★★★★★ Review: Famous Puppet Death Scenes by The Old Trout Puppet Workshop

Fictional puppet history showcases a myriad of forms, styles, and dark, adult-oriented humour that leaves a powerful sense of catharsis. For so many people, death can be such a terrifying prospect because it seems so mysterious, so sudden, and most of all, inevitable. After all, nobody escapes death – not even puppets. But given that puppets never truly die, it stands to reason that they … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Famous Puppet Death Scenes by The Old Trout Puppet Workshop

bakchormeeboyJune 8, 20231 Comment

Arts, Review, Theatre

★★★★★ Review: Chimpanzee by Nick Lehane

The hell of animal experimentation is keenly felt in this devastating work of puppet theatre. The beauty of puppetry lies in how easily we project our own feelings onto an object, given breath and life through puppeteers. And for animal puppets in particular, there is a dual layer of suspension of disbelief required, where not only do the puppeteers have to create empathy for a … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Chimpanzee by Nick Lehane

bakchormeeboyMay 27, 2023Leave a comment

Arts, Interview, Preview, Theatre

Flipside 2023: An Interview with Pityu Kenderes, co-artistic director of The Old Trout Puppet Workshop and co-creator of ‘Famous Puppet Death Scenes’

Everyone knows the best part of tragedies are the epic, bloody, melodramatic death scenes. So why not craft an entire show that gives you the best of the best, with an entire series of death scenes one after another? Enter Famous Puppet Death Scenes, where puppets will do just that for you, showcasing gruesome, shocking, silly, and ultimately, cathartic deaths of puppets. Created by Canada’s … Continue reading Flipside 2023: An Interview with Pityu Kenderes, co-artistic director of The Old Trout Puppet Workshop and co-creator of ‘Famous Puppet Death Scenes’

bakchormeeboyMay 24, 2023June 3, 20232 Comments

Arts, Preview, Theatre

Esplanade’s Flipside 2023: An Interview with Nick Lehane, creator of ‘Chimpanzee’

Award-winning puppeteer and theatremaker Nick Lehane is a sensitive man, who feels for the world and its inhabitants, and wants you to think about them too. In his critically-acclaimed puppet play Chimpanzee, Nick invites audiences to consider the plight of a primate whose DNA is surprisingly close to ours, yet is put through the wringer and subject to cruelties such as being locked in a … Continue reading Esplanade’s Flipside 2023: An Interview with Nick Lehane, creator of ‘Chimpanzee’

bakchormeeboyMay 24, 2023May 25, 2023Leave a comment

Arts, Malay Theatre, Review, Theatre

★★★★★ Review: Potong (2023) by Teater Ekamatra

Circumcision as a rite of passage opens up difficult conversations about family ties. Severance of any form can be a source of great anxiety. Whether it’s separation from the only family you’ve ever known, or even the prospect of removing a part of your body, can the act of having something cut off from you no longer be seen as a necessary rite of passage? … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Potong (2023) by Teater Ekamatra

bakchormeeboyMay 20, 20232 Comments

Arts, Preview, Theatre

Pesta Raya 2023: An Interview with ‘Potong’ director Mohd Fared Jainal

What does it mean to be a Singaporean Malay man? Is it having gone through National Service? Is it simply by virtue of being brown? Or could it be the quintessential rite of passage for Muslim males – circumcision? Those are key questions that will be addressed and more in Johnny Jon Jon’s play Potong, which receives a new staging next week as part of … Continue reading Pesta Raya 2023: An Interview with ‘Potong’ director Mohd Fared Jainal

bakchormeeboyMay 13, 2023May 13, 2023Leave a comment

Arts, Dance with Me, Review, Theatre

★★★★★ Review: Revisor by Kidd Pivot

Gogol’s satirical comedy becomes a spellbinding movement piece about truth, lies, and power. Category Score (out of 10) Direction/Choreography (Crystal Pite) 10 Writer (Jonathon Young) 10 Music / Sound Design (Owen Belton, Alessandro Juliani, Meg Roe) 10 Performance (Renée Sigouin, Doug Letheren, Rakeem Hardy, Rena Narumi, Ella Rothschild, Brandon Alley, Jennifer Florentino, Gregory Lau) 10 Scenic Design (Jay Gower Taylor) 10 Costume Design (Nancy Bryant) … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Revisor by Kidd Pivot

bakchormeeboyMay 11, 2023May 11, 2023Leave a comment

Arts, Dance with Me, Review, Theatre

Review: Come On In by Faye Driscoll (Esplanade’s da:ns focus 2023)

ASMR meets meditation in this private dance between yourself and Faye Driscoll. In her exploration of connection and the relationship between audience and performer, American choreographer Faye Driscoll has conceptualised Come On In, a dance-installation work that eschews traditional dance conventions. Rather than watching a performer enact a series of choreographic movements, the audience becomes the performer, taking instruction from Driscoll as she leads us … Continue reading Review: Come On In by Faye Driscoll (Esplanade’s da:ns focus 2023)

bakchormeeboyMay 11, 2023May 11, 2023Leave a comment

Arts, Dance with Me, Preview, Theatre

Preview: An Interview with dance artist and creator of installation ‘Come On In’ Faye Driscoll (Esplanade’s da:ns focus 2023)

Dance is often thought of as an art form that’s enjoyed seated, and performed on a big stage. It is a passive act of consumption, rather than an active act of participation. When the performance is over, we politely applaud and admire the dancers for their physicality and skill, and think to ourselves – wow, I could never do that. But American dance artist Faye … Continue reading Preview: An Interview with dance artist and creator of installation ‘Come On In’ Faye Driscoll (Esplanade’s da:ns focus 2023)

bakchormeeboyMay 3, 2023Leave a comment

Arts, Dance with Me, Preview, Theatre

Preview: Revisor by Kidd Pivot (Esplanade’s da:ns focus 2023)

Making its Asian premiere, get ready as Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay welcomes Kidd Pivot’s Revisor to the stage as part of this weekend’s da:ns focus programme. Co-created by award-winning artists Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young, Revisor is a hybrid work of dance-theatre that reinterpret Nikolai Gogol’s play The Government Inspector. Named best new dance production by the Olivier Awards in 2022, watch as … Continue reading Preview: Revisor by Kidd Pivot (Esplanade’s da:ns focus 2023)