MANILA -- Are all hacenderos bad? Are they all callous, blood-sucking land owners or are there still a few left helping the farmers uplift their lives?

Fernando "Tata Nanding" Josef, artistic director of Tanghalang Pilipino, tried to offer some answers as he introduced "Katsuri," the next offering of Tanghalang Pilipino, which opens on Friday, October 4, and runs until October 27 at the Tanghalang Huseng Batute of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

"May mga ilan pang mabait na mga hasyendero. Pero doon sa mga remote areas ng Negros na talamak ang feudalism, oppression and supression, doon namin inaalay ang dulang ito," Josef said.

"They are the people who need help in voicing out their plight. Ang reality sa Negros pareho pa rin noong 1970s. Walang pagbabago hanggang ngayon. May mga hacenderos pa na naging pulitiko," he added.

He knows the situation well because he has friends from both sides of the tracks. Some are sugar plantation workers and a few are hacienda owners.

"Katsuri" is the Filipino adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel "Of Mice And Men." The text is written by veteran writer-actress Bibeth Orteza and directed by her husband, Carlitos Siguion-Reyna. Orteza based her adaptation from the play that Steinbeck also adapted from his novel.

"Of Mice and Men" was also adapted into films, first in 1939 and most recently, in 1992. While Steinbeck's story is set in California during the Great Depression, in "Katsuri," the story happens at a hacienda in Negros Occidental.

SAGAY MASSACRE

In her translator's note, Orteza said "katsuri" is a Hiligaynon word for shrew -- not quite a rodent, but not quite a mouse. "The 'sakada' is almost rodent, almost mouse, hardly human, not anymore," she wrote.

While doing the translation from English to Filipino, she said she felt what was going on in Negros Occidental just couldn't be ignored.

In the same note, she quoted from an article written by ABS-CBN News columnist Inday Espina Varona: "By the end of March this year, rights groups had monitored 50 killings on the island, including the massacre of nine sugar workers in Sagay, Negros Occidental... The death toll of civilian targets since then has risen to 87, according to the human rights alliance Defend Negros."

• READ: Making sense of the Negros carnage

Orteza specifically pointed to the assassination of Toto Patigas, activist and Bayan Muna candidate for Escalante City councilor, in the last elections.

• READ: In Escalante, government wants 'to look forward' into the dark

It is for this reason that Orteza decided to name one of the main characters Toto, in honor of the slain activist. In Steinbeck's novel, the character's original name is Lennie Small.

But Josef has another challenge.

"To maintain artistic integrity and modern relevance without sounding like a propaganda, that is the challenge in this theatrical production. That is what Bibeth, Carlitos and I have tried to achieve," Josef said.

"I have no problems with the actors beacuse they're all very good," he added.

TALE OF TWO FRIENDS

Playing the lead characters are TP Actors Company senior members Jonathan "Tad" Tadioan and Marco Viaña. Tadioan plays Toto, while Viaña plays George. In the synopsis written by Orteza, she noted, "One is quick of mind: the other is a dimwit.

"Going through jobs, they focus on the hope of someday owning a piece of land to build a small house on, so George can plant vegetables and fruit-trees and Toto can have a small piggery, a small poultry, and raise his favorite rabbits.

"They get into trouble in Hacienda Luisita, so they hie back home to Negros Occidental to harvest sugar cane, and live in a barn with other sacada."

Along the way, they make friends and discover people whose lives are like them, hoping for a better future. But when the idle months set in and hunger strikes the land, the animalistic nature of man awakens.

"People die, simply killed, ambushed, bullets fall on them like rain," Orteza wrote.

The question now is how will George and Toto's friendship endure.

In his director's note, Siguion-Reyna cited how "the paramilitary units are hired by the hacendero to retain the fascist system in the plantation."

"The empathy of George and Toto for each other and their dependence on each other speak loudest to me now, particularly when used to battle pessimism in a world of disconnected individuals in a fascist microstate," Siguion-Reyna said.

DREAM ROLE

If Toto is a character who hopes for a better life, there's some parallelism in Tadioan's life. In 2010, he saw the 1992 film that starred John Malkovich as Lennie and fell in love with the character. He told himself one of these days, he'd play Lennie.

Now, nine years later Tadioan will share that dream to theatergoers.

TP Actors' Company members Antonette Go (as Inday), Lhorvie Nuevo (Carling), JV Ibesate (Payat), Doray Dayao (Atorni), Ybes Bagadiong (Nognog), Eunice Pacia (Monang) and Monique Nellas (woman) complete the ensemble.

Guest actors are veteran actor-director Michael Williams, in his comeback to TP after three decades, playing the Boss. Young actor-director Fitz Bitaña, who we always see in the annual Virgin Labfest playing offbeat characters that stick to the mind, plays Kulot.

Set design is by Ohm David, lighting design by Dennis Marasigan, sound design by TJ Ramos and costume design by Daniel Gregorio.

Josef also plays a pivotal role named, what else but, Tatang.

And like life imitating art, there's already some sort of supression.

"Some of my friends who own plantations actually called me up upon learning TP is doing an adaptation of 'Of Mice and Men.' They knew what it is all about. They told me that some hacenderos are not all bad, like what is portrayed in soap operas and films," he said.

Josef told them to just watch "Katsuri."

"Katsuri" runs all weekends starting October 4 up to October 27 at Tanghalang Huseng Batute at the CCP.