Review: Watching by Toy Factory

Apprehension towards NS hints at deeper family matters. Have you ever sat on the couch and gone on a TV marathon that lasts for so long that your vision gets blurry, your body goes limp, and it begins to become hard to tell reality from fiction? Toy Factory’s Watching covers precisely that feeling. Written and directed by Toy Factory associate artistic director Stanley Seah, Watching follows teenaged Tony … Continue reading Review: Watching by Toy Factory

Review: Peter and the Starcatcher by Pangdemonium

Pangdemonium’s first ‘family-friendly’ show still leaves plenty of wink-wink nudge-nudge moments for the grownups in the audience. What might life have been like for the boy who would become Peter Pan before Neverland? With that simple premise, Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson crafted the unofficial prequel to J.M. Barrie’s classic novel of the boy who never grew up – Peter and the Starcatcher, imagining the myriad … Continue reading Review: Peter and the Starcatcher by Pangdemonium

The Sampan: Riverside Dining with a Pan-Asian Touch

Imagine taking a walk down the river when suddenly, you come across a cosy looking joint nestled along the rows of restaurants. From first glance it already looks welcoming, with a simple yet unassuming logo that perfectly captures the essence of ‘Asian, yet not pretentiously so’. This, ladies and gentlemen, is our first impression of The Sampan. Helmed by former Ku De Ta Bali general … Continue reading The Sampan: Riverside Dining with a Pan-Asian Touch

Television Time: Strictly Come Dancing (Series 16)

At 16 series strong, the latest series of Emmy and BAFTA award-winning entertainment show Strictly Come Dancing waltzes back onto BBC Lifestyle (StarHub ch 432) this coming Sunday. Armed with more sparkle, glitz and glamour than ever, the series will premiere exclusively on BBC Lifestyle (StarHub ch 432) with a red-carpet launch special on Sunday, 30 September 2018, 8.05pm, and will also be available on BBC Player (www.bbcplayer.com) as … Continue reading Television Time: Strictly Come Dancing (Series 16)

Review: Tiger of Malaya by Teater Ekamatra

Interrogating history through a filmic lens. There’s a saying that history is written by the victors, leaving plenty of warped accounts and representations scattered throughout media. Singapore, of course, isn’t exempt from this, with films by foreigners throughout history appropriating both the country and its people to better bring out their own agenda. Given the benefit of hindsight then, if we were to have a chance … Continue reading Review: Tiger of Malaya by Teater Ekamatra

Review: Life is Ha-Ha-Happiness – A Voice and Piano Recital For All

Good natured, light hearted songs make this recital a cheerful affair.   In a world with turbulent politics, tragedy waiting on every corner and general gloom, it can be difficult to remember how to take a step back and look at the lighter side of life. Perhaps one of the best solutions then, is simply to indulge in a little song. Uniting singers Teng Xiang … Continue reading Review: Life is Ha-Ha-Happiness – A Voice and Piano Recital For All

Finding A Home in the Unfamiliar: Young Talent Programme 2017/18 Winners’ Solo Exhibitions @ ION Art Gallery

When is a house considered a home? Is is simply a place to rest our heads, or does a home necessitate recognising certain icons that make it your own, knowing the building’s secret corners or quite simply, having created unforgettable memories? While no overarching theme was stipulated, somehow, all three of the ION Art Gallery’s 2017/18 Young Talent Programme winners have emerged to create solo … Continue reading Finding A Home in the Unfamiliar: Young Talent Programme 2017/18 Winners’ Solo Exhibitions @ ION Art Gallery

Review: The Fall by The Young Company

A number of potential stars emerge from the latest batch of SRT’s The Young Company. First performed by the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain in 2016, the Singapore Repertory Theatre’s The Young Company takes on James Fritz’s The Fall for their graduation showcase. Directed by Daniel Jenkins, The Fall follows the life of a man in three acts as he goes through young love, adulthood and old age, encountering … Continue reading Review: The Fall by The Young Company

M1 Patch! 2018: Utopiazoo by Flying Group Theatre (Review)

Using a zoological lens to look at opening borders and the ongoing refugee crisis.  The ongoing refugee crisis can seem dark and daunting, but with Utopiazoo, Taiwanese theatre company Flying Group Theatre Group simplifies the topic, makeing it accessible to audiences of all ages. Directed by Shih Pei-Yu, we’re initially introduced to the eponymous Utopiazoo through a series of ‘televised’ news reports, where the animal inhabitants of this … Continue reading M1 Patch! 2018: Utopiazoo by Flying Group Theatre (Review)

Crazy Rich Asians Is A Glamorous Affair with Plenty of Heart (Review)

Pitch perfect casting, a whole lot of fun and a sincerity beneath the lux veneer makes this film a winner in our hearts. Some years ago, Crazy Rich Asians would have sounded like the product of a mad fever dream. Even with the announcement of the cast and knowledge that the film had begun shooting, it wasn’t until the release of the first trailer back in … Continue reading Crazy Rich Asians Is A Glamorous Affair with Plenty of Heart (Review)