Lest the demons get to me. Written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in the early 1800s, there is a timelessness to the narrative and themes discussed in Faust that have led to it becoming an inspiration for countless other works of art, and its regard as one of the greatest works of German literature. To stage it in a new capacity then, is certainly a challenging … Continue reading Review: FAUST/US (浮世/德) by Nine Years Theatre
This March, Nine Years Theatre (NYT) opens their 2019 season with what is now their signature style of adapting a Western text into Mandarin, this time around having selected Goethe’s Faustus, the quintessential ‘deal with a devil’ story of a scholar who sells his soul in exchange for his wildest dreams. But in Nine Years Theatre’s FAUST/US, not only will protagonist Faust be receiving a gender swap; for … Continue reading Dealing with the Devil: An Interview with Performer Mia Chee and Director Cherilyn Woo of Nine Years Theatre’s FAUST/US (浮世/德)
“I often feel like there are two souls living in me. One with an overwhelming zest with love for life, desperately clinging onto the world and all its wonders, the other is immensely yearns to fly above the dust, and into the light.” The classic tale of a deal with the devil gets the Nine Years Theatre (NYT) treatment as the company presents FAUST/US this March. … Continue reading Preview: FAUST/US (浮世/德) by Nine Years Theatre
Harrowing tale of male friendship torn asunder by contrasting beliefs; a must-watch. American playwright Rajiv Joseph is a modern master of the two-man play. Across some of his other works (Gruesome Playground Injuries, The North Pool), Joseph is able to quickly establish familiar encounters between two people who find the oddest, yet relatable connections to each other, developing it over the course of his writing before … Continue reading Review: Guards at the Taj by Singapore Repertory Theatre
There is more than a passing similarity to Shakespeare’s King Lear and a certain recently deceased leader from our very own country. Besides being former heads of a nation and possessing three children, Lear, when translated to Mandarin, also happens to begin with the Chinese character 李, or ‘Lee’. Appropriately enough then, for their very first Shakespeare adaptation, local Mandarin theatre company Nine Years Theatre … Continue reading Nine Years Theatre’s Lear Is Dead 李尔亡: An Interview with Nelson Chia and Timothy Wan
“We used to think power is our life’s goal, forgetting that wisdom is what our lives are founded upon.” Following their reimagination of Strindberg’s Miss Julie earlier this year, Nine Years Theatre will present their third and final production of the season with another reimagination of a theatre classic: Shakespeare’s King Lear. For Nine Years Theatre, while no stranger to adapting classic works into Mandarin, Lear … Continue reading Preview: Lear Is Dead (李尔亡) by Nine Years Theatre
A number of potential stars emerge from the latest batch of SRT’s The Young Company. First performed by the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain in 2016, the Singapore Repertory Theatre’s The Young Company takes on James Fritz’s The Fall for their graduation showcase. Directed by Daniel Jenkins, The Fall follows the life of a man in three acts as he goes through young love, adulthood and old age, encountering … Continue reading Review: The Fall by The Young Company
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow is always welcome back to Singapore shores year on year. Bringing back the very best of Australia’s up and coming comedians, attending a show guarantees a good night out and more than a couple of laughs along the way. This year’s edition saw five standups take to the stage, as each of them brought their A-game and their keen … Continue reading Review: Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow 2018
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow, Australia’s biggest comedy festival, has become somewhat of a mainstay after making its way down here year after year. Returning once again this week after a riotous edition last year, this year’s edition will feature another five of the best laugh out loud comedians from Down Under as they joke, cajole and sketch their way to evoke the biggest … Continue reading Preview: Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow 2018
Following two years of training across all forms and aspect of theatre, Singapore Repertory Theatre’s (SRT) latest batch of The Young Company trainees are set to graduate this August, culminating in a graduation showcase performance of James Fritz’s The Fall. First performed by the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain at the Finborough Theatre, London in August 2016, The Fall examines youth and their relationship with ageing and … Continue reading Preview: The Fall by The Young Company
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