The 19th-century concept of ‘pulling oneself up by one’s own bootstraps’ is ingrained deep in the American vernacular. Variations of this idiom have existed for just as long, often told or expressed in hopes of ‘empowering’ someone struggling. The idiom refers to putting in the effort needed to rise above whatever precarious situation one is dealing with. And in this 2026 stage adaptation of the Urian-winning 2007 film ‘Endo,’ its protagonist Leo opens the performance with a demonstration of this idiom. Leo literally pulls himself up on a rope hung from above. As if determined to reach the top, yet to no avail.

This adaptation by Liza Magtoto could not have come at a better time. As the Philippines is going through an economic crisis, which has also resulted in drastic price increases despite the stagnancy of wages, a work that spotlights once again the instability of the Philippine way of life is more important than ever. And ‘Endo’ is not just that, as it is frankly a work grounded in a common dilemma faced by several members of the working class: how do you love in a society that never lets you rest, and never sufficiently rewards the physical labor you provide?

Representing the working class

The Filipino contractual worker makes up a majority of the working class. This allows their employers, particularly big companies, to skimp on wages and benefits. However, it leads the typical Filipino contractual worker to take on multiple jobs, sometimes all at once. ‘Endo’ follows such a worker in Leo and Tanya. 

Having only completed his first year of college, Leo works multiple jobs. Often a delivery rider, sometimes a traffic enforcer, but mainly exhausted in all aspects. He finds difficulty in balancing both his dad’s hospital bills and his younger brother’s education expenses. His only pastime is scrolling Reels on Facebook, which he typically sends to Tanya. Tanya works multiple jobs as well, except that she graduated with a degree in nursing. Her circumstances in life have pushed her towards mostly public-facing roles. She sells products via livestreams, on top of being a promodizer and being a language teacher for Koreans. 

Yet both characters dream to be more. In the latter’s case, she is eager to receive validation from the patients she helps nurse back to health. In the former’s case, he is merely focused on surviving the day-to-day, focused on providing what his family needs. Until he meets Tanya, whose resolve livens Leo up. 

Only focused on survival

Leo is played by two alternating actors. Royce Cabrera skillfully portrays Leo with a cultivated competence, conveying to viewers a sense of routine that Leo had masterfully perfected for years. One immediately gets the sense that Leo had been fulfilling contractual jobs for years and years, because Cabrera brings a resignation to ‘Endo’ that is just palpable. Cabrera also presents Leo as someone who is capable of dealing with people and navigating life’s instability. There is also this impression of Leo having only really focused on surviving the day-to-day, which makes his eventual desperation by the end hit and resonate harder. 

Esteban Mara gives a performance whose qualities are familiar with many Filipinos. Mara seamlessly conveys Leo’s erratic nature, often marked by irritability, but also something that viewers will immediately get as a result of severe pent-up exasperation. Mara is prone to being brash and easily frazzled. With Mara’s interpretation, Leo becomes more like a malleable character, in the sense of being easily affected by the world around him and the events unfolding in it. Mara also puts an emphasis on physical force during moments of anger, lending his portrayal of Leo a more commanding nature.

At a crossroads between life and love

Just like Leo, the character Tanya is played by two alternating actresses. Jasmine Curtis-Smith serves as a stark contrast with Cabrera’s concentration on survival. She brings Tanya to life with a certain optimistic, infectious presence that can only be described as lively and cheery. With her, viewers are given the impression that Tanya is someone who is able to pull herself up the rope, someone who has what it takes to rise. Curtis-Smith’s Tanya is still frantic at times, as if she knows that she is not meant for the quality of life she is living, and Curtis-Smith expresses a firm quality in this belief. Yet she still presents Tanya as someone who is earnest enough to navigate her situation with compassion. 

Rissey Reyes-Robinson also contrasts Mara’s clay-like presence. In a very assured turn, Reyes-Robinson conveys Tanya as someone who had been at it for decades. Reyes-Robinson gives a simultaneously commanding and compassionate performance, albeit her Tanya is the kind of person whose empathy will not detract from her decision to move forward with practicality. Viewers quickly arrive at the understanding that Tanya is someone who has been hardened by life, the kind of person who took up nursing in college because it is seen as capable of bringing in the big bucks. Reyes-Robinson’s Tanya is very resilient and very determined. Once her Tanya has set her eyes on a goal, be it easily achievable or seemingly out-of-reach, viewers know that she will do just about anything to achieve it.

Entertaining, but lacking in substance

Making things more complex is Candy. The character is notable for wanting a comfortable life, but also someone the play could have done without. She really is just there to add stakes and a little bit of drama. Nonetheless, differing interpretations of this character with an internal conflict of her own make for good entertainment. 

