the LGBT community was during 2005," a time before social media and when people weren't as open as they are today.
"Ibang-iba 'yong mundo 20 years ago. So that's the reason why we're mounting it again — para lang matingnan natin [if] may improvement na ba, gaano kalaki," he added.
The cast includes Jason Barcial and Io Balanon as Juicy; Thou Reyes — returning to the stage after eight years — and De Jesus as Kiwi; and Kokoy de Santos, making his stage debut, alongside Dyas Adarlo as Onyx.
"Challenge para sa akin ito... iba 'yong commitment ng teatro eh," said De Santos, known for starring in the boys' love series "Gameboys" in 2020.
"As an ally of the community, ang gandang mensahe noong materyal," he said.
Reyes explained that he chose to do "Ateng" because his character, Kiwi, was not the stereotypical "parlorista" (parlor gay).
"I like to represent this kind of character na hindi binabatuk-batukan, hindi siya kinakawawa. I think matagal nang nasanay 'yong manonood natin na kapag sinabing gay character o bakla, puro patawa," Reyes explained.
"Iyon 'yong binabago nang ganitong klaseng materyal and I don't think maraming materyal [na ganoon]. I think kulang pa nga eh. Dapat gumawa pa nang maraming materyal para mas malinawan sila," Reyes said.
(From left) Thou Reyes, Kokoy de Santos and Jason Barcial perform a scene from "Ateng" during the press con
Drag club as venue
"Ateng" also marks the first theatrical production to be staged at Rampa, which De Jesus described as "the perfect place," noting that one of the characters is a Tina Turner impersonator while the venue itself is a drag club.
De Jesus mentioned that he also wanted to stage the play in an unconventional venue.
"Aside from puno na lahat ng usual venue for theaters, naisip ko, wouldn't it be nice to mount it at a bar?" he told News, noting how, in the past, plays were often held in spaces such as bars, restaurants and libraries.
While the preview performance during the press conference featured a bare stage, director Rem Zamora said the Rampa stage will be fully transformed with set pieces for the actual run of "Ateng."
“Ateng” will run from November 14 to December 7, with performances every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are available via Ticket2Me or through walk-in purchases at Rampa.
