ATTEMPTS’ foray into the digital sphere subverts dating sims to explore how women are viewed and objectified. If you’ve ever played a dating simulator game, then you’d know that the way to ‘win’ is to be strategic in your interactions with your intended ‘waifu’/’best girl’, and make sure you pick the best possible option to ensure a romantic match and good ending for your player … Continue reading Review: Dating Sim (beta ver. Zoom) by ATTEMPTS
Exploring the perils of activism and social media for young people today. When Kuo Pao Kun wrote his environmentalism-focused play The Silly Little Girl and The Funny Old Tree in 1987, the internet had only just been invented and global warming still one of the furthest things on people’s minds. But 33 years on, at the height of the social media age and climate change … Continue reading Review: POPPY – a ‘made-for-the-internet’ Theatre Experiment
Meditative audio journeys exploring essentialism. In adapting for the restrictions placed on live performances due to the pandemic, the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) has turned to the digital space for presentation, with many of its commissioned work taking the form of audio experiences instead. The latest of these to premiere is COMPOUND’s The Silence of a Falling Tree, where listeners are taken on ‘immersive sonic … Continue reading Review: The Silence of a Falling Tree by COMPOUND
A breakup in audio form, accompanied by piano music. There’s always something about piano music that’s irresistibly evocative, able to make the simplest of events feel like the end of the world. Simply hearing it is enough to provoke a reaction, and in A Bird Calls You To Moscow, helps create an excessive amount of heartbreak. Written by Joel Tan and directed by Tan Shou … Continue reading Review: A Bird Calls You To Moscow by Joel Tan and Tan Shou Chen
The pitfalls of optimism are explored in Young & Wild 2020’s showcase performance. According to playwright Mark Ravenhill, the word ‘optimism’ had only been in use for about 20 years when Voltaire wrote his satirical novella Candide in 1759. And interestingly enough, beyond the idea of hope, the word ‘optimism’ was also born from the idea of the ‘optimal’, where one believes that whatever path one’s … Continue reading ★★☆☆☆ Review: Candide by Young & Wild
Beautiful scenery and strong performances can’t save the doomed romance between a paraplegic and university student. Pitched as a romance flick set to evoke tears, lush, gorgeous cinematography, a stirring soundtrack, and two incredibly charming stars in the leading roles, new Korean film Josée seems to have a recipe for success. A remake of Japanese flick Josee, the Tiger and the Fish (2003) (coincidentally, an anime … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Josée dir. Kim Jong-Kwan
A useful compendium for all that went down in GE2020. The 2020 Singapore General Elections were an unprecedented one – who would ever have expected to vote during a pandemic? But as much as the results essentially maintained the status quo, there was still plenty of drama that emerged in the weeks leading up to it, and if you’d like to relive that chapter of … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Book Review: GE2020 – Fair or Foul? by Bertha Henson
A celebration of a literary pioneer in one book. Birthday parties are all about making the birthday boy feel good about himself. After all, it’s his special day. And in much the same vein, Robert Yeo at Eighty is exactly that, as it collects praise, tributes, memories, and even fan fiction inspired by his work into a single volume. Over the course of the book, … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Book Review: Robert Yeo at Eighty – A Celebration (edited by Dr Ismail S. Talib)
Ding Yi’s first live concert since circuit breaker reminds us how the arts keep hope alive. Taking place on a Sunday evening, it was raining heavily outside, but the music that kept us warm later on, as we settled into the Stamford Arts Centre black box for Ding Yi Music Company’s first live concert since the circuit breaker. Taking on a rather interesting format to … Continue reading Review: Together We Stand, Live Again! by Ding Yi Music Company
The absurd idea of controlling happiness is lost in this manmade pastel utopia. Touted as ‘Wes Anderson meets Black Mirror’, Tan Bee Thiam’s Tiong Bahru Social Club is a decidedly bolder film, both aesthetically and ideologically, compared to the usual Singaporean fare we’re used to seeing. Set in an alternate reality Singapore, the film’s title refers to a new initiative transforming the gentrified neighbourhood of Tiong Bahru into … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Tiong Bahru Social Club dir. Tan Bee Thiam
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