★★★★☆ Review: The Heart of Jun – Memories of Zhaojun by Siong Leng Musical Association

Theatre meets Nanyin to deliver a woefully beautiful tale of history and the distances we cross to forge better lives. Siong Leng Musical Association has always been innovative in their approach towards bringing traditional Nanyin music into contemporary times, and as a key part of Chinese culture, finds a perfect opportunity to take their artistry even further with the support of the Esplanade during the … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: The Heart of Jun – Memories of Zhaojun by Siong Leng Musical Association

Arts of Hong Kong: The 53rd Hong Kong Arts Festival in 2025 opens

HONG KONG – The 53rd Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) officially opened on 28 February with a performance by Italy’s Orchestra of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna. This year, more than 1,300 acclaimed international and local artists will stage over 45 programmes in more than 125 performances during the month-long Festival, including four new works/world premieres, five Asian premieres and two co-productions. As of 28 … Continue reading Arts of Hong Kong: The 53rd Hong Kong Arts Festival in 2025 opens

★★★★★ Review: ALICE (in wonderland) by Hong Kong Ballet

Bursting with life, this wildly imaginative adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s classic that both entertains and awes. As a classical style, ballet is an art form that is often thought of as prim and proper, where everything has been coordinated and choreographed to perfection. That stereotype seems to be at direct odds with Lewis Carroll’s novel Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, which instead embraces non-linearity, surrealism and … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: ALICE (in wonderland) by Hong Kong Ballet

★★★★★ Review: See You, Anniversary (2025) by Nine Years Theatre

Three years on, See You, Anniversary remains a devastating reflection on our limited time and the ways we cherish it. Originally staged in 2022, Nine Years Theatre’s (NYT) See You, Anniversary was among one of the strongest plays of the year, following a couple over each anniversary of their time together over 29 years. It’s a mundane-sounding premise, but one that, under Nelson Chia’s pen … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: See You, Anniversary (2025) by Nine Years Theatre

★★☆☆☆ Review: Last Luncheon by Le Jeu Studio

More mundane than absurd, this one-man meditation on grief winds up a head-scratcher of a commission that never commits to any one idea long enough to leave an impact. Presented as part of the Esplanade’s Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts, Le Jeu Studio’s Last Luncheon, conceived, directed, and performed by veteran theatre practitioner Alvin Chiam, aims to be a meditative journey into solitude, grief, … Continue reading ★★☆☆☆ Review: Last Luncheon by Le Jeu Studio

★★★★☆ Review: Human Condition VIII by Greenray Theatre Company

Hearty family comedy-drama that strikes a chord with retirees and its discussion of existential issues. Taiwan’s Greenray Theatre Company presents Human Condition VIII as part of the Esplanade’s Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts, and delivers a heartwarming, humorous, and at times bittersweet glimpse into the often-overlooked struggles of retirees. Written and directed by award-winning Taiwanese artist Wu Nien-Jen, this Singapore premiere brings the latest … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Human Condition VIII by Greenray Theatre Company

★★★★★ Review: The Last Five Years by Singapore Repertory Theatre

Nathan Hartono and Inch Chua prove their mettle as musical theatre performers in this heartbreaking look at the deterioration of love. Time moves in strange ways when you’re looking back on the past. Rather than replaying chronologically, memories often intersect the good times and the bad, the imagined and the painfully real, mixing them all up into a messy soup of time gone by, something … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: The Last Five Years by Singapore Repertory Theatre

Art What!: Creative Intersections – SNAKES and LADDERS slithers its way into Funan

Funan ushers the new year with its signature public art initiative, “Creative Intersections,” themed “Snakes and Ladders.” The creative direction is to manifest the attributes of the Snake zodiac sign—creativity, insightfulness, and transformation—into diverse forms of art, workshops, and merchandise. Back for its fifth iteration till 16th Feb 2025, feast your eyes with no less than 23 exhibits-representing the efforts of 15 local artists and … Continue reading Art What!: Creative Intersections – SNAKES and LADDERS slithers its way into Funan

★★★☆☆ Review: Dance with Me by Frontier Danceland

Friendship secured by dancing through life, regardless of age. There’s never an age limit to dance, but certainly, what one can do with one body changes immensely as one ages. But as Frontier Danceland founder Low Mei Yoke and her friends prove, all it takes is a little compromise and continued effort to keep dancing, and through that process, hold on to steadfast friendships, in … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Dance with Me by Frontier Danceland

SRT’s The Last Five Years: An Interview with stars Inch Chua and Nathan Hartono on their offstage friendship, and relationship advice for all

Considering how the pandemic took place in 2020, it’s wild to think how so much can change in just five years. What more the state of a relationship, one that is explored in Jason Robert Brown’s acclaimed musical The Last Five Years. Coming to the KC Arts Centre this February, Singapore Repertory Theatre’s (SRT) upcoming production will star local music darlings Nathan Hartono and Inch … Continue reading SRT’s The Last Five Years: An Interview with stars Inch Chua and Nathan Hartono on their offstage friendship, and relationship advice for all