Category: Review

Arts, Books, By The Book, literature, Review, Singapore

★★★★☆ Book Review: This Side of Heaven by Cyril Wong

Form-defying new work encapsulating the fleeting nature of life and the mystery of the afterlife.  Over the course of art and literature, there’ve been countless interpretations of what the afterlife looks like, ranging from picture-perfect versions of heaven, to nightmare-inducing visions of hell. And while there still isn’t a definitive consensus on what it really is, it’s refreshing to know that new writing is still … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Book Review: This Side of Heaven by Cyril Wong

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Arts, Review, Singapore, Theatre

★★★☆☆ Review: Teater Normcore 3 – Masam Manis 酸甜 by Kaos Nol (Malaysia)

Ridhwan Saidi adapts P. Ramlee’s classic film with a dose of social commentary. Performed at KongsiKL, the newest edition of Kaos Nol’s Teater Normcore series feels like a form of guerrilla theatre, purposely minimalist and low-budget to focus attention on the production’s craft, script and performance. In this play, playwright and director Ridhwan Saidi has taken inspiration from P. Ramlee’s 1965 film Masam-Masam Manis, loosely adapting … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Teater Normcore 3 – Masam Manis 酸甜 by Kaos Nol (Malaysia)

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Arts, Books, By The Book, Interview, literature, Review, Singapore

★★★★☆ Book Review: The Minorities by Suffian Hakim

Supernatural tale fuelled by whip-smart humour makes this quirky roadtrip a delight.  As far as motley crews go, the group at the centre of Suffian Hakim’s The Minorities surely ranks among the oddest. Meet Cantona, a Bangladeshi artist on the run from his construction company; ‘Tights’, a Chinese illegal immigrant with a love for films; Shanti, an Indian lab technician hiding from her abusive husband, and an … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Book Review: The Minorities by Suffian Hakim

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Arts, Books, By The Book, Interview, literature, Review, Singapore

★★★☆☆ Book Review: My BFF Is An Alien by Vivian Teo

  Vivian Teo’s new series introduces extraterrestrial elements to a typical narrative of unlikely friends.  The teenage years can be one of the most brutal in a person’s life. Academically, secondary school is a huge step up from primary school, while one’s body goes through the ravages of puberty, and the people you thought would be friends forever begin to slowly drift away. It’s no … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Book Review: My BFF Is An Alien by Vivian Teo

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Arts, Opera, Review, Singapore

★★★★☆ Review: In Our Manner of Speaking – The AIDS Quilt Songbook by The Opera People

Singing of hope and life amidst fear in The Opera People’s latest showcase. With a wild storm brewing outside, being inside the intimate studio at W!ld Rice felt incredibly warm and cosy, as we settled in for the latest edition of The Opera People’s In Our Manner of Speaking. The show began as The Opera People co-founder Shridar Mani arrived to address the audience and set … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: In Our Manner of Speaking – The AIDS Quilt Songbook by The Opera People

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Arts, Dance with Me, Review, Singapore

★★★☆☆ Review: No Corners by Decadance Co.

Decadance’s new work explores space and comfort in the heart of Orchard Road Considering how distracting and noisy the surroundings are, performing a dance in the middle of Orchard Road seems counterproductive. Yet with Decadance Co’s No Corners, the site-specific work makes full use of its unique performance area, and allows the surrounding chaos to further inform its message of comfort and discomfort. A collaboration between choreographer … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: No Corners by Decadance Co.

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Arts, Review, Theatre

★★★★☆ Review: Queens of Asia Comedy by Kam Productions (Malaysia)

Strong showcase of female comedians in celebration of International Women’s Month. KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Joanne Kam is Malaysia’s reigning Queen of Comedy. So it makes complete sense to have her to lead the charge, and show the world that (Asian) women are just as funny, if not more so, than their male counterparts. With that, Kam Productions presented the inaugural edition of stand-up comedy show … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Queens of Asia Comedy by Kam Productions (Malaysia)

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Books, literature, Review

Review: SingLit Power House (#BuySingLit 2020)

Organised as part of the Singapore Book Council’s #BuySingLit movement 2020, the former Pasir Panjang Power Station transformed into SingLit Power House for one weekend, filling the space with exhibitions, book sales, burgers, and performances; all in the name of promoting Singapore literature. As a space, there’s a brutal beauty to the industrial nature of Pasir Panjang Power Station, with its high ceiling and wide … Continue reading Review: SingLit Power House (#BuySingLit 2020)

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Arts, Review, Singapore

Review: The Lifespan of a Fact by Singapore Repertory Theatre

★★★★☆ (Performance attended 27/2/20) Poignant and entertaining reminder that truth is neither absolute fact nor pure fiction. In cartography, there exists a concept known as the coastline paradox, which considers how there will almost always be inconsistencies in measuring the length of a coastline the more accurate one tries to be. In a similar vein, the harder we try to get at the absolute truth, … Continue reading Review: The Lifespan of a Fact by Singapore Repertory Theatre

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Arts, Pangdemonium, Review, Singapore, Theatre, Theatre Companies

Review: The Son by Pangdemonium!

★★★★☆ (Performance attended 22/2/20) Sometimes, love just isn’t enough.  For a play that’s titled The Son, it’s interesting how it ends up becoming a show that reveals far less about the eponymous son than it does about the people surrounding him. In Pangdemonium’s latest production, Nicolas (Zachary Pang), a troubled 16-year old, seems to be undergoing problems far bigger than the usual dose of teenage angst. His recently … Continue reading Review: The Son by Pangdemonium!

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