Review: Guards at the Taj by Singapore Repertory 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

Nine Years Theatre’s Lear Is Dead 李尔亡: An Interview with Nelson Chia and Timothy Wan

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

Preview: Lear Is Dead (李尔亡) by Nine Years Theatre

“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

Review: The Fall by The Young Company

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

Review: Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow 2018

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

Preview: 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

Preview: The Fall by The Young Company

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

Review: Agnes of God by Desert Wine Productions

A likeable enough religious mystery/thriller on a budget. Agnes of God is a production whose script pulls out all the stops for shock – an amnesiac novice nun found with her baby strangled by its own umbilical cord and absentmindedly tossed into a wastepaper basket, a cagey Mother Superior who becomes increasingly suspicious as secrets from the convent keep slipping out, and an atheist psychiatrist tasked … Continue reading Review: Agnes of God by Desert Wine Productions

Preview: Agnes of God by Desert Wine Productions

Following productions of Stella Kon’s Emily of Emerald Hill in 2016 and Donald Margulies’ Dinner with Friends in 2017 in ‘off central’ locations such as Goodman Arts Centre and The Grassroots’ Club. Now, they’re bringing theatre back to the hub of Singapore, with Agnes of God playing at the KC Arts Centre this week. Punning on the Latin phrase Agnus Dei (Lamb of God), Agnes of God was first written by American playwright John … Continue reading Preview: Agnes of God by Desert Wine Productions

Review: Pissed Julie (茱莉小解) by Nine Years Theatre

Strindberg’s classic is re-appropriated to complicate issues of identity and the mutability of class in this new adaptation. In watching Nelson Chia’s adaptation of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie, there’s a scene from late animator Satoshi Kon’s film Paprika that came to mind: in the opening sequence, we see the title character’s reflection split across multiple mirrors, each displaying a different expression. In a similar way, Nelson has made the unusual choice … Continue reading Review: Pissed Julie (茱莉小解) by Nine Years Theatre