★★★★★ Theatre Review: Lao Jiu – The Musical 《老九》音乐剧 (2026) by The Theatre Practice

This definitive Singaporean Chinese musical reckons with the impossible decision between dreams and duty, and more crucially, what it costs to choose your own life in Singapore. First written and staged in 1990 by the late theatre doyen Kuo Pao Kun with The Theatre Practice (Practice), Lao Jiu was a script that was always meant to evolve. Originally a stage play, its eventual transformation into … Continue reading ★★★★★ Theatre Review: Lao Jiu – The Musical 《老九》音乐剧 (2026) by The Theatre Practice

Preview: Lao Jiu – The Musical 《老九》音乐剧 (2026) by The Theatre Practice

In a fast-changing Singapore obsessed with credentials, career pathways and the promise of stability, Lao Jiu: The Musical feels both nostalgic and strikingly contemporary. Set against the backdrop of 1980s Singapore, this beloved local musical returns in April 2026 with renewed urgency, asking a question many of us still grapple with today: what do you do when your dreams do not align with expectations? Presented … Continue reading Preview: Lao Jiu – The Musical 《老九》音乐剧 (2026) by The Theatre Practice

Review: Hossan-AH 50! – Love You LEONG Time! by Double Confirm Productions

A last hurrah for the Singapore Boy in this sincere celebration of a life in entertainment. Surefire ways to tell you’re getting on in age – when people call you ‘lao ban’ (boss) instead of ‘xiao di’ (little boy), and when you realise it’s probably more appropriate to call the taxi driver ‘brother’ instead of ‘uncle’. Where these might spark a mid-life crisis in some, … Continue reading Review: Hossan-AH 50! – Love You LEONG Time! by Double Confirm Productions

Hossan-AH 50!: An Interview with Hossan Leong

Best known for his roles on television and stage, over the years, Hossan Leong has grown to become one of our nation’s icons, from The Hossan Leong Show to the host of local game show We Are Singaporeans. Now, the quintessential ‘Singapore Boy’ is about to celebrate his own golden jubilee as he hits the big 5-0 this year, and he’s celebrating with a party … Continue reading Hossan-AH 50!: An Interview with Hossan Leong

Review: A $ingapore Carol by W!ld Rice

The Dickensian holiday classic gets a Singaporean twist There are few shows more quintessential to Christmas than Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, having received countless adaptations and stagings each holiday season. And here in sunny Singapore, while it may not be the most familiar tale to most, all that might just change with W!ld Rice’s Singaporean twist on the classic – A $ingapore Carol. Written … Continue reading Review: A $ingapore Carol by W!ld Rice

A Very W!ld Rice Christmas: An Interview with Director Hossan Leong and The Cast of A $ingapore Carol

This holiday season, W!ld Rice is going full on with the Yuletide festivities as they power through into their final show of the season – their annual year-end pantomime. This time around, they’re adapting Charles Dickens’ holiday classic A Christmas Carol and putting their signature local twist on it, resulting in A $ingapore Carol. Written by Jonathan Lim with a musical score by Elaine Chan, get ready for … Continue reading A Very W!ld Rice Christmas: An Interview with Director Hossan Leong and The Cast of A $ingapore Carol

Review: Private Parts by Michael Chiang Playthings

Michael Chiang’s favourite script rings true even today.  When it first premiered in 1992, playwright Michael Chiang’s Private Parts was groundbreaking for its bold choice to depict transsexuals onstage, not as cheap forms of entertainment or the butt of jokes, but as fully fleshed out characters with their own personal lives and stories to tell. Even today, 26 years on, with plays dealing with the concept of … Continue reading Review: Private Parts by Michael Chiang Playthings

Review: Peter and the Starcatcher by Pangdemonium

Pangdemonium’s first ‘family-friendly’ show still leaves plenty of wink-wink nudge-nudge moments for the grownups in the audience. What might life have been like for the boy who would become Peter Pan before Neverland? With that simple premise, Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson crafted the unofficial prequel to J.M. Barrie’s classic novel of the boy who never grew up – Peter and the Starcatcher, imagining the myriad … Continue reading Review: Peter and the Starcatcher by Pangdemonium

Preview: A $ingapore Carol by W!ld Rice

As is now Christmas tradition, after last year’s Mama White Snake, W!ld Rice returns for their 16th edition annual pantomime with perhaps the most appropriate new musical ever: A $ingapore Carol. Based off Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol, perhaps the hallmark holiday story, A $ingapore Carol puts a keenly local twist and strong dose of humour on the original. Written by Jonathan Lim (Four Horse Road, Diva To The Death), A … Continue reading Preview: A $ingapore Carol by W!ld Rice

Preview: Michael Chiang’s Private Parts

Originally staged 26 years ago during the 1992 Singapore Arts Festival under directorship of Ong Keng Sen, Michael Chiang’s groundbreaking comedy about trans-people returns for its fourth professional staging this November at the Drama Centre. In this 2018 reboot, Private Parts is being presented by playwright Michael Chiang’s very own company Michael Chiang Playthings, and will be utilising the original 1992 script. It will also be … Continue reading Preview: Michael Chiang’s Private Parts