Arts, Chinese Theatre, Esplanade Annexe Studio, Esplanade Concert Hall, Esplanade Recital Studio, Esplanade Theatre, Esplanade Theatre Studio, Huayi 2018, Preview, Singapore, Singapore Arts, Theatre., Theatre, Theatres

Huayi 2020: An Interview with Star Pianist Tony Yike Yang

At the tender age of 16, Chinese-Canadian pianist Tony Yike Yang took the music world by storm when he became the youngest-ever laureate at the prestigious 2015 Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw. Now, the young prodigy is set to make his Southeast Asian debut at the Esplanade, performing a solo recital as part of this year’s edition of Huayi – Chinese Festival of the arts. … Continue reading Huayi 2020: An Interview with Star Pianist Tony Yike Yang

bakchormeeboyJanuary 26, 2020January 26, 2020Leave a comment

Preview: Esplanade presents Huayi Festival 2020

As we approach Chinese New Year once again, so does the Esplanade’s annual Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts. Come the year of the Rat, often considered a symbol of wit, imagination and curiosity, Huayi is set to bring these traits to life in its programming, with a line-up of leading Chinese artists from Singapore and beyond between 31st January and 9th February 2020. Presenting a mix … Continue reading Preview: Esplanade presents Huayi Festival 2020

bakchormeeboyDecember 25, 20191 Comment

Arts, Chinese Theatre, Esplanade Annexe Studio, Esplanade Concert Hall, Esplanade Recital Studio, Esplanade Theatre, Esplanade Theatre Studio, Huayi 2018, Review, Singapore, Singapore Arts, Theatre., Theatre, Theatres

Huayi Festival 2019: Love Letters by The Nonsensemakers/Nelson Chia & Mia Chee (Review)

Two melodramatic lives, their destinies intertwined by a flurry of love letters. It’s one thing to be married, or married to your job, but quite another to be married to someone who runs a company with you. Such is the case for both The Nonsensemakers (Hong Kong) and Nine Years Theatre (Singapore), run by partners Rensen Chan and Jo Ngai, and Nelson Chia and Mia … Continue reading Huayi Festival 2019: Love Letters by The Nonsensemakers/Nelson Chia & Mia Chee (Review)

bakchormeeboyFebruary 27, 20191 Comment

Arts, Esplanade Annexe Studio, Esplanade Concert Hall, Esplanade Recital Studio, Esplanade Theatre, Esplanade Theatre Studio, Huayi 2018, Review, Singapore, Singapore Arts, Theatre., Theatre, Theatres

Huayi Festival 2019: That Which Cannot Be Divided (无法被整除) by Bulareyaung Pagarlava & Albert Tiong (Review)

United we stand, divided we fall. Inspired by the concept of prime numbers – numbers indivisible by anything other than themselves and 1 and with no immediately apparent pattern, former Cloud Gate Dance Theatre members Bulareyaung Pagarlava (Taiwan) and Albert Tiong (Singapore) each choreographed a work attempting to unravel the mysteries behind them, showcasing how they may have more application to daily life than we … Continue reading Huayi Festival 2019: That Which Cannot Be Divided (无法被整除) by Bulareyaung Pagarlava & Albert Tiong (Review)

bakchormeeboyFebruary 23, 2019February 25, 2019Leave a comment

Huayi Festival 2019: The Way of Zhuang Zi (庄子兵法) by Story Works (Review)

Nerve wracking thriller of a play that keeps you guessing every step of the way. Happiness is the absence of striving for happiness. I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man. Of the many Chinese philosophers we grew up learning from our scholar of a Chinese teacher … Continue reading Huayi Festival 2019: The Way of Zhuang Zi (庄子兵法) by Story Works (Review)

bakchormeeboyFebruary 23, 2019February 23, 20191 Comment

Huayi Festival 2019: FOUR FOUR EIGHT (四四八) by Emergency Stairs (Review)

Warning: This review may contain spoilers Journey to the centre of the self…and Liu Xiaoyi. Over the years, Emergency Stairs Artistic Director Liu Xiaoyi has made it abundantly clear that the work he puts out staunchly refuses to conform to theatrical standards, having created work that subverts the norm, be it a piece of anti-theatre deliberately attempting to crush audience expectations or even performing in unusual … Continue reading Huayi Festival 2019: FOUR FOUR EIGHT (四四八) by Emergency Stairs (Review)

bakchormeeboyFebruary 20, 2019February 22, 2019Leave a comment

Huayi Festival 2019: Dear John by M.O.V.E. Theatre (Review)

A musical soundscape through unorthodox means. When John Cage’s controversial 4’33 premiered in 1952, never might the avant-garde composer have imagined the sheer impact he might have had in the field of music theory. Infamous for being four minutes and thirty three seconds of ‘silence’ as an orchestra stands still onstage, the work reflects Cage’s interests in Zen Buddhism, and his magnum opus epitomizing the theory … Continue reading Huayi Festival 2019: Dear John by M.O.V.E. Theatre (Review)

bakchormeeboyFebruary 18, 2019Leave a comment

Huayi Festival 2019: The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by Li Liuyi Theatre Studio (Review)

Tragedy seems written in the stars in this lengthy production as the cosmos themselves bid our sweet prince goodnight. Ranking among Shakespeare’s best works, it’s little surprise that Hamlet has seen countless productions and interpretations over the centuries. Opening the Esplanade’s Huayi Festival 2019, director Li Liuyi’s latest production of the piece sees the moody protagonist played by film star Hu Jun (Red Cliff, East Palace West Palace), … Continue reading Huayi Festival 2019: The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by Li Liuyi Theatre Studio (Review)

bakchormeeboyFebruary 16, 2019August 12, 2019Leave a comment

Preview: Esplanade presents Huayi Festival 2019

There’s already plenty to get excited about for the 2019’s arts season! Esplanade – Theatres by the Bay, has launched their 2019 Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts lineup, and we couldn’t be more excited for this 17th edition. Taking place from 15th to 24th February 2019, Huayi 2019 builds on the success of last year’s five new commissioned works, working together with both local … Continue reading Preview: Esplanade presents Huayi Festival 2019

bakchormeeboyJanuary 15, 2019January 15, 2019Leave a comment

Arts, Chinese Theatre, Experimental, Huayi 2018, Review, Singapore, Singapore Arts, Theatre., Theatre, Theatre Companies, Theatre Practice Black Box, Theatres

Huayi 2018: Einstein In The Carpark (爱因与斯坦) by Emergency Stairs (Review)

Liu Xiaoyi, in his director’s message for Einstein in the Carpark, poses to the late renowned theoretical physicist Albert Einstein a litany of 33 questions, among them such pithy existential ones as: “What do you think is the most important question of all?” “How do I find simplicity in confusion?” “Why do so many people know you, but so few people understand you?” This thought … Continue reading Huayi 2018: Einstein In The Carpark (爱因与斯坦) by Emergency Stairs (Review)

bakchormeeboyMarch 5, 2018Leave a comment

Bakchormeeboy

Reviewer&Critic

Category: Huayi 2018