A Very W!ld Rice Christmas: An Interview with Director Hossan Leong and The Cast of A $ingapore Carol

This holiday season, W!ld Rice is going full on with the Yuletide festivities as they power through into their final show of the season – their annual year-end pantomime. This time around, they’re adapting Charles Dickens’ holiday classic A Christmas Carol and putting their signature local twist on it, resulting in A $ingapore Carol. Written by Jonathan Lim with a musical score by Elaine Chan, get ready for … Continue reading A Very W!ld Rice Christmas: An Interview with Director Hossan Leong and The Cast of A $ingapore Carol

Review: The Old Woman And The Ox by The Second Breakfast Company

The Old Woman and the Ox leaves us unmoved and perturbed at its lack of dramaturgy. It’s not unheard of that even the most experienced of theatre companies will still manage to produce a show that falls far short of a watchable production, and so it should come as no surprise that younger companies may fall prey to the same mistakes as well. In The Second … Continue reading Review: The Old Woman And The Ox by The Second Breakfast Company

Preview: Charlie by Bhumi Collective

After not one but two successful runs overseas at the On the Rocks Festival and Edinburgh Student Arts Festival (winning the Best Performing Artist Award) in 2017, Bhumi Collective will finally present the Singapore premiere of Charlie, a unique, experimental performance by Victoria Chen. Charlie is unusual in that it takes the form of a 15-minute one-on-one experience in which the audience member enters a room and interacts with the titular … Continue reading Preview: Charlie by Bhumi Collective

Kalaa Utsavam 2018: Disco Sheela and Other Indian Superwomen by Sharul Channa (Review)

Not all superheroes wear capes – sometimes they wear a sari.  While we’re very much used to hearing Sharul Channa let loose her signature pottymouth, in a changeup from her usual style of comedy, Sharul attempts to break new ground with Disco Sheela and Other Indian Superwomen. Distinct from her previous performances, Disco Sheela sees the leading female comedian take on brand new characters across four monologues, highlighting the … Continue reading Kalaa Utsavam 2018: Disco Sheela and Other Indian Superwomen by Sharul Channa (Review)

Kalaa Utsavam 2018: Parasu – The Story of An Ultimate Warrior by Avant Theatre (Review)

A collection of tales about the sixth avatar of Lord Vishnu In Hindu mythology, the warrior sage Parasu is best known for being the sixth avatar of the god Lord Vishnu, maintainer of balance in the universe. Blessed with immense power and war sense when visited by the god Shiva one day, Parasu is simultaneously cursed with a seemingly unending anger that both feeds his … Continue reading Kalaa Utsavam 2018: Parasu – The Story of An Ultimate Warrior by Avant Theatre (Review)

Review: Guards at the Taj by Singapore Repertory Theatre

Harrowing tale of male friendship torn asunder by contrasting beliefs; a must-watch. American playwright Rajiv Joseph is a modern master of the two-man play. Across some of his other works (Gruesome Playground Injuries, The North Pool), Joseph is able to quickly establish familiar encounters between two people who find the oddest, yet relatable connections to each other, developing it over the course of his writing before … Continue reading Review: Guards at the Taj by Singapore Repertory Theatre

Review: Just A Breath Away dir. Daniel Roby (French Film Festival 2018)

Unusual premise couples with family drama to leave viewers breathless Last week, Daniel Roby’s Just A Breath Away opened the 2018 French Film Festival Singapore. The post-apocalyptic thriller film follows separated parents Mathieu (Roman Duris) and Anna (Olga Kurylenko), as they raise an 11 year old daughter, Sarah, with a unique childhood illness. Forced to survive in a hermetic, bubble-like chamber with its own oxygen supply and … Continue reading Review: Just A Breath Away dir. Daniel Roby (French Film Festival 2018)

Bitten – Return to Our Roots: An Interview with Co-Creator Thong Pei Qin

It’s quite incredible to think that what once started as a strange fever dream is about to evolve into an entire production. Specifically, some years back, when theatremaker Thong Pei Qin was bitten by an Aedes mosquito and contracted dengue fever, talking about the experience with colleague and longtime friend Dr Nidya Shanthini Manokara led to the creation of the aptly named Bitten.  “Talking about this … Continue reading Bitten – Return to Our Roots: An Interview with Co-Creator Thong Pei Qin

Review: Fat Kids Are Harder To Kidnap X by How Drama

Joyous, unbridled celebration of Singaporean absurdities. Does the perfect, quintessentially Singaporean fringe show exist? This all-star edition of Fat Kids Are Harder To Kidnap certainly makes a strong case for that title. Celebrating ten years of existence, Fat Kids Are Harder To Kidnap X brings together 31 of the beloved act’s best sketches and playlets of all time, along with some new ones (all written by Melissa Sim … Continue reading Review: Fat Kids Are Harder To Kidnap X by How Drama

Singapore Writers Festival 2018: The Ghost In Your Head (Review)

A novel idea with flawed execution.  Immersive productions are all the rage these days, with audiences often demanding to experience art beyond the usual mediums. Naturally, one of these art forms would be literature, where one’s imagination is already subject to go wild as we visualise fantastic worlds and characters within their pages, and lends itself perfectly to theatrical adaptation, with our spectral thoughts manifesting … Continue reading Singapore Writers Festival 2018: The Ghost In Your Head (Review)