★★★☆☆ Review: KAGAMI by Tin Drum and Ryuichi Sakamoto

A spiritual connection to the lingering ghost in the music and the machine. There has always been something immensely timeless about the compositions of the late Japanese pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto, with avant garde works that capture listeners from their opening notes filled with emotion, to more sparse, esoteric pieces that evoke entire landscapes in the journey they take us through, connecting the individual to the … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: KAGAMI by Tin Drum and Ryuichi Sakamoto

★★★★☆ Review: The Mongol Khan by BASE Entertainment Asia

Sharing Mongolian culture through tricks and stunts and theatricality. Theatre is and has always been a vehicle for connection, bridging cultural gaps through the power of performance. In the case of the nation of Mongolia, which is not only difficult to travel to and rarely features in mainstream media, a rare opportunity to get a glimpse into what the Mongolians hold dear emerges in the … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: The Mongol Khan by BASE Entertainment Asia

★★★★★ Review: Dear Evan Hansen by Pangdemonium!

The hit musical promises to bring you to tears in its depiction of our fundamentally human reactions to grief and the need to belong. Few recent musicals in the 21st century can claim to have as much impact and widespread appeal as Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s Dear Evan Hansen. With an irresistibly replayable soundtrack that balanced catchy tunes with witty and emotionally … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Dear Evan Hansen by Pangdemonium!

★★★★☆ Review: Accidental Death of an Activist by Wild Rice

Italian madcap farce gets a modern update, beating audience over the head with its political message. To the ordinary citizen, the authorities often work in mysterious ways, working behind closed doors. And as much as the arrest of dangerous criminals is ostensibly for the betterment of society, do the ends always justify the means? Do our definitions of dangerous criminals align with the authorities’? Or … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Accidental Death of an Activist by Wild Rice

★★★★☆ Review: PEARLS by Joshua Serafin (CAN 2024)

The non-binary body finds healing and solace in decolonisation and community. To be queer is to resist norms, and to live as a queer person inherently means to stand apart from the majority, incurring curiosity and perhaps even fear in others. The queer existence then is one often fraught with pain and violence, to face prejudice on account of one’s differences, and a constant search … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: PEARLS by Joshua Serafin (CAN 2024)

★★★★☆ Review: Magic Maids by Eisa Jocson and Venuri Perera (CAN 2024)

Collision course of the monstrous and magical elements of femininity, prejudice and Britney Spears. From the moment one enters the Esplanade Annexe Studio for Magic Maids, there is the sense that we are participating in something sacred or ritualistic. Hanging from the back wall is an armoury of brooms of various lengths and types, while above us, white and red string is layered and arranged … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Magic Maids by Eisa Jocson and Venuri Perera (CAN 2024)

★★★★☆ Review: TOTEM – Void and Height by Sankai Juku (CAN 2024)

Finding beauty in horror and grief, as we make meaning against the inevitable. The name of Japanese dance form butoh originates from ‘ankoku butō’, or ‘dance of darkness’. While never conforming to any specific definition, the spirit of butoh is precisely couched in the idea of resistance and counterculture, an avant garde movement that refused to use formal dance techniques, and often dealing with taboo … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: TOTEM – Void and Height by Sankai Juku (CAN 2024)

Review: Streams Where Deer Drink by Sigma Contemporary Dance

Immersive dance experience ponders over memory and form, utilising space and projections to transform a space into a bastion of dreams. The beauty of dance often lies in the way the performers move and adapt to their chosen space and soundtrack, transforming their bodies to elevate the space and turn mere atmosphere into a complete experience. In Sigma Contemporary Dance’s newest work, the contemporary dance … Continue reading Review: Streams Where Deer Drink by Sigma Contemporary Dance

Review: FACADE – Two Parallel Lives by Bhaskar’s Arts Academy

Resolving the line between the personal and the professional. Over the years, Bhaskar’s Arts Academy has consistently pushed and evolved the Bharatanatyam form, yet always maintaining its core tenets and philosophy. In their latest production, Bhaskar’s Arts Academy brings back resident choreographer Neewin Hershall’s FACADE – Two Parallel Lives, the first time it’s been staged since its premiere in 2017, and showcases the company’s ability … Continue reading Review: FACADE – Two Parallel Lives by Bhaskar’s Arts Academy

Review: Hua Mu Lan by Ding Yi Music Company

Blending theatre and music to tell the story of the legendary female warrior in anti-war concert. Thanks to the popular Disney film adaptations, the legend of Hua Mu Lan has gone far beyond the confines of Chinese culture, an internationally-renowned female warrior who save her father by taking his place in the army. Something about the story of courage and ferocious tenacity never gets old, … Continue reading Review: Hua Mu Lan by Ding Yi Music Company