Review: Rumah Dayak by Rupa co.lab

★★★★☆ (Performance attended 23/11/19, Matinee) Nessa Anwar’s sophomore full length play proves her mastery over capturing natural conversation and social realism. Presented by new theatre collective Rupa co.lab in their theatrical debut, Rumah Dayak follows a night-hour safehouse for troubled youths in the Malay community. Ironically however, the safehouse itself is facing imminent danger, as they face mounting pressures from the authorities, rising costs of operations, and … Continue reading Review: Rumah Dayak by Rupa co.lab

Review: A Spoonful of Sherman by Sing’theatre

★★★★☆ (Performance attended 20/11/19) A simple, joyful family affair of a musical revue. You may know the songs, but do you know the people behind them? Best known for their work on soundtracks from Marry Poppins to Winnie the Pooh and The Jungle Book, Robert and Richard Sherman are undoubtedly two of America’s most well-known songwriters of the 20th century. But beyond them, even their father Al Sherman, and eventually, Robert’s son … Continue reading Review: A Spoonful of Sherman by Sing’theatre

In London’s (Off) West End 2019: Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of War of the Worlds – The Immersive Experience by dotdotdot (Review)

Blockbuster multi-room experience uniting live theatre with immersive technology. LONDON – It’s hard to deny that immersive experience fever has taken over London. Each year, more and more new companies have emerged in an attempt to break into that market, each trying to differentiate themselves from the last with better ideas, and a longer lasting impression that stays with audience members long after leaving the space. … Continue reading In London’s (Off) West End 2019: Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of War of the Worlds – The Immersive Experience by dotdotdot (Review)

Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2019: The Puppet King (玩具王) by Titus Yim

★☆☆☆☆ (Attended 2/11/19, Matinee) Final production of The Wright Stuff 2019 meanders in its exploration of existentialism.  While the characters of Pixar’s Toy Story have always dealt with inherent struggles surrounding ideas of abandonment and purpose, none of the ever faced these ideas head-on, at least, not with quite as much darkness as the one infused into Titus Yim’s The Puppet King. Directed by Renee Chua, The Puppet King is set … Continue reading Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2019: The Puppet King (玩具王) by Titus Yim

French Film Festival 2019: Who You Think I Am dir. Safy Nebbou (Review)

Juliette Binoche turns in a captivating performance in this twisty thriller about catfishing. From the day it was created, the Internet was and continues to be a source of hope, where just about anything and everything is made possible through a few simple clicks. For 50-year old divorced mother-of-two teacher Claire (Juliette Binoche) – that hope takes the form of the possibility of new love, … Continue reading French Film Festival 2019: Who You Think I Am dir. Safy Nebbou (Review)

French Film Festival 2019: Goodbye First Love dir. Mia Hansen-Løve (Review)

First loves are hard to let go of. You never really forget your first love. But for Camille (Lola Créton), whose teenage romance with Sullivan (Sebastian Urzendowsky) is passionate and sexually-charged, it’s something she never really learns to let go of, bringing it with her into university and adulthood. Directed by Mia Hansen-Løve, Goodbye First Love is a familiar tale of fate gone wrong when Sullivan decides to … Continue reading French Film Festival 2019: Goodbye First Love dir. Mia Hansen-Løve (Review)

Review: The Hawker by The Second Breakfast Company

★★☆☆☆ (Attended 13/11/19) Good attempt to immerse audiences in this novel concept, but let down by a central lack of purpose. The humble hawker centre is nothing short of a national icon. Representing our multicultural society with its mix of just about every kind of cuisine, along with its affordability and convenience welcoming diners of all class and backgrounds, it truly becomes a microcosm of Singapore … Continue reading Review: The Hawker by The Second Breakfast Company

Review: The Gingerbread Man by SRT’s The Little Company

★★☆☆☆ (Performance attended 26/10/19) A children’s show that needed more time to rise in the oven. “Run run as fast as you can, you can’t catch me I’m the Gingerbread Man.” The iconic lines of everyone’s favourite anthropomorphic baked good has been taken quite literally in SRT’s The Little Company’s latest musical for kids, with the titular Gingerbread Man using his need for speed to … Continue reading Review: The Gingerbread Man by SRT’s The Little Company

Singapore Writers Festival 2019: Bad Feminist Roxane Gay Speaks About Bodies, Pop Culture and the Importance of Media Literacy

Roxane Gay is an icon for our times. Big, black, queer and intellectual, Roxane rounded off the final weekend of the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) with a number of talks and events surrounding her work. Best known for her bestselling essay collection Bad Feminist and memoir Hunger, Roxane’s writing deals primarily with issues of identity, femininity (or society’s expectations of it) and how our views of the world have … Continue reading Singapore Writers Festival 2019: Bad Feminist Roxane Gay Speaks About Bodies, Pop Culture and the Importance of Media Literacy

Singapore Writers Festival 2019 Closes with Literary Stars and Contemporary Topics, Marking New Festival Director Pooja Nansi’s Inaugural Edition

The 22nd edition of the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) concluded on 10 November after a stellar 10-day line-up of literary events and programmes headlined by influential Singapore and international writers, speakers and thinkers. Organised by the National Arts Council (NAC) to champion and grow appreciation for literary arts and culture in Singapore, the theme “A Language of Our Own” explores the ways in which verbal, … Continue reading Singapore Writers Festival 2019 Closes with Literary Stars and Contemporary Topics, Marking New Festival Director Pooja Nansi’s Inaugural Edition