RATA – new grounds, new sounds: An Interview with director Safuan Johari

In the blink of an eye, another year has gone by, and we’ll soon be saying goodbye to 2022. But before the year ends, sound artist and music producer Safuan Johari will be concluding it with a bang, as he and the Esplanade premiere the RATA Orkestra this December. Rounding off the Esplanade’s In New Light season of commissioned work at the newly opened Singtel … Continue reading RATA – new grounds, new sounds: An Interview with director Safuan Johari

Preview: Voices – A Festival of Song by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

The Esplanade’s Voices – A Festival of Song returns from 1st to 4th December, commemorating its 10th edition alongside Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay’s 20th anniversary. Celebrating song and voice in all forms, Voices once again brings together a multitude of types of singing from choral, opera and a cappella to pop, musical theatre and xinyao. Over the weekend, watch as every corner of … Continue reading Preview: Voices – A Festival of Song by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

★★★☆☆ Review: Kingdoms Apart by Chong Tze Chien and Esplanade – Theatres on The Bay

Held back by the weight of its ambition in this valiant but problematic new staging of The Mahabharata. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Chong Tze Chien) 6 Script (Chong Tze Chien) 6 Performance 7 Set Design (Eucien Chia) 7 Sound Design (Darren Ng) 8 Lighting Design (James Tan) 8 Costumes/Hair/Makeup (Yuan Zhiying & Jacqueline Teo/Ashley Lim/Bobbie Ng) 5 Multimedia (Koo Chia Meng) 7 Puppetry … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Kingdoms Apart by Chong Tze Chien and Esplanade – Theatres on The Bay

Kalaa Utsavam 2022: An Interview with Playwright/Director A Yagnya on ‘Between 5 Cows and the Deep Blue Sea’

When theatremaker A Yagnya’s play Between 5 Cows and the Deep Blue Sea was given a dramatised reading in 2020, we praised it as ‘relatable, fun and poignant’, impressed and hoping for it to receive a full staging at some point. 2 years later, and that staging is finally happening, as part of the Esplanade’s 2022 Kalaa Utsavam – Indian Festival of Arts. Written and … Continue reading Kalaa Utsavam 2022: An Interview with Playwright/Director A Yagnya on ‘Between 5 Cows and the Deep Blue Sea’

Kingdoms Apart: An Interview with Playwright/Director Chong Tze Chien on adapting the Mahābhārata

The Indian epic The Mahabharata is often considered ‘the longest poem ever written’, charting an age old battle between two groups of cousins in the Kurukshetra War for power. To date, it remains one of the most well-known texts in world mythology, and has received countless retellings and adaptations over the years. For theatremaker Chong Tze Chien, The Mahabharata has held a special place in … Continue reading Kingdoms Apart: An Interview with Playwright/Director Chong Tze Chien on adapting the Mahābhārata

★★★★☆ Review: No.60 by Pichet Klunchun Dance Company

Demonstrative performance-lecture capturing Pichet Klunchun’s research and resistance against the traditional Khon format. Thai dancer Pichet Klunchun has spent the last twenty years of his life studying and performing the Thai traditional dance-drama form of khon, and in that time, has achieved a degree of mastery over the form. At the same time, he found frustration in the limitations with which it is taught and … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: No.60 by Pichet Klunchun Dance Company

Preview: Kalaa Utsavam – Indian Festival of Arts 2022 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

Indian culture spans myriad art forms and genres, and once again, the Esplanade is back to celebrate that with the annual Kalaa Utsavam – Indian Festival of Arts. Taking place from 18th to 27th November 2022, the festival builds on the relationships developed over the years with artists and arts groups, while also introducing new and exciting artists and art forms that audiences can look … Continue reading Preview: Kalaa Utsavam – Indian Festival of Arts 2022 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

★★★★★ Review: Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep by Margaret Leng Tan

Fragments of memory and avant garde performance come together for a singular work that could only be performed by Singapore’s most famous toy pianist. Category Score (out of 10) Performer (Margaret Leng Tan) 9 Composition (Erik Griswold) 9 Direction (Tamara Saulwick) 8 Video (Nick Roux) 9 Lighting (Andy Lim) 8 Costume (Yuan Zhiying) 8 Total 51/60 (85%) Stars ★★★★★ Born in 1945, experimental musician Margaret … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep by Margaret Leng Tan

★★★★☆ Review: Infinitely Closer by T.H.E Dance Company

T.H.E shows off the capabilities of the new Singtel Waterfront Theatre with this new show melding tech and art. Coinciding with the ongoing da:ns Festival, the newly opened Singtel Waterfront Theatre begins its journey with a bang, with the latest work from The Human Expression (T.H.E) Dance Company. Choreographed by T.H.E artistic director Kuik Swee Boon in conjunction with the performers (Brandon Khoo, Ng Zu … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Infinitely Closer by T.H.E Dance Company

Preview: Pangdemonium! brings back Season Ticket for 2023 theatre season

Following their latest, critically-acclaimed production of End of the Rainbow, Pangdemonium’s annual Season Ticket is finally making a highly-anticipated return for their 2023 season of theatre, after a three-year-long hiatus. Available from now till the end of the year, the Season Ticket heralds an exciting 2023 season ahead. 2020 to 2022 will likely be remembered as the “wilderness years”, with many of us having spent … Continue reading Preview: Pangdemonium! brings back Season Ticket for 2023 theatre season