A colourful romp of unbridled fun through Malay folklore opens Pesta Raya 2018. The Malay oral tradition is a rich one, full of colourful characters and unforgettable stories. But as these tales become increasingly hard to hear in the traditional form, so must they evolve with the times to find a new audience. That evolution can be seen in the 2018 Pesta Raya – Malay … Continue reading Pesta Raya 2018: Alkesah (Review)
Created by and starring Malaysian singer and actor Sean Ghazi, TARAKUCHA! is described as “the Terrer-Menerrer Big Band with a Malaysian twist”, and essentially continues Sean Ghazi’s fascination with the Malaysian songbook, after the release of his AIM award-winning album ‘Semalam’. In TARAKUCHA!, expect a night of music from Malaysia’s greatest composers and songwriters, ranging from P. Ramlee to Sudirman to Jimmy Boyle. But know that these won’t be straight covers … Continue reading Pesta Raya 2018: TARAKUCHA! by Sean Ghazi and Ida Mariana (Preview)
Based off the memoir that shot American author Mitch Albom to fame, Taiwan’s Godot Theatre Company will be presenting their smash hit stage adaptation of Tuesdays with Morrie at the Esplanade next week! As a memoir, Tuesdays with Morrie found resonance with audience members worldwide when it was first published in 1997. Tuesdays with Morrie follows Mitch as he spends every Tuesday with his college professor Professor Morrie Schwartz, … Continue reading Tuesdays with Morrie: An Interview with Director Daniel Yang and Cast Members Jin Shi Jie and Pu Xueliang
Just as one’s ears prick up for a story the moment one hears the magical words ‘once upon a time’, storytellers of Malay folklore begin their tales with an equally powerful opener – ‘alkesah’, or ‘as the story goes’. And celebrating that long history of oral tradition then, is the aptly titled Esplanade commissioned musical Alkesah, opening the Esplanade’s 2018 Pesta Raya – Malay Festival of the … Continue reading Pesta Raya 2018: An Interview with Zulfadli ‘Big’ Rashid (Alkesah)
Coinciding with the celebration of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, the 17th edition of Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay’s Pesta Raya – Malay Festival of Arts returns this July! This year, the festival will showcase the rich history of the Nusantara (Malay Archipelago), with a spectrum of programmes set to appeal to everyone from the young ones all the way to the oldtimers and hipsters! … Continue reading Preview: Pesta Raya 2018 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay
A contemporary version of Ibsen’s play effectively brings out its newfound urgency and relevance in our crazy, messed up modern world. Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People was initially considered one of his minor works in his lifetime. But in recent years, the play has seen an increasing number of stagings and new interpretations, and come to represent a disturbingly prescient rallying cry for the uncertain, messy … Continue reading SIFA 2018: An Enemy of the People by Schaubühne Berlin (Review)
Unearthing the stories hidden within this age-old monument. As Singapore’s oldest Christian church, the Armenian Church is rife with the memory of travelers and people past, its very walls pulsating with a special kind of hidden power only afforded to the oldest of structures. With such a history behind it, it stands to reason that it makes for the perfect monument to stage something brimming … Continue reading SIFA 2018: The Hidden by Kamini Ramachandran (Review)
Who were the people who were here before us, and what were they seeking? Were they travellers, lovers, heroes or villains? Kamini Ramachandran, Singapore’s number one storyteller and a fierce proponent for the oral tradition, is here to answer that. Besides organising Storyfest, she’s managed to make time to take part in SIFA 2018, bringing a touch of oral magic to the festival with her … Continue reading SIFA 2018: The Hidden by Kamini Ramachandran (Preview)
Silence is power in this immersive tour that summons the ghosts of the past to the National Gallery. It’s 10pm at the National Gallery, long after opening hours have ceased, and all is quiet. It’s a little nervewracking; one becomes keenly aware of each step you take, echoing through the walls of the former Supreme Court with its high ceilings and expansive corridors. And that’s … Continue reading SIFA 2018: 0600 by Ground Z-0 (Review)
SIFA 2018 opens on a chilling note with this dystopian modern classic. Considered by many to be George Orwell’s magnum opus, 1984 has become the go to model for a dystopian world, a culmination of everything we should avoid becoming at all costs. Yet this is a warning the world seems to have forgotten to heed, as the chilling reality of a society plagued by surveillance … Continue reading SIFA 2018: Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan’s 1984 (Review)
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