Julian Wong passes on the legacy of Zubir Said with a heartfelt lesson on music, nation building, and chasing dreams. In 1928, a young man made the decision to take fate into his own hands, go against his father’s wishes, and pursue a life of music. With only the clothes on his back and a clean towel in hand, he left his village of Bukit … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Don’t Call Him Mr. Mari Kita by Wild Rice
The history of Singapore as seen through the eyes of Mrs Lee Kuan Yew. Everyone knows Lee Kuan Yew, first Prime Minister of Singapore who steered the nation from British colony to independent first world nation. But few know the story of his wife, Madam Kwa Geok Choo, often shying away from the limelight, yet always by his side as an integral part of his … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Kwa Geok Choo by Toy Factory Productions
Neo-noir thriller complicated by forbidden romance between suspect and detective. If there’s one word to describe Korean director Park Chan-wook’s films, it’s that they’re undeniably stylish. Whether he’s producing an action flick, a rom-com or an intriguing thriller, there’s always something about Park’s work that is so smooth and satisfying to watch, feeling as if every scene has been completely planned out for maximum impact, … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Decision to Leave dir. Park Chan-wook
Ticking time bomb of first world problems at this dinner party from hell. In a world that’s slowly but surely saying goodbye to social distancing and gatherings are becoming the norm again, it’s not a stretch to say that we’re almost returning to pre-COVID times, with dinner parties and meet-ups galore. But perhaps one thing that has never left us, before, during and after the … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Muswell Hill by Pangdemonium!
The first year of a festival under new directorship can be a daunting one, particularly a national festival with the entire country watching. And taking over the reins from Gaurav Kripalani’s four year stint as the previous director of the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA), Natalie Hennedige had some big shoes to fill. And with the first run of the festival under her, Natalie … Continue reading SIFA 2022 Wrap-up: The Anatomy of Performance – Ritual
A history of violence, and the start of forgiveness. William-Adolphe Bouguereau’s painting The First Mourning is so named for its depiction of Adam and Eve discovering the body of their son Abel, slain by his own brother Cain, and marking the first human death in the Bible. What is striking about this image is to see Abel arched over in death, completely vulnerable and stretched … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Caino e Abele #1 (Corpo a Corpo) by Compagnia Zappala Danza (cont·act Contemporary Dance Festival 2022)
Diverse line-up of international work join local artists for Open Stage 2022. One of the highlights and mainstays of every edition of T.H.E Dance Company’s cont·act Contemporary Dance Festival is Open Stage, where local and international artists are curated from a global open call, and only the best and most exciting work is chosen to perform. With seven works spread over two programmes performed over … Continue reading Review: Open Stage 2022 (cont·act Contemporary Dance Festival 2022)
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Since it was first published in 1945, George Orwell’s Animal Farm has become one of the most renowned allegories in the English language, still studied in schools to this day, and ever relevant with its hard-hitting truths about the fallibility of humans and the difficulty of subverting established power systems. Receiving countless stage adaptations, the … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Vilangkuppannai (Animal Farm) by Agam Theatre Lab
Strong direction can’t patch the pre-existing holes in this dated look at lesbian relationships. It’s June, Pride Month for most other countries, and the month of Pink Dot in Singapore, an event where the nation continues to push for ‘the freedom to love’. Existing as a queer person in Singapore remains unusual and generally undiscussed in public, and positive portrayals of LGBTQ+ people media generally … Continue reading ★★☆☆☆ Review: Hitting (On) Women by A Mirage
The end is just a new beginning, in this cinematic laser show by Yeo Siew Hua. Everything in this world is interconnected, in a delicate balance of life that repeats itself over and over. Musing upon this idea, in the final weekend of the 2022 Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA), filmmaker Yeo Siew Hua (A Land Imagined) presents The Once and Future, a unique … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: The Once and Future by Yeo Siew Hua and the Berliner Philharmoniker (SIFA 2022)
Bakchormeeboy 