Preview: Broadway Beng 20th Anniversary TWENTY POON PIPI by Dream Academy

If there’s one Singaporean stage icon who has managed to outshine sequins, satire, and even the most dramatic Broadway crescendos, it’s Broadway Beng®. And this July, the larger-than-life persona returns—older, glitzier, and arguably more fabulous than ever. At the centre of it all is Sebastian Tan, the man who has spent two decades perfecting the art of being unapologetically “Beng”, equal parts cheeky, heartfelt, and … Continue reading Preview: Broadway Beng 20th Anniversary TWENTY POON PIPI by Dream Academy

Theatre Review: Pulau Rindu by Emergency Stairs x NAFA Industry Project 2026

Finding the shape of yearning through deconstructing a city and all the lives and stories within it. What does it mean to belong, and what happens if that belonging is tied to a place that exists only in memory, imagination, or longing? Pulau Rindu, directed by Tan Shou Chen and presented as part of the NAFA Industry Project by Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and … Continue reading Theatre Review: Pulau Rindu by Emergency Stairs x NAFA Industry Project 2026

Theatre Review: Backstage Protocol 后台协议 by Emergency Stairs x NAFA Industry Project 2026

Demystifying the backstage and paying tribute to the unseen parts of production In line with Emergency Stairs’ ethos, Backstage Protocol, part of the NAFA Industry Project 2026 by Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and Emergency Stairs, leans fully into uncertainty, trading narrative clarity for process, and polish for possibility. As a showcase, it feels less concerned with delivering a cohesive theatrical product and more invested … Continue reading Theatre Review: Backstage Protocol 后台协议 by Emergency Stairs x NAFA Industry Project 2026

★★★★★ Theatre Review: Randai Macbeth by ASWARA

Shakespeare meets the Nusantara in a bold, visceral Macbeth reborn through randai. It’s no small feat to make a 400-year-old play feel fresh, but Randai Macbeth achieves exactly that, and then some. Presented by Malaysia’s ASWARA and directed by Dr Norzizi Zulkifli, this bold adaptation reimagines Macbeth through the cultural lens of the Nusantara, transforming Shakespeare’s tale of ambition and moral decay into something visceral, … Continue reading ★★★★★ Theatre Review: Randai Macbeth by ASWARA

★★★★★ Theatre Review: PUNO – Sewing Memories by Papermoon Puppet Theatre

A universally affecting, timeless tale of love and loss by masters of the puppetry form. PUNO: Sewing Memories is, in many ways, a ghost story. Or perhaps more precisely, it is the story of a ghost, though not in the way we might expect. From the very outset of the show, which played as part of the Esplanade’s 2026 Pesta Raya – Malay Festival of … Continue reading ★★★★★ Theatre Review: PUNO – Sewing Memories by Papermoon Puppet Theatre

Pesta Raya 2026: An Interview with Maria Tri Sulistyani, founder of Papermoon Puppet Theatre, and playwright/director of ‘PUNO – Sewing Memories’

Twelve years ago, the story that would become PUNO: Sewing Memories began with a promise. Back in 2013, Papermoon Puppet Theatre was planning a collaboration with a close friend from the Philippines: puppetry artist Don Salubayba. “It was kind of like, wow, it’s amazing that we have so much in common, let’s do something together,” recalls director and playwright Maria Tri Sulistyani, also a co-founder … Continue reading Pesta Raya 2026: An Interview with Maria Tri Sulistyani, founder of Papermoon Puppet Theatre, and playwright/director of ‘PUNO – Sewing Memories’

Preview: Emergency Stairs x NAFA Industry Project 2026 – ‘Backstage Protocol’ and ‘Pulau Rindu’

Have you ever wondered about the forces shaping our lives that we don’t see? This April, a new generation of theatre-makers in Singapore is asking exactly that. The NAFA Industry Project 2026, co-presented by Emergency Stairs and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, is a bold, immersive exploration of what they call “Invisible Architectures.” Think about the unseen systems, quiet hierarchies, and emotional undercurrents that shape … Continue reading Preview: Emergency Stairs x NAFA Industry Project 2026 – ‘Backstage Protocol’ and ‘Pulau Rindu’

★★★★☆ Theatre Review: End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland by HoriPro Inc.

A dream made tangible as Haruki Murakami’s surreal masterpiece comes vividly to life on stage. Fresh from its world premiere in Tokyo in January, End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland arrives in Singapore with the weight of expectation. Beyond its sheer scale, adapting Haruki Murakami’s writing for the stage has always been a formidable undertaking. His novels are winding, introspective and often resistant to … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Theatre Review: End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland by HoriPro Inc.

End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland: An Interview with director/choreographer Philippe Decouflé on adapting Haruki Murakami for the stage

Few literary worlds are as slippery, introspective and visually elusive as those of Haruki Murakami—which makes the stage adaptation of Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World an especially intriguing proposition. Directed and choreographed by Philippe Decouflé, the production transforms Murakami’s dual narratives into a highly visual theatrical experience, where movement, colour and scenography take the place of interior monologue. Arriving in Singapore at … Continue reading End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland: An Interview with director/choreographer Philippe Decouflé on adapting Haruki Murakami for the stage

★★★★☆ Theatre Review: Tall Tales – Bananas and Ang Ku Kueh 谈谈: 香蕉与红龟粿 by The Finger Players X Shakespeare’s Wild Sisters Group

A multiplicity of riotous stories exuberantly told, even if they don’t quite add up. Tall Tales: Bananas & Ang Ku Kuehs holds a delectable premise: a Singapore–Taiwan puppet theatre collaboration drawing on the storytelling spirit of The Decameron, where tales of love, jealousy, greed and mischief multiply across cultures and generations. Directed by Oliver Chong of The Finger Players and Wang Chia-Ming of Shakespeare’s Wild … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Theatre Review: Tall Tales – Bananas and Ang Ku Kueh 谈谈: 香蕉与红龟粿 by The Finger Players X Shakespeare’s Wild Sisters Group