The Banter: A Bigger And Better Four Horse Road With Kuo Jian Hong and Jonathan Lim

First constructed in 1837, Singapore’s Waterloo Street now has over 170 years of history to its name, and a whole lot of lives and stories that have been intertwined with it. Stretched out between Rochor and Bras Basah, if you’ve lived in Singapore for any amount of time, you’re likely to have encountered its landmarks in some form or the other, be it Bras Basah MRT … Continue reading The Banter: A Bigger And Better Four Horse Road With Kuo Jian Hong and Jonathan Lim

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!

Preview: Four Horse Road 四马路 2020 by The Theatre Practice

When The Theatre Practice produced Four Horse Road back in 2018, the project was a sprawling, massive undertaking. Taking its cues from immersive theatre and heavily vested in a firm foundation of research of the actual Waterloo Street to do justice to its history, the promenade theatre production was unlike anything the local theatre scene had ever seen before. Now, they’re bringing the remarkable production back for … Continue reading Preview: Four Horse Road 四马路 2020 by The Theatre Practice

The Banter: An Interview with Adrian, Tracie, and Zachary Pang (Pangdemonium’s The Son)

It’s not every day that you get a face-to-face interview with the people behind critically-acclaimed local theatre company Pangdemonium! Run by husband and wife super team Adrian and Tracie Pang, 2020 marks a big year for Singapore’s most ‘ass-kicking’ theatre company, as they celebrate their milestone 10th anniversary. “There’s a lot of pressure to plan the entire season by the previous September, but we have … Continue reading The Banter: An Interview with Adrian, Tracie, and Zachary Pang (Pangdemonium’s The Son)

Preview: The Son by Pangdemonium!

Ass-kicking theatre company Pangdemonium! is back this February to start their 10th anniversary on the scene with Florian Zeller’s The Son (translated by Christopher Hampton). Following on from their sold-out production of Zeller’s The Father in 2018, The Son shifts the focus from mental illness in the aged to mental illness in the young, much like how they started with Late Company in 2019, which dealt with a teenage suicide. … Continue reading Preview: The Son by Pangdemonium!

Review: Crazy Christmas 2019 – Crazy Grinch Asians by Dream Academy

★★★★☆ (Performance attended 17/12/19) Dream Academy’s A-Team come together for a festive variety show to do what they do best – having fun, spreading joy and laughter. If it’s one company that knows how to play to their strengths, it’s Dream Academy. Following a four year hiatus since its last edition in 2015, the local theatre company has triumphantly brought back their crowd-pleasing Crazy Christmas once again, … Continue reading Review: Crazy Christmas 2019 – Crazy Grinch Asians by Dream Academy

Review: Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment, Presented by Singapore Repertory Theatre

★★★★☆ (Performance attended 28/11/19) Reimagined version of Sondheim’s macabre musical thriller a refreshing take on an oft-forgotten classic, with Broadway star Lea Salonga a highlight.   In the Victorian era, penny dreadfuls were some of the more popular forms of entertainment, a serialised form of literature that derives its name from how every issue would cost just one penny. As for the ‘dreadful’ portion, well, that … Continue reading Review: Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment, Presented by Singapore Repertory Theatre

God, That’s Good!: An Interview with Lea Salonga and Jett Pangan, Stars of Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, it’s a wonder that the Stephen Sondheim musical thriller has never before been brought to Singapore. Thankfully, Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group and the Singapore Repertory Theatre are here to resolve that, as Sweeney Todd hits the Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands for a two week run, fresh from a critically-acclaimed run in Manila. Beyond the fact that it’ll be making … Continue reading God, That’s Good!: An Interview with Lea Salonga and Jett Pangan, Stars of Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

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

Review: Lie With Me by Intercultural Theatre Institute

★★☆☆☆ (Attended 7/11/19) Graduating show from latest batch of ITI students a modern exploration of human relationships, but is marred by actors getting lost in iffy chemistry and a dragged out pace. Taking inspiration from Arthur Schnitzler’s 1897 play Reigen (La Ronde), Kaite O’Reilly’s Lie With Me was originally written for a group of graduating theatre students from London’s LAMDA in 2017, and has now been adapted for the … Continue reading Review: Lie With Me by Intercultural Theatre Institute