Iana Bernardez does a great job in establishing Candy’s aloof nature. She develops the self-centered Candy into someone who is largely uninterested in everyone else. Not passionate about anything except for money, Bernardez has a presence that succeeds in lightening up the mood. Kate Alejandrino-Juan portrays Candy as a flirtatious, vain character. Ditzy, but very much amusing. Alejandrino-Juan’s Candy is a tremendous, lived-in depiction of a certain type of person most are familiar with: a snob with high standards, but is incapable of reciprocating what she demands. 

Literal instability

Production designer D Cortezano gives ‘Endo’ a stage that operates like a justice scale. When the actors of ‘Endo’ all compress towards one side of the stage’s center platform, that side is weighed down while the opposite goes up. Not only does this speak to the instability of life itself for the contractual workers that Leo and Tanya represent, but it also reflects the social inequality that does not favor them. 

The script and direction are already stellar. However, Cortezano’s stage makes ‘Endo’ an even more mesmerizing watch. Bare, aside from the ropes that hang from above, but dynamic. This may be perceived as a gimmick, but it is a smart storytelling tool. It ultimately fulfills the intent of ‘Endo’ to be a searing depiction of the Filipino contractual worker amid these uncertain times. 

Making use of this stage are choreographers Christine Crame and Carl Doromal, whose execution of physical theatre leaves a lasting impression. Their understanding of the human body shows in the precision of the ensemble’s physical movement. The intertwined formation of the ensemble’s bodies is impressive, with the way the contortions and the linking of arms happen so fluidly. 

One ensemble that becomes many things

While the central story is that of Leo and Tanya, the ensemble infuses ‘Endo’ with a certain vitality. This works in setting the intimate bond amid a broad, busy world. Thanks to the kinetic choreography of Crame and Doromal, the ensemble fully realizes director Melvin Lee’s singular vision. Acting as viewers in Tanya’s online selling livestreams, drivers and passengers on traffic-stricken roads, the Facebook Reels and text messages that Leo sends Tanya, and even an impenetrable flood, the ensemble captures the hectic and overwhelming experience of being a contractual worker in the Philippines. Especially in a period that has seen changes in one’s way of life due to price increases and the pandemic. 

Thanks to the synchronization of Teetin Villanueva, Noelle Polack, Raphne Catorce, Denmark Brinces, Ekis Jimenez, Jacinta Pascual, Nikki Soriano, Raflesia Bravo, Carlon Matobato, and Kirby Dunnzell, ‘Endo’ succeeds in conveying the turmoil that the entirety of the Philippine working class continues to experience and be subjected to. It is because of this ensemble that ‘Endo’ succeeds in striking a chord with today’s audiences, the same way the film enlightened audiences in the mid-2000s. 

Capturing burnout and exhaustion

A person’s circumstances in life affects the way they live it. This reality shapes Melvin Lee’s direction of ‘Endo,’ which employs a relentless, almost disorienting, pace for its 1hr 45m runtime. This may be too overwhelming, but it is effective in reflecting the burnout and the exhaustion. After all, the system is designed in a way that does not allow for even a moment of rest. And the Philippine working class does not have the privilege of rest, hence they have no choice but to grind. To rush too, because they need to survive. Lee also uses the ensemble’s physical bodies for much of the play.

Each member of the ensemble is made to act out the feelings, such as cloud nine, of the characters. The ensemble is also representative of the strenuous efforts of the Philippine working class. They attempt to push forward in a society that is seemingly built to keep them down. Certain choices work, like when Tanya puts boxes and bags on top of the ensemble’s back while on all fours. Because of this, the ensemble serves as a reminder as well. A reminder that society cannot function without the working class. 

Liza Magtoto’s book is grounded in lived experiences, and also the looming reality that the presence of artificial intelligence (AI) is manifesting into fruition. Characters remark on insufficient government assistance, workers are reprimanded for accepting tips. And the threat of layoffs due to redundancy brought about by AI alludes to current fears. These events come in immediately one after another. However, Magtoto infuses a magic of some sorts that avoids these scene changes from feeling a bit jarring. It is seamless instead.  

Just as enlightening and relevant

‘Endo’ does not provide definite resolutions. But it does show viewers how their experiences as Philippine contractual workers shape the decisions of Leo and Tanya. By setting the material in the present, complete with the presence of robots resembling the sanitation robot Santi in leading shopping malls, ‘Endo’ remains an important, urgent call to action for the improvement in the quality of life of the Filipino working class. 

It is incredibly telling that such a story continues to be relevant in the Philippines, but its enlightening nature should be a good talking point for conversations. And these conversations, once abundant, may just help towards change. But as the world exists right now, radical change may not be possible yet. Whereas the play begins with Leo intent on going up, ‘Endo’ ends with the belief that individual effort is not sufficient to fulfill one’s dreams. It must be matched with a system that enables upward mobility.

So for now, working towards greener pastures will do.

Further information

‘Endo’ is produced by Ticket2Me and PETA Plus. It will run from April 10 to May 10, 2026 at the PETA Theater Center in Quezon City. Tickets may be availed via Ticket2Me.

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