It’s hard to pin down what exactly the latest play from E.V. Crowe is about. The Sewing Group starts off set in the 1600s, when a young woman (Fiona Glascott) is newly introduced to a village who seems to do nothing but sew. In a series of scenes, she speaks cryptically to her group, consisting of two other women (Sarah Niles and Jane Hazlegrove) on sewing, … Continue reading Review: The Sewing Group by The Royal Court Theatre
Based off writer H.G. Wells’ Kipps: The Story of A Simple Soul, Half A Sixpence adapts the 1967 British musical film of the same name and follows the story of Arthur Kipps – a young orphan from Kent who unexpectedly comes into wealth. The tale takes on a Victorian twist, and Kipps must choose between two women – the upper class Helen Walsingham who he falls head over … Continue reading Review: Half A Sixpence at the Noel Coward Theatre [15/11/16]
Hang Qian Chou stars as the titular ‘Hay Bee’, which translates to ‘dried shrimp’, in this one man play. Written by Desmond Sim, Shrimps In Space follows the life of Lim Huat Bee as he grows up and navigates life as a scrawny kid and the terrifying world of school, girls and more. Shrimps in Space takes the audience on a journey from Hay Bee’s primary school life … Continue reading Review: Shrimps in Space by GenerAsia [10/11/16]
SRT rounds off their 2016 season with one of the most thought provoking plays this decade. Get your tickets for the Singaporean premiere of Pulitzer-Prize winning play Disgraced, which has also become the most staged play in the US in 2016! Disgraced follows Amir, an American born Muslim who’s achieved the American Dream with a great job and beautiful artist wife (who happens to specialise in Islam-inspired … Continue reading Preview: Disgraced by SRT
Who needs Shakespeare when all the drama really happens backstage? Roger Harwood’s script may be slightly dated, but its found its place perfectly well as a period piece that celebrates and decries all the mayhem that happens behind the scenes of a theatre company. Said to be based off of Harwood’s life as dresser to actor Sir Donald Wolfit, The Dresser is a backstage play, portraying the … Continue reading Review: The Dresser at the Duke of York’s Theatre [8/11/16]
Shopping and F***ing is one of those fiercely British plays from the turbulent 90s, full of sex, violence, blood and drug use and is unabashedly controversial. Yet, behind the rage and fury lies a pertinent storyline that reflects some serious social issues and concerns. Receiving new direction from Sean Holmes, Shopping and F***ing highlights the transactional nature of our modern relationships and our treatment of money, … Continue reading Review: Shopping And F***ing by the Lyric Hammersmith [28/10/16]
In the theatre world, we’re usually hard pressed to find sequels to plays that premiered just a few years ago, and even rarer – a monologue. Best Of (His Story) is a follow up piece to 2013’s Best Of, which featured Siti Khalijah as a Muslim woman undergoing a divorce. Come 2016, this version now features Sani Hussin as a Muslim man going through divorce instead, to see what it’s … Continue reading Review: Best of (His Story) by The Necessary Stage [2/11/16]
“ Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton. New Opera Singapore was last seen at the Victoria Theatre with a production of Orpheus In The Underworld. They’re back again, and presenting their very first Youth Opera and Artiste-in-Residence concert series. The Youth Opera was started with the intent to spot and groom youths in Singapore with the talent … Continue reading REVIEW: A Heart That Loves + Poet’s Love by New Opera Singapore (2/11/16)
Labyrinth burns with an intensity that seems to have become standard fare for new writing at Hampstead Theatre. As with her first two plays, Beth Steel works on the fringes of the political realm with characters you’d expect to be involved in these crises. Like her award-winning Wonderland, Steel incorporates unflinching historical detail into the surroundings her characters find themselves in. These choices seem to … Continue reading Review: Labyrinth by Hampstead Theatre [7/10/16]
Watch Singapore’s history come alive as Serene Chen and Jean Ng recap key milestones of Singapore’s literary scene in their captivating performance, Rant and Rave II. Beyond The Bookworm Club, Bonnie Hicks, Flame of the Forest and Borders bookstore, Rant and Rave II presents the various struggles writers have been contending with since the 1950s. Should writers write only what the public wants to read? … Continue reading Preview: Rant And Rave II by The Finger Players
