Review: My Grandfather’s Road by Neo Kim Seng (Cantonese versions, performed by Tan Cher Kian and Gary Tang)

Two ways to tell a poignant story of growing up in Cantonese.  First written as a book, in My Grandfather’s Road, Neo Kim Seng explores his familial history through the lens and geography of a bygone Singapore, thinking of his childhood growing up on what is literally his grandfather’s road (Neo Pee Teck Lane) and told through personal memories and anecdotes. While we previously watched the full … Continue reading Review: My Grandfather’s Road by Neo Kim Seng (Cantonese versions, performed by Tan Cher Kian and Gary Tang)

Review: Framed, By Adolf by The Finger Players

Dark fairytale meets con-job for justice in this story-within-a-story about the holocaust and art. The art world is fickle and subjective, with the monetary worth of a painting determined by market forces and its value by its frame, specifically the way a backstory ‘frames’ and positions an artwork to give it legitimacy. But even the volatile art market is in agreement that a controversial work … Continue reading Review: Framed, By Adolf by The Finger Players

Review: My Grandfather’s Road by Neo Kim Seng (English version, performed by Karen Tan)

Put on your nostalgia goggles for this monologue about people and places past, laced with a pinch of death and loss.  To call a stretch of land your grandfather’s road sounds like an audacious claim. But for theatremaker Neo Kim Seng, that claim is rooted in truth, with Neo Pee Teck Lane quite literally named after his paternal grandfather. My Grandfather’s Road is adapted from … Continue reading Review: My Grandfather’s Road by Neo Kim Seng (English version, performed by Karen Tan)

Preview: dead was the body till i taught it how to move by Bhumi Collective

Life has a habit of throwing the greatest of curveballs when you least expect it. And in Bhumi Collective’s latest production, they’ll be tackling the story of one man who finds his once clear path now at a crossroads when faced with an unexpected crisis. Written by Edward Eng, directed by the Second Breakfast Company artistic director Adeeb Fazah, and with dramaturgy and movement direction … Continue reading Preview: dead was the body till i taught it how to move by Bhumi Collective

Preview: Here and Beyond by Toy Factory

This July, Toy Factory takes on the local literary scene as they adapt Singapore’s only local MOE prescribed literature text for ‘O’ Level students! In Here and Beyond (edited by Cyril Wong), 12 quintessentially Singaporean stories charting the complexities, hardships and shared love and dedication to the Singapore we call home were collected from some of our most renowned local writers. Now, watch as these 12 stories by … Continue reading Preview: Here and Beyond by Toy Factory

Preview: Kinky Boots presented by BASE Entertainment Asia

This October, Singapore gets kinky with the debut of smash hit musical Kinky Boots! Presented by BASE Entertainment Asia, Broadway Entertainment Group and TROIKA Entertainment, Kinky Boots is all kinds of fabulous rolled into one – with a heartwarming book by four time Tony-Award winner Harvey Fierstein, the catchy, Tony-award winning score by Cyndi Lauper (yes, she of True Colours fame) and of course, plenty of over the top costumes … Continue reading Preview: Kinky Boots presented by BASE Entertainment Asia

Review: Fourteen by SPLIT Theatrical Productions

An absurd look at the perils of being a teenager today.  Adolescence can be a trying time. Fourteen director Darryl Lim knows best – he’s an educator, and faces teenagers on a daily basis, going through a roller coaster of emotions as he observes them interact during recess, or the way the staff approach and address them. In Fourteen, these observations are brought to light in absurd extremes. We … Continue reading Review: Fourteen by SPLIT Theatrical Productions

Review: Citizen Dog by The Finger Players

The spirits are at play in both reality and fiction in this new work tackling issues of land ownership and the foibles of human desire. Pu Songling’s monstrous 18th century collection of over 400 supernatural stories Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Liaozhai Zhiyi) has remained fascinating over the years, with its quirky supernatural characters from failed scholars to alluring fox spirits interwoven with a strong satirical edge. … Continue reading Review: Citizen Dog by The Finger Players

Taking Back Chinatown: An Interview with Koh Hui Ling and Jean Tay of Drama Box’s Chinatown Crossings

We’re at Drama Box’s home on Trengganu Street in Chinatown, interviewing Drama Box artistic director Koh Hui Ling and writer Jean Tay, when Hui Ling suddenly recalls: “We were talking to the uncles and aunties living in the area, and a common thing we heard from them was how so many of them said ‘Chinatown doesn’t belong to us anymore; it belongs to the tourists.’” … Continue reading Taking Back Chinatown: An Interview with Koh Hui Ling and Jean Tay of Drama Box’s Chinatown Crossings

Review: The Moon Is Less Bright by The Second Breakfast Company

An ominous moon hangs over 2BCo’s third production. First staged over 50 years ago, Goh Poh Seng’s The Moon Is Less Bright is a classic of the Singapore literary canon. Set in a small farmhouse on the outskirts of Singapore, worlds collide when a shopkeeper brother who lives in town has to stay with his farmer brother in the country to escape from the danger caused by invading … Continue reading Review: The Moon Is Less Bright by The Second Breakfast Company