Dream Academy brings back their beloved Happy Ever Laughter series with a winning campaign for local humour.

Following a feverish election season, you might have felt “hammered” by “lightning”, or experienced the mysterious side effect of compulsively looking Left and Right, perhaps even singing horrifically off-tune. If you need a little post-election therapy, Dream Academy’s got you covered with their newest edition of hit stand-up series Happy Ever Laughter: Happy Ever Laughter Party (HELP). Billed as a “Post-Election Recovery Programme,” this latest edition of the long-running comedy revue smartly balances satire, social commentary, and sheer comic madness, the kind of madness we could all use right now, as everyone knows that laughter is the best medicine.

From the moment the curtain rises, it’s clear that HELP is not just another rerun of the same ideas, it’s a reinvention where the staging feels elevated, clean, and sharp, with a refreshed lineup of comics that brings back old hands, new kids on the block, and familiar figures who bring on polished sets. Dream Academy has put real thought into revitalising the look and flow of the show, and it pays off, and the tone early on, part comedy showcase, part campaign rally, and all hilarity.

Jacky Ng kickstarts the night with a bang and launches into a bit about missing the elections on an Aussie road trip. From air travel hierarchies to existential traffic lights, Jacky’s set is proof of his growth as a comic: sharper, more polished, and surprisingly profound (yes, even when referencing 28 seasons of Crimewatch).

Among the veterans, Sharul Channa remains a dominant force. Draped in a bold pink sari, she delivers punchlines like political manifestos, quick, unapologetic, and deeply rooted in identity and pride. Whether she’s riffing on population growth or Gen Z relationships, she reads the audience with the precision of a seasoned orator. Jinx Yeo, ever the intellectual, sneaks up on you with deadpan reflections that build from sperm nationality to cai fan economics, culminating in a wry meditation on karma and invasion. It’s comedy that rewards paying attention, smart, sly, and subtly subversive.

Where the returning comics ground the show in familiarity, the newcomers inject a necessary jolt of unpredictability, and represent Dream Academy’s commitment to showcasing young talent. Don Shiau, with his unnervingly accurate impersonation of Lawrence Wong, gives a tongue-in-cheek peek into the sterile charm of local politics. His performance is subtle but potent.

Bree Wang, a new citizen, adds a refreshing outsider-insider voice to the stage. Her musings on the illusion of democracy and cultural assumptions are personal yet deeply relatable, offering a rare vulnerability amid the satire. Kuah Jenhan brings Malaysian flair to the mix, turning his spin class nightmare into a comedic allegory. Facing down Singapore’s Lululemon cultists, he captures the city’s performative wellness craze with both affection and absurdity.

One of the show’s strengths is how it doesn’t just aim for punchlines, but instead it goes after ideas. Comics like Prem John and Fazri Rashid deliver sets that walk the line between insight and irreverence. Prem, always eloquent, crafts humour out of generational shifts and family dynamics, proof that you don’t need to shout to be heard. In contrast, Fazri goes big with a critique of Singapore as a hyper-efficient “tech firm” with national branding, wondering aloud if something might be missing; a soul. Both bring a reflective tone to the show, which allows audiences not only to laugh, but to linger on what they’re laughing about.

The segment from podcast duo Yah Lah BUT (Haresh Tilani and Terence Chia) flips the script entirely. It makes sense to invite them – their podcast flourished during the elections with candidates frequently being invite on the show. In HELP, instead of another solo set, we get “Duck vs Chicken,” an offbeat, gameshow-style segment where comics impersonate viral clips, answer trivia, and duke it out in lip-sync showdowns. It’s chaotic, ridiculous, and very, very fun, not to mention a smart way to showcase the personalities of multiple comics at once. It also adds a dose of audience interaction that breaks up the evening’s rhythm in the best way, showing how live comedy can evolve into more hybrid formats, part stand-up, part theatre, part social experiment.

And then there’s Broadway Beng (Sebastian Tan), who doesn’t just perform, and essentially lifts the room. Dressed in a hot pink suit, he belts out beloved classics like 我是一只小小鸟 and Bunga Sayang, offering not just laughs but emotional catharsis. In a show filled with sharp edges and biting commentary, Sebastian is the soul reminding us that comedy can be both political and deeply human. And towards the end, Rishi Budhrani closes the show like a charismatic campaign host. summarising, satirising, and spinning gold out of personal anecdotes and off-limit government gigs. With a cheeky callback to Sharul’s earlier roast, he wraps the show with the kind of polish only a veteran can bring.

Happy Ever Laughter Party is not just a variety show, but also a full-scale comic convention where seasoned pros and promising new talent campaign for your laughter. With this reliable platform, Dream Academy has built a comedy ecosystem with care and love, filled with rich talent, good staging, and brilliantly local content that is universally funny. At a time when political fatigue is real and news cycles move faster than memes, Happy Ever Laughter Party invites us to pause and giggle at the chaos. Laughter, after all, might be the only vote we truly control, with this locally-run production that continues to hit hard and punch way above its weight.

Happy Ever Laughter PARTY plays from 19th to 27th June 2025 at Capitol Theatre. Tickets available from SISTIC