★★★★☆ Review: Gardens Speak by Tania El Khoury (SIFA 2021)

Planting the seeds of hope in this unique sound installation highlighting the casualties of war. They say that a single death is a tragedy; a million deaths, a statistic. And for countries like Syria, where war has ravaged its citizens for years, the shadow of death is always looming, almost second nature at this point. For a Singaporean who has likely never witnessed or experienced … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Gardens Speak by Tania El Khoury (SIFA 2021)

★★★★☆ Review: The Commission by Pangdemonium, Wild Rice and SRT (SIFA 2021)

Satirical yet vulnerable as three titans of local theatre take to the stage and get personal. In the immortal words of Macbeth’s three witches: When shall we three meet again, in thunder, lightning or in rain? Following their unprecedented collaboration on short film The Pitch during the sturm and drang of last year, local artistic directors Gaurav Kripalani (Singapore Repertory Theatre), Ivan Heng (Wild Rice) … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: The Commission by Pangdemonium, Wild Rice and SRT (SIFA 2021)

★★★★☆ Review: En Route by one step at a time like this (SIFA 2021)

Learn to see the city in a new light. With the lack of leisure travel or commercial flights, it’s little wonder that being cooped up has filled us with yearning for a change of scenery, and the far too common cry of “there’s nothing to do”. But perhaps rather than looking out, it’s more important to turn our gaze inwards, and change our perspective to … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: En Route by one step at a time like this (SIFA 2021)

★★★★☆ Review: I Am Kumar by Dream Academy

Singapore’s drag queen of comedy still reigns supreme. Kumar is synonymous with the Singapore drag scene. There’s rarely been any doubt as to who Kumar is – raunchy, fabulous, and entertaining as heck. So it may come as a surprise that Singapore’s foremost and favourite drag queen’s new show is all about staking his claim and spelling out his identity in no uncertain terms, with … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: I Am Kumar by Dream Academy

★★★★☆ Review: The Rishi Report Live (April 2021)

The rare time more news is good news. Rishi Budhrani has established himself as a comedian with the Midas touch. But rather than turning objects into gold, he turns bad news into comedy. With the second live edition of The Rishi Report, we found ourselves back again at Gateway Theatre to witness his news coverage show, now armed with new reports and events from the … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: The Rishi Report Live (April 2021)

Review: Gash Theatre Gets Ghosted by Gash Theatre

Haunted by the fear of modern living. Horror has always been one of the hardest things to introduce in a theatre setting, possibly because of how difficult it is to create jump scares, or create a truly terrifying enough monster to instil fear in audiences. So perhaps the most effective types of scares these days come from the most innocuous of sources – the creeping, … Continue reading Review: Gash Theatre Gets Ghosted by Gash Theatre

★★★☆☆ Book Review: Chronicles of a Circuit Breaker by Joseph Chiang

An on-the-nose digest of comics adding a dose of humour to Singapore’s circuit breaker.  Thanks to the pandemic and our very own circuit breaker measures, 2020 has been a truly strange year for everyone. From masking up whenever we step outside, to working from home, or simply the heightened paranoia of unhygienic practices, the new normal seems to have firmly entrenched itself into our lives, … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Book Review: Chronicles of a Circuit Breaker by Joseph Chiang

★★★☆☆ Review: You Are Here by Pooja Nansi

A deep dive into the history of what made Pooja Nansi the person she is today. For poet Pooja Nansi, who was born in India and came to Singapore at the age of one, border crossing has always been a part of her family history. ‘Home’ is a word that always bears considerable weight and complications, and the question “are you Singaporean?” only leads her … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: You Are Here by Pooja Nansi

★★★☆☆ Review: By Design by CAKE

Triptych of new work exploring the intersections of performativity and design. CAKE is a company that has always been known for their willingness to find new collaborators, often leading to visually stunning experimental work. That’s a trend that continues in By Design, CAKE’s latest project, which puts graphic design artists front and centre. With By Design, CAKE presents the work of Vanessa Ban, Zach Lieberman … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: By Design by CAKE

Review: Oppy and Professor Communitas by Five Arts Centre

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Malaysian playwright Leow Puay Tin is perhaps better known for her early scripts, from Family to Three Children. But with the support of Five Arts Centre, Leow is back at the metaphorical typewriter again, as she pens several new plays between 2019 and 2022, to be produced as readings and performances in-venue and online. The latest of these productions is Oppy … Continue reading Review: Oppy and Professor Communitas by Five Arts Centre