★★★★★ Theatre Review: A Mirror by Pangdemonium

Tracie Pang deftly handles Sam Holcroft’s puzzle box of a play-within-a-play with confidence and a stellar team to produce the theatrical event of the year. There are theatre productions you admire and those you enjoy. And then there are productions that leave you walking out of the theatre almost hesitating to speak, not because you have nothing to say, but because you are still trying … Continue reading ★★★★★ Theatre Review: A Mirror by Pangdemonium

Turning Audiences Into Accomplices: An Interview with director Tracie Pang, and cast members Coco Wang Ling and Ghafir Akbar on Pangdemonium’s ‘A Mirror’

“It wasn’t intentional that A Mirror was chosen for our final season,” says director and Pangdemonium founder and co-artistic director Tracie Pang. “We had already programmed the season before the decision was made that it would be Pangdemonium’s last. We had maybe five shows planned and moving forward, and then it became a question of which of those we would keep and which we would … Continue reading Turning Audiences Into Accomplices: An Interview with director Tracie Pang, and cast members Coco Wang Ling and Ghafir Akbar on Pangdemonium’s ‘A Mirror’

Concert Review: Ray Chen – Violin Recital (Singapore)

Virtuosity, storytelling, and enough encore pieces for a second recital, Ray Chen makes classical music feel welcoming, alive, and deeply human. Ray Chen’s return to Singapore felt less like a standard recital and more like a showcase of how flexible a classical concert can be in 2026. Part virtuoso display, part storytelling, part direct conversation with the audience, Chen was joined by pianist Chelsea Wang, … Continue reading Concert Review: Ray Chen – Violin Recital (Singapore)

★★★★☆ Dance Review: Elusive—A Double Bill by T.H.E Dance Company

International collaborations produce clean, thematically-resonant double bill that proves T.H.E’s dancers are still at the top of the game. Contemporary dance often gravitates towards the intangible: memory, emotion, systems of power, the invisible forces that shape how we move through the world. Elusive, T.H.E Dance Company’s latest double bill presented as part of cont·act Dance Festival, pairs two international collaborations that approach these concerns from … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Dance Review: Elusive—A Double Bill by T.H.E Dance Company

★★★★☆ Circus Review: Der Lauf (The Way Things Go) by Les Vélocimanes Associés

A delirious circus of near-disasters that transforms juggling into a nerve-shredding game of trust and keeps audiences holding their breath. With Der Lauf (The Way Things Go), Belgian company Les Vélocimanes Associés has created what may be one of the most stressful circus experiences in recent memory. Presented as part of Esplanade’s Flipside 2026 programme, this deliriously inventive work transforms juggling into something stranger and … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Circus Review: Der Lauf (The Way Things Go) by Les Vélocimanes Associés

da:ns focus: An Interview with Kevin O’Hare, Director of the Royal Ballet, on legacy, live performance and reinvention

For Kevin O’Hare, director of The Royal Ballet, the long-awaited return of the world class British ballet company to Singapore this June goes far beyond just another international stop on a touring calendar. More than two decades have passed since the company last performed here, and the scale of The Royal Ballet Gala, part of the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay’s da:ns focus – … Continue reading da:ns focus: An Interview with Kevin O’Hare, Director of the Royal Ballet, on legacy, live performance and reinvention

★★★★★ Circus Review: A Simple Space by Gravity & Other Myths (Flipside 2026)

Ingeniously simple concept that reminds us of the joy of circus, stripping is back to its essentials and delivering on a rollicking good time. When most people think of circus, they imagine massive spectacle: towering big tops, elaborate costumes, dazzling lighting rigs, and performers transformed into larger-than-life characters. Contemporary circus after all, often leans towards ever-greater scale, bigger stunts, more ambitious concepts, and increasingly elaborate … Continue reading ★★★★★ Circus Review: A Simple Space by Gravity & Other Myths (Flipside 2026)

Theatre Review: Snakes and Ladders! by Dwayne Lau (Flipside 2026)

Theatrical metaphor for how life never progresses in a straight line, but we keep rolling the dice and continue moving forward amidst the ups and downs. Back in June when Snakes & Ladders premiered as a 40-minute work-in-progress at the Esplanade Concourse, it felt like a charming autobiographical cabaret searching for a stronger narrative spine. Now expanded into a full-length production for the Esplanade’s Flipside … Continue reading Theatre Review: Snakes and Ladders! by Dwayne Lau (Flipside 2026)

Flipside 2026: An interview with Guy Waerenburgh on risk, absurdity and the thrill of unpredictability in ‘Der Lauf (The Way Things Go)’

Contemporary circus rarely sits still, but Der Lauf (The Way Things Go) thrives in a state of beautiful collapse. Created by Belgian juggler and performer Guy Waerenburgh, the internationally acclaimed production transforms juggling into something far stranger and more theatrical: part cabaret, part endurance test, part social experiment. Blindfolded performers navigate towering stacks of wine glasses, spinning plates, flying buckets and razor-sharp knives, while the … Continue reading Flipside 2026: An interview with Guy Waerenburgh on risk, absurdity and the thrill of unpredictability in ‘Der Lauf (The Way Things Go)’

Flipside 2026: Lachlan Binns on how ‘A Simple Space’ celebrates human connection, trust, and play

When A Simple Space first premiered in 2013, contemporary circus was undergoing a global shift. Traditional big-top spectacles and variety-style performances were still dominant, shaped in part by the influence of companies like Cirque du Soleil, with their elaborate staging, narrative framing, and theatrical spectacle. But for co-creator and performer Lachlan Binns, the goal was to go in the opposite direction. “We made the show … Continue reading Flipside 2026: Lachlan Binns on how ‘A Simple Space’ celebrates human connection, trust, and play