Review: Now She Lives by Hole in the Wall

New theatre collective finds the absurdity and banality of a millennial life. The existential crisis has evolved from being a condition experienced by the lunatic fringe, to what is practically a pandemic in today’s day and age. For the current generation of millennials, it’s a problem that looms particularly large each and every day of their lives, as the news only gets increasingly depressing with … Continue reading Review: Now She Lives by Hole in the Wall

Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2019: Ashes, Ashes by Rajkumar Thiagaras (Review)

Some things are better left fed to the flames.  Two years ago, the Straits Times reported on the demolition of Lakshmi Villa, a generations old family home that had grown too costly to maintain, with the land sold off for development of new condominiums. Taking inspiration from this story, Rajkumar Thiagaras wrote his debut play Ashes, Ashes, presented as part of Toy Factory’s Wright Stuff Festival 2019. Directed … Continue reading Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2019: Ashes, Ashes by Rajkumar Thiagaras (Review)

da:ns festival 2019: Pas de Deux by Raimund Hoghe (Review)

Finding tenderness and connection in the face of seemingly irreconcilable differences.  Raimund Hoghe is a shorter than average 70-year old German man with a discernible hunchback, pale and serious. Takashi Ueno is a much younger Japanese man of average height, slim and lithe. One wonders how the two might even begin to find a point of connection with each other with these distinct physical builds and … Continue reading da:ns festival 2019: Pas de Deux by Raimund Hoghe (Review)

Review: Dear Elena (青春禁忌游戏) by Nine Years Theatre

Worst birthday ever makes for one of the best shows of 2019. Growing up in Singapore, the hard and fast path to ‘success’ has always been made abundantly clear to each and every child: study hard, get into a good school, rinse and repeat, and you’ll lead a happy life. But for those who don’t follow exactly as the system dictates, the consequences could be … Continue reading Review: Dear Elena (青春禁忌游戏) by Nine Years Theatre

Review: Merdeka / 獨立 /சுதந்திரம் by W!ld Rice

Uncovering Singapore’s untold history we were never taught in school. ‘Merdeka’ is a Malay word that roughly translates to freedom or independence in English. To most Singaporeans, it’s also a word synonymous with late founding father Lee Kuan Yew, who frequently employed it as a rallying cry to unite against colonialism in the years leading up to the 1963 merger, inextricably linked to our own … Continue reading Review: Merdeka / 獨立 /சுதந்திரம் by W!ld Rice

da:ns festival 2019: FULL OUT! (Review)

Living proof that street dance is just as much of an art form as every other production gracing the Esplanade Theatre. It’s hard to believe it’s been over a decade since the Esplanade’s da:ns festival has featured street dance performers on the mainstage. Almost as if to make up for this absence, FULL OUT! features some of the world’s very best dance crews gathering for a single, … Continue reading da:ns festival 2019: FULL OUT! (Review)

Review: Lim Boon Keng – The Musical by Musical Theatre Limited

A musical digest reclaiming the life of a Singaporean icon ahead of his time.  Honest question: how many of you can say you know who Lim Boon Keng was? Sure, you may know him because of Boon Keng MRT station, but who was he really, and why is he such an important figure in Singapore’s history? The answer to that question comes neatly packaged in Musical … Continue reading Review: Lim Boon Keng – The Musical by Musical Theatre Limited

Review: The Page on Stage – Seven Views of Redhill

Childhood comes back to haunt these siblings in the final edition of the Page on Stage 2019. You ever go to a family gathering and meet all your relatives, each one taking their turn to reminisce about the past? That’s kind of what Seven Views of Redhill feels like, only a lot more dramatic, and a lot more bittersweet. Rounding off the Arts House’s The Page … Continue reading Review: The Page on Stage – Seven Views of Redhill

Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2019: Permanence by Gina Chew (Review)

A party girl’s fears of a life less romantic. Marriage is terrifying. There’s good reason why people love to joke that it’s like a ball and chain, clamped to you like a weight you can’t shake for your entire life. And for those who’ve lived their entire lives freely and with reckless wild abandon, it’s a prospect that may well result in nothing but unhappiness … Continue reading Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2019: Permanence by Gina Chew (Review)

da:ns festival 2019: Princess by Eisa Jocson (Review)

Someday my prince will come. But not if you’re Pinoy.  Growing up on a steady diet of Walt Disney’s animated films, the current generation of young adults were almost certainly bombarded with a relentless insistence of happy endings and visions of the ideal woman as a svelte, prim and proper princess. The sad reality is, the Disney empire’s brand of happiness would apply only to … Continue reading da:ns festival 2019: Princess by Eisa Jocson (Review)