RATA – new grounds, new sounds: An Interview with director Safuan Johari

In the blink of an eye, another year has gone by, and we’ll soon be saying goodbye to 2022. But before the year ends, sound artist and music producer Safuan Johari will be concluding it with a bang, as he and the Esplanade premiere the RATA Orkestra this December. Rounding off the Esplanade’s In New Light season of commissioned work at the newly opened Singtel … Continue reading RATA – new grounds, new sounds: An Interview with director Safuan Johari

Wild Rice announces An Inspector Calls, The Butterfly Lovers and Hotel as first three shows of 2023

With the end of 2022 comes the beginning of 2023, and with that – a brand new theatre season for leading Singapore theatre company Wild Rice, who’ve just announced the first three shows of 2023 – a new staging of J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls, the arrival of the first English-language opera adaptation The Butterfly Lovers, and the restaging of their critically-acclaimed Hotel. A thought-provoking … Continue reading Wild Rice announces An Inspector Calls, The Butterfly Lovers and Hotel as first three shows of 2023

★★★★★ Review: Pinocchio by Wild Rice

Italian fairytale proves powerful inspiration for Wild Rice’s annual pantomime. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Pam Oei) 10 Script (Thomas Lim) 9 Performance (Mae Elliessa, Ebi Shankara, Siti Khalijah Zainal, Dwayne Lau, Michelle Ler, Vester Ng) 9 Music – Composition/Lyrics (Julian Wong / Joel Tan) 9 Live Music (Joel Nah, Feri Susanto, Colin Yong, Brandon Wong, Rizal Sanip) 9 Choreography (Gino Babagay) 9 Set … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Pinocchio by Wild Rice

★★★★☆ Review: A Singaporean In Paris (2022) by Sing’theatre

Light-hearted musical revue rings in the holiday season with joy and laughter. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Hossan Leong) 8 Script (Alison Jean Lester) 7 Performance (Amin Alifin, Ethel Yap, Gaby Rae, Hossan Leong, Peter Ong) 8 Choreography (George Chan) 9 Set Design (Wong Chee Wai) 9 Lighting Design (Reuben Ong) 8 Sound Design (Shah Tahir) 8 Costumes/Hair (Theresa Chan/Ashley Lim) 8 Music (Elaine … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: A Singaporean In Paris (2022) by Sing’theatre

Review: Playwrights’ Cove 2022 by The Necessary Stage

From featuring promising young theatremakers at the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, to the creative jamming of The Orange Playground, in recent years, The Necessary Stage (TNS) has been increasingly moving towards the developing of new works and setting the foundations for a new generation of theatremakers. This year, TNS has also brought back Playwrights’ Cove, a playwriting training and mentorship programme led by Resident Playwright … Continue reading Review: Playwrights’ Cove 2022 by The Necessary Stage

An Interview with Gangguan Theatre’s Edward Eng, Writer/Director of new play ‘The Change’

In a year where we have finally begun to move beyond the shadow of the pandemic, new global problems begin to rear their head in our face once again, with the most prominent of those being climate change. But in the face of a global crisis, how do we keep our chin up and do something useful about it? New theatre company Gangguan Theatre will … Continue reading An Interview with Gangguan Theatre’s Edward Eng, Writer/Director of new play ‘The Change’

Preview: The Change by Gangguan Theatre

While negotiators at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt race to strike a strong climate deal, Singapore playwright-led collaboration Gangguan! presents The Change, an original new work. The one-actor production starring Dennis Sofian (Tartuffe, W!LD RICE) draws upon playwright Edward Eng’s (dead was the body till I taught it how to move, Bhumi Collective) personal experience working on climate policy and difficulty in … Continue reading Preview: The Change by Gangguan Theatre

Preview: Kumar XXX by Dream Academy

THIRTY… DIRTY… FLIRTY… From being stripped bare, to being a superhero, one ruling Queen has done it all. That Queen happens to be Kumar, Singapore’s number 1 drag queen and queen of comedy, as Kumar celebrates THIRTY fabulous years in show business – i.e. XXX (which is indeed the Roman numerals for 30!) So with a name like Kumar XXX, expect there to be some raunchy, X-rated … Continue reading Preview: Kumar XXX by Dream Academy

★★★☆☆ Review: Kingdoms Apart by Chong Tze Chien and Esplanade – Theatres on The Bay

Held back by the weight of its ambition in this valiant but problematic new staging of The Mahabharata. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Chong Tze Chien) 6 Script (Chong Tze Chien) 6 Performance 7 Set Design (Eucien Chia) 7 Sound Design (Darren Ng) 8 Lighting Design (James Tan) 8 Costumes/Hair/Makeup (Yuan Zhiying & Jacqueline Teo/Ashley Lim/Bobbie Ng) 5 Multimedia (Koo Chia Meng) 7 Puppetry … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Kingdoms Apart by Chong Tze Chien and Esplanade – Theatres on The Bay

★★★★☆ Review: Extinction Feast by The Theatre Practice

Experimental eco-theatre fishes out the complexities of climate paralysis. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Ang Xiao Ting) 7 Script (Nabilah Said, Lee Wai Lokm Ang Xiao Ting, Sim Xin Yi, and Andrew Marko) 5 Performance (Andrew Marko) 9 Set Design (Chen Szu-Feng) 7 Lighting Design (Faith Liu Yong Huay) 8 Multimedia Design (Elizabeth Mak) 9 Sound Design (Ferry and Sandra Tay) 8 Costumes (MAX.TAN) … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Extinction Feast by The Theatre Practice