Review: Hope (Harap) by Teater Ekamatra

Hope (Harap) boasts a stellar cast, from Sani Hussin, to YouTube celebrity Hirzi Zulkiflie, to Apprentice star and rising stage presence Fir Rahman, as well as Siti Hajar Abd Gani and Nur Zakiah Bte Mohd Fared. Originally written by Haresh Sharma and performed in English in 1994, this 2017 version sees it translated into Malay by Zulfadli Rashid, and directed by Mohd Fared Jainal. Primarily discussing the main theme … Continue reading Review: Hope (Harap) by Teater Ekamatra

Review: This Chord and Others [The Studios 2017]

For the first time since 2000, Haresh Sharma’s This Chord and Others returns to the stage! Directed by Timothy Nga, the play stars Thomas Pang, Pavan J Singh and Neo Hai Bin as three friends and colleagues as their friendship is put to the test in the face of a potential job promotion. This Chord is of course, a pun on the word ‘discord’, and this theme was … Continue reading Review: This Chord and Others [The Studios 2017]

Review: Why It’s Kicking Off Everywhere by The Young Vic

Journalist Paul Mason has had a rather exciting career. Particularly in the 2010s, Mason joined Channel 4 News as culture and digital editor, and has continued to cover some of the most relevant and politically charged news stories around the world. Possibly, one of the least expected places you’d find him is performing in a theatre, but here at the Young Vic, for three nights … Continue reading Review: Why It’s Kicking Off Everywhere by The Young Vic

Preview: Hope (Harap) [The Studios 2017]

“A badly decomposed corpse was found floating on Singapore River early this morning…” Teater Ekamatra rounds off The Studios’ 2017 season with Hope (Harap), with an adaptation of Haresh Sharma’s 1994 script into Malay by Zulfadli Rashid.  Hope (Harap) explores the dynamics of a family and their friends, and the importance of their individual hope as the drive for their dreams, the very basis for desire and … Continue reading Preview: Hope (Harap) [The Studios 2017]

Preview: Hand to God by SRT

Singapore Repertory Theatre brings Broadway hit Hand to God to Singapore! If you thought puppet theatre was dead, think again. Hand To God plays like a cross between Avenue Q and The Book of Mormon, with a touch of evil. Troubled teen Jason is still coping with his father’s death and is forced to join his mother, Margery in her Church-led puppet group, consisting of his crush and a rebellious … Continue reading Preview: Hand to God by SRT

Preview: This Chord and Others [The Studios 2017]

Get ready for a blast from the past during the 2017 season of the Esplanade’s The Studios when Haresh Sharma’s 1991 play is given a new breath of life in this restaging headed by Timothy Nga! Last performed in 2000, This Chord and Others is a comedy about friendship and identity through the eyes of three young friends: Sukdev, Gerald and Thomas. The three friends work together … Continue reading Preview: This Chord and Others [The Studios 2017]

Review: ITSY The Musical by The Finger Players

In a world where childhood fairy tales are constantly being adapted into darker, grittier versions for film, it was inevitable that someone would eventually do the same for nursery rhymes. Enter The Finger Players’ first show of the season: ITSY The Musical, which does just that, taking some of your favourite nursery rhymes you learnt as a kid and bringing them to life in this grown up musical. … Continue reading Review: ITSY The Musical by The Finger Players

The Studios 2017: With/Out (Review)

How do you remember a life? In 1999, The Necessary Stage presented Completely With/Out Character, where Singapore’s first openly HIV-positive man, Paddy Chew, performed a true, heartfelt monologue about his life, unfortunately passing away a few months after the end of the production. For those who have never heard of Paddy Chew however, his story remains unknown to them, and the chance to feel and experience it … Continue reading The Studios 2017: With/Out (Review)

Preview: La Cage Aux Folles by W!ld Rice

W!ld Rice is starting off the year with a bang, with a restaging of Harvey Fierstein’s La Cage Aux Folles, last staged at the Esplanade by W!ld Rice in 2012. Winning the 2013 Life! Theatre Award for Production of the Year, La Cage will once again feature Ivan Heng in the lead role as Albin – a family man by day, lascivious drag extraordinaire Zaza by night, … Continue reading Preview: La Cage Aux Folles by W!ld Rice

Preview: With/Out [The Studios 2017]

In 1999, The Necessary Stage worked with Singapore’s first openly HIV-positive person Paddy Chew to devise a monologue titled Completely With/Out Character, depicting Paddy’s experiences. Though well received, Paddy passed on a few months after the production, and few works since have so openly dealt with the condition of living with HIV. More than a decade later, Loo Zihan revisits the work, reinterpreting Paddy’s monologue and reconceptualising the … Continue reading Preview: With/Out [The Studios 2017]