If you’ve ever been in a friend circle that has a couple that broke up, you know just how messy things can get. Sides are taken, bridges are burned, and the entire group is left hanging in a state of awkward limbo. It’s a frenzy that no one can recover from. “Tagay Para Sa Ex (Cheers for the Ex)” makes for a blissful reminder of the chaos such a scenario brings.

“Tagay Para Sa Ex” follows a birthday drinking session of five friends: BPO worker Mark (AJ Sison), his ex-girlfriend Liz (Yesh Burce), a couple in a rocky relationship, Benj (Jel Tarun) and Mich ( Brigitta Marilla), and the one friend who seemingly glues them all together, Poch (Buknoy Gonzales). It’s set within Mark’s condominium, where conversations about love, sex, career, and relationships unfold as a looming storm goes on in the background.

Under the direction of Dudz Teraña, we watch as a different kind of storm unfolds within Mark’s condo. As more drinks are shared, loose lips share tales that probably should have stayed private. A Pandora’s box of stored memories comes unfurling through the night as the ex-lovers and current lovers start to spew out their opinions on relationships. These rants and conversations play out almost similarly to how they would in real life, with dialogue often overlapping as some friends start to go off to have their own little conversations.

Audience members might feel like flies on the wall watching the slow chaos stirring about and unleashing itself at the peak of the storm. Sometimes, familiar tunes also play during key moments. However, on a personal note, these feel unnecessary to convey the weight of the scene and can even be distracting. The performances are engaging enough to draw you into the atmosphere without relying on familiar music.

Every cast member brings a heavy weight to their characters. AJ and Jel can have you either agreeing or outright wanting to throw your seats at them when their characters let out their rather calculated views on love. We feel for the Disney Princess-esque hopes and dreams of the romantic Mich from Briggita. Yesh, as Liz, makes us feel the painful history that her character shares with Mark as she recounts the slow death of their once beautiful spark. Buknoy steals the spotlight every time as Poch, using quick zings delivered in a way that helps cool down such intense moments.

Ultimately, it’s a night that is guaranteed to leave you feeling like an emotional rollercoaster. Expect joy, laughter, sorrow, and anger to come in waves.