Review: We Were So Hopeful Then by The Necessary Stage

An attempt to highlight the invisible people key to a production’s success. In any theatre production, those deemed worthy of praise are often limited to cast and creatives. But even beyond them, there still exist people who are present in every production, yet never receive praise or acknowledgement they deserve. To highlight these invisible people then acts as one of the key goals of Ellison Tan’s We … Continue reading Review: We Were So Hopeful Then by The Necessary Stage

N.O.W. 2019: Nimita’s Place – Staged Reading (Review)

The tragedy of Partition leaves a haunting impression in this page to stage adaptation. When Akshita Nanda debuted her first novel last year, little did we expect to see it receive a stage adaptation just a year later. Directed by Edith Podesta, the staged reading may not be a full production, but still manages to mostly capture the essence of the original novel, trimming out material … Continue reading N.O.W. 2019: Nimita’s Place – Staged Reading (Review)

Review: Aladdin the Musical presented by BASE Entertainment Asia

It doesn’t matter how much you love the animated film – this staging of Aladdin is a whole new world in itself filled with theatrical magic of the best kind.   For all of Disney’s theatrical adaptations of their films, Aladdin certainly ranks among one of the best, effectively bringing out the colourful world of the film to the stage. Adapted from the 1992 animated film of the … Continue reading Review: Aladdin the Musical presented by BASE Entertainment Asia

Review: Broadway Beng – Last Beng Standing by Dream Academy

With a line-up of catchy numbers, a talented trio of chio buus and the ever-charming Sebastian Tan, Broadway Beng is better than ever before.  It’s hard to imagine that when Broadway Beng first premiered 13 years ago, little would Dream Academy have imagined that it would grow to become the icon of local theatre that it is today. And with Broadway Beng: Last Beng Standing (directed … Continue reading Review: Broadway Beng – Last Beng Standing by Dream Academy

Review: Love Ya Mom! by (爱呀,我的妈!) by Godot Theatre Company

Heartwarming tale that’ll bring anyone closer to their mom. There’s just some nights you need nothing more than a simple and clean musical to reassure and make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Most recently, that musical happens to be Taiwanese theatre company Godot Theatre’s Love Ya Mom!, which played at the Esplanade Theatre in its overseas debut. Directed by Liang Chi-Ming, with music by acclaimed … Continue reading Review: Love Ya Mom! by (爱呀,我的妈!) by Godot Theatre Company

Review: First Fleet (第一舰队) by Nine Years Theatre and Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre

Steering audiences to believe in the redemptive power of art. Written and directed by Nelson Chia, First Fleet marks a bold move for the Nine Years Theatre artistic director, clearly differentiating them from the rest of the companies producing works relating to Singapore’ colonial history this year. Taking inspiration from both historical figures and Thomas Keneally’s novel The Playmaker, First Fleet instead focuses on Australia’s colonial history. And more specifically, the … Continue reading Review: First Fleet (第一舰队) by Nine Years Theatre and Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre

Camden Fringe 2019: The Cardboard Kitchen Project by FK Co-Lab

LONDON – After bringing their interactive installation Dear Cardboard Kitchen to Singapore in May, London based Singapore company FK Co-Lab has further developed the installation into a full length theatre production, set to premiere at Camden Fringe this August. Created by FK Co-Lab co-founders Faezah Zulkifli (director) and Nur Khairiyah Ramli (producer), The Cardboard Kitchen Project follows Jennie, as she moves from Singapore to London. She inherits a … Continue reading Camden Fringe 2019: The Cardboard Kitchen Project by FK Co-Lab

Nine Years Theatre’s First Fleet (第一舰队): An Interview with Director Nelson Chia

Following FAUST/US earlier this year, Nine Years Theatre returns this week for their second production of the year – an original work about the first British fleet to step foot onto what would eventually become Australia, aptly titled First Fleet. Written and directed by Nelson Chia, we posed a number of questions to the Nine Years Theatre Artistic Director to find out a little more about what we … Continue reading Nine Years Theatre’s First Fleet (第一舰队): An Interview with Director Nelson Chia

N.O.W. 2019: Three Fat Virgins Unassembled (Review)

  Almost 30 years on and Ovidia Yu’s classic remains shockingly relevant. One of my earliest memories of coming into contact with local theatre is picking up a copy of Fat Virgins, Fast Cars and Asian Values in the late 2000s, collecting some of the Theatreworks Writers’ Lab’s most seminal plays from the 1990s. Naturally, as its title suggests, this collection contained Ovidia Yu’s Three Fat Virgins Unassembled, a … Continue reading N.O.W. 2019: Three Fat Virgins Unassembled (Review)

Dream Academy’s Broadway Beng: An Interview with Sebastian Tan

In many ways, Broadway Beng seems eternal. Having debuted in 2006, the dapper, Hokkien-spouting, Broadway/West End musical-lovin’ ‘beng’ has become something of a national icon in his own right, winning the hearts of countless aunties, xiao mei meis and men alike with his swagger and charm. But unlike an icon such as say, James Bond and how the character changes actors every few years, Broadway Beng can and will … Continue reading Dream Academy’s Broadway Beng: An Interview with Sebastian Tan