London Theatre: Death Note – The Musical star Telly Leung on becoming Ryuk – “I’m not here to be a copycat”
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – For more than two decades, Death Note has refused to stay confined to a single medium. Since writer Tsugumi Ohba and illustrator Takeshi Obata first introduced the supernatural thriller in the pages of Weekly Shōnen Jump in 2003, the series has become one of Japan’s most successful cultural exports. More than 30 million manga copies have been sold worldwide, while the … Continue reading London Theatre: Death Note – The Musical star Telly Leung on becoming Ryuk – “I’m not here to be a copycat”
★★★★★ Theatre Review: Fragments of Tuah by Mark Teh and Five Arts Centre
Mesmerising docutheatre production delves into the myth of Malayan national hero Hang Tuah while asking who gets to shape history, and why we continue to believe the stories we inherit. Duration: 90min Mythological figures have long served as vessels for morality, identity and national aspiration. Their stories are repeated until they begin to feel inseparable from the societies that tell them, their contradictions smoothed over … Continue reading ★★★★★ Theatre Review: Fragments of Tuah by Mark Teh and Five Arts Centre
★★★★★ Theatre Review: Charged (2026) by Teater Ekamatra
Haunting revival interrogates the fragile foundations of Singapore’s racial harmony with unsettling force. Duration: 105min Singapore likes to tell itself a comforting story: that we are a multiracial nation where harmony is one of our greatest achievements. And while that may be true to a large extent, beneath the familiar choreography of Racial Harmony Day celebrations, bilingual policies and shared national rituals lies the assumption … Continue reading ★★★★★ Theatre Review: Charged (2026) by Teater Ekamatra
Design: Award-winning Prototype Island exhibition comes home to ArtScience Museum to showcase Singapore design identity
The award-winning exhibition returns from Milan Design Week, revealing that Singapore’s greatest design export isn’t an aesthetic but a relentless culture of questioning, prototyping and care. If you walk into Prototype Island expecting just another typical national design showcase, often stereotyped to a parade of beautifully crafted furniture, sleek consumer products or impeccably finished objects, you’ll probably miss the point. “My curatorial intent was not … Continue reading Design: Award-winning Prototype Island exhibition comes home to ArtScience Museum to showcase Singapore design identity
Design: Singapore Archifest 2026 is reimagining what an architecture festival can be
Twenty years after it first began, Singapore Archifest has grown into far more than an annual gathering for architects. It has become a reflection of how the profession itself has evolved, more collaborative, more outward-looking and increasingly aware that conversations about design cannot remain within the walls of studios and lecture halls. Walking through this year’s festival, which marks its 20th anniversary under the theme … Continue reading Design: Singapore Archifest 2026 is reimagining what an architecture festival can be
Esplanade’s The Studios 2026: An Interview with Iranian theatremaker Amir Reza Koohestani on surveillance, solidarity and the power of ‘Blind Runner’
Surveillance cameras watch every interaction. A husband visits his imprisoned wife once a week, their conversations becoming increasingly strained under the weight of constant observation. Elsewhere, he agrees to guide a young blind marathon runner through the streets of Paris, discovering that trust, like freedom, is something built one careful step at a time. In Blind Runner, acclaimed Iranian playwright and director Amir Reza Koohestani … Continue reading Esplanade’s The Studios 2026: An Interview with Iranian theatremaker Amir Reza Koohestani on surveillance, solidarity and the power of ‘Blind Runner’
Art: Maria Taniguchi – Afterimage at Singapore Art Museum
There is a temptation to describe Maria Taniguchi’s work as meditative. For nearly two decades, the Filipino artist has devoted herself to painting what appears, at first glance, to be the same image: vast fields of carefully hand-painted rectangles, meticulously built one brushstroke at a time until they resemble endless brick walls. Their monumental scale, subdued palettes and rigorous repetition have often led viewers to … Continue reading Art: Maria Taniguchi – Afterimage at Singapore Art Museum
Dracula – Ballet at its Darkest: Joel Burke on reimagining Stoker’s classic and the rise of contemporary dance
Following its sold-out West End run, Dracula: Ballet at its Darkest arrived in Singapore with a bold reimagining of Bram Stoker’s gothic classic. Under the artistic direction and choreography of Joel Burke, the production traded traditional ballet conventions for cinematic storytelling, psychological tension and an evocative score featuring works by Bach, Mozart, Rachmaninov, Liszt and Debussy, inviting audiences into a haunting world where love, grief … Continue reading Dracula – Ballet at its Darkest: Joel Burke on reimagining Stoker’s classic and the rise of contemporary dance
★★★☆☆ Theatre Review: Common Room by Checkpoint Theatre
Checkpoint Theatre tackles queer themes by presenting an honest depiction of queer co-living that succeeds more as an act of representation than a piece of theatre. Duration: 90min Although Singapore has made significant strides towards LGBTQ+ acceptance, many queer Singaporeans continue to negotiate conservative workplaces, families and social expectations. For those unable to live fully out in public, chosen family and queer kinship become not … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Theatre Review: Common Room by Checkpoint Theatre
★★★☆☆ Theatre Review: Be A Star – A Musical Fable by Musical Theatre Limited
A nostalgic musical throwback to a simpler time, when dreams were big and morality came a little too neatly packaged with a happy ending. Duration: 135min (including a 15min intermission) There is an admirable sincerity running through Musical Theatre Limited’s Be A Star, one that feels increasingly uncommon in contemporary musical theatre. Originally conceived as Lost in Transit in 2005 by lyricist Stella Kon and … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Theatre Review: Be A Star – A Musical Fable by Musical Theatre Limited
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