Preview: Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts 2025 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

2025 marks the year of the snake, often associated with ideas of transformation, renewal, and spiritual growth. And as with every Chinese New Year, the Esplanade is back with a brand new edition of the annual Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts, with a line-up of Chinese works that appeal to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Now in its 23rd edition, Huayi will run … Continue reading Preview: Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts 2025 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

Preview: Sunset Boulevard by Base Entertainment Asia

Get ready for an unforgettable theatrical event as international superstar and musical theatre icon Sarah Brightman leads a lavish new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard. Presented by Base Entertainment Asia, the highly anticipated revival promises to captivate audiences with its stunning visuals, unforgettable score, and a legendary performance by Brightman in the iconic role of Norma Desmond at the Sands Theatre at Marina … Continue reading Preview: Sunset Boulevard by Base Entertainment Asia

★★★☆☆ Review: Eclipse (2025) by The Necessary Stage

Learning to leave history behind to find the light at the end of the trauma. For most Singaporeans, India’s Partition is stuck firmly in the past, and having taken place in a land so physically distant from our island city, seems like it would have little impact on us in the present day. But for those with relatives or ancestors living in India or Pakistan, … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Eclipse (2025) by The Necessary Stage

★★★★☆ Review: Commission Continua by Noma Yini

A history of violence, corruption and cover-ups, buried in paper and archives. Of all the places to discover violence, one would least expect to find it within the four walls of a tiny basement office of archival documents. But that is precisely what Noma Yini does with their work Commission Continua, which made its world premiere last week at the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival. Last … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Commission Continua by Noma Yini

★★★★☆ Review: WePushTheSky by Qabila

Incendiary play that shows you exactly how people are pushed to extreme measures. It is only human to want to connect, to reach out and share in the friendship of others. It makes sense then that in Qabila’s WePushTheSky, playwright and performer Nisha Abdulla greets us when we first enter the theatre, her voice warm and welcoming as we settle into our seats. Behind her, there … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: WePushTheSky by Qabila

Review: The Troupe by Birds Migrant Theatre

Ambitious attempt at tackling issues of xenophobia and the ever-growing refugee crisis. When we last saw Birds Migrant Theatre at the 2023 M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, the team of migrants and theatre enthusiasts had put on a deeply personal show about their lived experiences as foreign workers in Singapore. Since then, the group has continued to pursue their passion for the arts, and in 2025, … Continue reading Review: The Troupe by Birds Migrant Theatre

★★★☆☆ Review: Dancing with the Ghost of My Child by Noor Effendy Ibrahim, Ruby Jayaseelan, ANTARMUKA & Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

Students grapple with trauma and pain in a physically-demanding work led by Noor Effendy Ibrahim. Back in 2011, Noor Effendy Ibrahim performed a durational work titled Dancing with the Ghost of My Child at the Substation, in which he engaged in a form of ritualistic self-flagellation and masochism for an unspecified amount of time. For those familiar with Effendy’s work, this visceral image is par … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Dancing with the Ghost of My Child by Noor Effendy Ibrahim, Ruby Jayaseelan, ANTARMUKA & Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

★★★★★ Review: The End of Winter by Siren Theatre Co.

In search of a soon-to-be-lost lost season, in the form of an evocative letter of love and unfathomable grief. In the mindscapes of so many Singaporeans, the idea of winter is an utterly foreign one for a tropical island that experiences sweltering heat all year round. To us, the season of snow takes on almost a mythic quality to it, where the only way to … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: The End of Winter by Siren Theatre Co.

Preview: Whispering Tiger, Hidden Essence by Grain Performance & Research Lab

The arts can be enjoyed and performed by anyone of any age, whether you’re a teen or an octogenarian. This January, Grain Performance & Research Lab is proud to present the results of their training, where a cast of five generations, aged 18 to 84, will be performing brand new show Whispering Tiger, Hidden Essence. Directed by Beverley Yuen, Whispering Tiger, Hidden Essence blends physical … Continue reading Preview: Whispering Tiger, Hidden Essence by Grain Performance & Research Lab

Bakchormeeboy Awards 2024: Revivals, restagings and hope for the future

There are a few things that make good theatre and live performance so uniquely powerful, but perhaps the greatest factor that leads to us appreciating it that much more lies in how it is quite simply, temporal. No two nights are the same, whether it is due to a difference in the audience members present, a change in actors’ delivery, or even something that seems … Continue reading Bakchormeeboy Awards 2024: Revivals, restagings and hope for the future