Review: 13.13.13 by Theatreworks

An ambitious new play about modern love. New writing in the Singapore theatre scene is always welcome, and to see Theatreworks provide a platform and continue to champion it is incredibly encouraging. To round off July’s Writers Lab month, Theatreworks then presents the professional debut of playwright Shen Tan, with her play 13.13.13.  Directed by Tan Shou Chen, 13.13.13 follows William and Samantha (Thomas Pang and Sharda Harrison), a … Continue reading Review: 13.13.13 by Theatreworks

Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: One Metre Square – Voices From Sungei Road (Review)

Torn down but not gone, the voices of Sungei Road live on in this piece of verbatim theatre. 10 July 2017. For most people, it was an ordinary day. But for the vendors of Sungei Road, that’s a date that marked the end of their lives as they knew it, the official day the historic Thieves’ Market was closed for good, and its inhabitants displaced … Continue reading Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: One Metre Square – Voices From Sungei Road (Review)

Review: Tuesdays with Morrie 《最后14堂星期二的课》 by Godot Theatre Company

Simple but powerful staging of a modern classic that through death, teaches one how to live. 20 years on from when Mitch Albom’s internationally bestselling biographical novel Tuesdays with Morrie was first published, the lessons imparted by an old college professor to his former student remain fiercely relevant even today, still teaching readers everywhere how to live a good life from the wise words between its covers. Based … Continue reading Review: Tuesdays with Morrie 《最后14堂星期二的课》 by Godot Theatre Company

Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: Faghag (Review)

The faghag is elevated to modern day superhero in Pam Oei’s hugely entertaining, big hearted origin story.  On their own, ‘fag’ and ‘hag’ are pretty derogatory words. But as Singapore’s biggest faghag puts it, two negatives make a positive, and Pam Oei celebrates the term in all its glory in her aptly titled cabaret show of the same name. Faghag opens in song as Pam confidently strides … Continue reading Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: Faghag (Review)

Review: Here and Beyond by Toy Factory

A Toy Factory triumph in this adaptation of the only O-Level Literature Singapore text. Adapting a piece of literature from one medium to another can be challenging. The language alone already poses difficulty, such as how translating prose to drama runs the risk of either being weighed down by the length of the text or losing the original essence of the language altogether. Toy Factory’s Here … Continue reading Review: Here and Beyond by Toy Factory

Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: An Actress Prepares (Review)

An Actress Prepares confirms the one thing we all already knew – Siti K is without a doubt one of the best actresses in local theatre today.  Siti Khalijah Zainal is one of the most recognizable and beloved actresses working in theatre today, by virtue of her name alone able to sell out entire runs. But it wasn’t always the case for her, as she delves … Continue reading Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: An Actress Prepares (Review)

M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival 2018: M1 Open Stage + DiverCity (Review)

Slick, skilful choreographies that explore our relationship with our space, each other and our very selves.  Dance has always been seen as one of the most purest forms of art, the human expression choreographed into physical movement that requires no explanation to feel each action onstage. With M1 Open Stage + Divercity, the 2018 M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival presents a series of promising works, both … Continue reading M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival 2018: M1 Open Stage + DiverCity (Review)

Review: A Samsui Love Story by Project Plait X Tung Lok (Singapore Food Festival 2018)

Melding good food, a good story and good dance into a single palatable performance. While theatrical dining experiences have become increasingly popular in the last few years, mixing dance and dining is a road far less travelled, perhaps owing to how abstract contemporary dance can be, making it difficult to form an immediate link to the menu at hand. But with years of experience under … Continue reading Review: A Samsui Love Story by Project Plait X Tung Lok (Singapore Food Festival 2018)

Review: Makan Cosmopolitan by Ape Studio Limited

Capturing the soul of Singapore through its food and the people who love it. There is nothing more quintessentially Singaporean than the concept of food, and for a theatre show celebrating that culture and history, it seems to make complete sense to elevate it by incorporating food into the performance itself to make for a multi-sensory, immersive experience. Directed by Kaykay Nizam and written by … Continue reading Review: Makan Cosmopolitan by Ape Studio Limited

On Tour: Tan Liting’s Pretty Butch Goes To Taiwan

Given the short run of most local plays, it’s always a joyous occasion to hear when a local play receives a second run, or a chance to be presented beyond Singapore. When we watched Singaporean playwright Tan Liting’s Pretty Butch at the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival back in 2017, we praised it as “a play that will strike a chord with almost anyone in the audience, … Continue reading On Tour: Tan Liting’s Pretty Butch Goes To Taiwan