★★★★☆ Review: Hossan-ah! In The High Arts by Hossan Leong

Hossan Leong takes us on a musical and theatrical journey through his life and times in the Singapore arts scene. Who says the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) always needs to show off ‘atas’, head-scratching art forms? In a rather unexpected turn of programming, this year’s festival presents local entertainer Hossan Leong in his SIFA debut with Hossan-ah! In The High Arts, as he … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Hossan-ah! In The High Arts by Hossan Leong

★★★★★ Review: Waiting For Audience by Nine Years Theatre

Metatheatrical musing on artmaking is a hit, thanks to emotive, powerful performances and staging by Nelson Chia and Mia Chee. There’s good reason why so many parents in Singapore dissuade their children from pursuing a career in the arts; as much as it’s an industry that brings entertainment, joy and provokes thoughts in the countless audiences who witness it, it’s also a notoriously unstable scene, … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Waiting For Audience by Nine Years Theatre

★★★★☆ Review: stray gods by weish

Mesmerising live concept album that draws on ancient texts and a touch of the supernatural, elevating weish’s artistry to new heights. Considering how we’ve always established Singapore’s identity as a multicultural city and ‘rojak’-like mix of ethnicities, it comes as no surprise that when we ask ourselves what Singaporean music is, we inevitably realise that no single local artist really encapsulates that idea perfectly well. … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: stray gods by weish

★★★★☆ Review: LEAR by Raw Material

Modern, physical theatre reimagining of Shakespeare’s tragedy is poetic and affecting, with a new focus on ageing and caregiving. While Shakespeare’s King Lear is ostensibly a play about the dangers of pride, Raw Material’s new adaptation of the classic instead shifts the focus to his madness, and the difficulty of caregiving for one whose mind has gone besotted. In this version, adapted by Singaporean theatremaker … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: LEAR by Raw Material

★★★☆☆ Review: Vampyr by Manuela Infante

Death is a full-time job for the walking dead roaming Chile’s wind farms, exposed as the site of tragedy and exploitation. While the world wakes up to the very real issues of climate change and makes efforts to combat it, selfish corporations continue to put themselves first and find ways to profit under the guise of saving the planet. That is the controversy at the … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Vampyr by Manuela Infante

★★☆☆☆ Review: A Thousand Stitches by Alan Oei and Kaylene Tan

Missed opportunity for new, emotional perspectives of the Japanese Occupation, with innovative techniques let down by shaky execution and cohesion. In the Singaporean history and social studies syllabus, portrayals of the Japanese Occupation in World War II have always unequivocally painted them as the villains, where Singapore (then renamed Syonan-to, or ‘light of the South’) lived under a reign of terror, afraid to offend these … Continue reading ★★☆☆☆ Review: A Thousand Stitches by Alan Oei and Kaylene Tan

★★★★★ Review: HOME by Geoff Sobelle

Absurd, unexpected, and daring, HOME is a poignant reminder of the power of theatre to garner hope, and to create something absolutely magical from nothing. When you’ve watched enough shows, it becomes far too easy to become jaded and critical, forgetting the appeal of theatre that charmed us into it in the first place. But every so often, a production comes along that makes you … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: HOME by Geoff Sobelle

SIFA 2025: An Interview with Nine Years Theatre’s Nelson Chia and Mia Chee on ‘Waiting For Audience’

In Singapore’s fast-moving theatre scene, where product is often prioritised over process, rarely do shows get a chance to receive test audiences and the luxury of being workshopped before making it to the stage. But for Nine Years Theatre (NYT), the 2024 Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) offered them a unique opportunity in the form of Tomorrow and Tomorrow, a showcase of works-in-progress given … Continue reading SIFA 2025: An Interview with Nine Years Theatre’s Nelson Chia and Mia Chee on ‘Waiting For Audience’

SIFA 2025: An Interview with Executive Producer Audrey Perera on ‘COLONY – A True Colors Project’

What does it mean to be whole? To be human? These are the fundamental questions lie at the heart of COLONY – a production that intertwines dance, music, film, and storytelling to explore themes of diversity, resistance, and human connection. Featuring dancers, performers and a creative team with diverse abilities, COLONY showcases a story of pain, transformation, and radical empathy, challenging societal ideals of perfection, … Continue reading SIFA 2025: An Interview with Executive Producer Audrey Perera on ‘COLONY – A True Colors Project’

SIFA 2025: An Interview with Hossan Leong on new show ‘Hossan-ah! In The High Arts’

Who exactly is Hossan Leong? A household name from his many appearances on television — whether in dramas or as a gameshow host, ‘Singapore Boy’ Hossan Leong’s story in the arts stretches far deeper. From his humble beginnings in theatre to receiving the prestigious French Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (The Order of Arts and Literature), his life is a testament to … Continue reading SIFA 2025: An Interview with Hossan Leong on new show ‘Hossan-ah! In The High Arts’