The Studios 2020: An Interview with Toy Pianist Margaret Leng Tan (Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep) [CANCELLED]

Playing a toy piano could easily come off as a gimmick, but for Margaret Leng Tan, the experimental artist has somehow managed to carve it into an entire career. Now, get ready to hear the story behind one of Singapore’s most renowned avant garde musicians, as Margaret presents Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep this March. Co-commissioned by the Esplanade and Arts Centre Melbourne, The Studios 2020 was originally … Continue reading The Studios 2020: An Interview with Toy Pianist Margaret Leng Tan (Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep) [CANCELLED]

Preview: The Esplanade presents The Studios 2020 – Lost & Found

Life is a lost & found box. At least, that’s how the Esplanade sees it come 2020, with their latest season of The Studios come March and April. Dealing with the experience of loss and all the complicated emotions that come with it, a loss often results in an empty void we then have to fill, therefore goading and motivating us into finding something to … Continue reading Preview: The Esplanade presents The Studios 2020 – Lost & Found

Review: Fika & Fishy by Patch and Punnet

★★★☆☆ (Performance attended 15/2/20) ‘Adult-oriented’ show about a friendship between pets stuck at crossroads between crass humour and an attempt at genuine emotion.  Remember waking up on weekends as a kid, switching on the TV and catching those Saturday morning cartoons? Patch and Punnet’s Fika & Fishy is a little like that, complete with its own opening song in the form of a rap by omarKENOBI … Continue reading Review: Fika & Fishy by Patch and Punnet

Music Is: Hydeout Festival 2020 (Preview)

Hydeout Festival makes its debut this October to bring the region’s first multi- genre music festival to Gardens by the Bay. Celebrating the multi-elemental music scene and championing a free-spirited adventure, for two weekends, the festival welcomes international and regional artists to showcase a range of talent and genres as the sun goes down. On Weekend One (9th to 10th October), French DJ and producer … Continue reading Music Is: Hydeout Festival 2020 (Preview)

Esplanade’s Mosaic Music Series 2020: Six Acts To Look Out For From Now to March (Preview)

Since first started in October 2004, the Esplanade’s Mosaic Music series have brought in some of the best music from the most creative artists from all over the world. While initially having focused on jazz and world music, Mosaic has expanded to include alternative, indie and other non-mainstream music genres. No longer is it a 10-day Music Festival, but a regular presentation throughout the year, ensuring … Continue reading Esplanade’s Mosaic Music Series 2020: Six Acts To Look Out For From Now to March (Preview)

Review: The Long Goodbye 小儿子 by Story Works X Dreamland (Huayi 2020)

★★★★☆ (Performance attended 7/2/20) Tackling dementia with both humour and heart. One of the most terrifying things about dementia itself, besides its effects, is the sheer length of time it can possibly affect a person for, eating away at their mind for years till the day they die, left an empty husk of their former selves. The burden then falls onto a patient’s carer as … Continue reading Review: The Long Goodbye 小儿子 by Story Works X Dreamland (Huayi 2020)

Review: Almost 55 乔杨 by City Contemporary Dance Company (Huayi 2020)

★★★★☆ (Performance attended 9/2/20) Age is no barrier to Qiao Yang in this dance-biopic of her life.  While most of the narrative heavy-lifting in biopics is often done via text, for a show about a dancer’s life, it makes perfect sense that the story is told not by words, but by her body instead. First performed in Hong Kong in 2019, City Contemporary Dance Company’s … Continue reading Review: Almost 55 乔杨 by City Contemporary Dance Company (Huayi 2020)

Huayi 2020: An Interview with Veteran Dancer Qiao Yang, Star of City Contemporary Dance Company’s Almost 55

The dance world has never been kind towards ageing dancers, with most performance careers ending in their 30s. But for 50-something year old dancer Qiao Yang, her age becomes a point of pride as she manages to continue dancing even today, and is the subject of her autobiographical solo piece Almost 55, playing as part of the Esplanade’s Huayi Festival 2020 this February. Created by award-winning Taiwanese … Continue reading Huayi 2020: An Interview with Veteran Dancer Qiao Yang, Star of City Contemporary Dance Company’s Almost 55

Huayi 2020: An Interview with Huang Chih Kai, Director of Story Works X Dreamland’s The Long Goodbye

Dementia is one of the most terrifying conditions to possibly strike a human being. At the heart of Story Works X Dreamland’s The Long Goodbye is an accomplished author who has been struck by the ailment. All he remembers now are the events of a bestseller he wrote about being a father to his youngest son. But years have gone by, and that son has now grown … Continue reading Huayi 2020: An Interview with Huang Chih Kai, Director of Story Works X Dreamland’s The Long Goodbye

Review: Principle 原则 by Hong Kong Repertory Theatre (Huayi 2020)

★★★★☆ (Performance attended 1/2/20) Education is politics as two opposing ideologies go head to head in a school setting. Does school prepare students for the real world? While the academic syllabus certainly may not always apply to the working adult, the students featured in Hong Kong Repertory Theatre’s (HKRep) Principle certainly learn more than their fair share of life lessons that feel more relevant than ever … Continue reading Review: Principle 原则 by Hong Kong Repertory Theatre (Huayi 2020)