Review: No Place by Square One Collective (M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020)

★★★☆☆ (Performance attended 15/1/20) Deciding one’s fate via a series of absurd games. What does the future look like? According to New York-based Square One Collective, a lot worse. Written and directed by Andrea Ang, No Place (almost reminds us of the a phrase no place like home’) imagines the world in 2075, on the brink of being physically impossible to live in. Three people – … Continue reading Review: No Place by Square One Collective (M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020)

Review: Mak-Mak Menari by Bhumi Collective (M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020)

★★★★☆ (Performance attended 17/1/20) Poignant docu-drama about sisterhood over a lifelong passion for Malay dance.  In the performing arts world, dancers are notorious for having a short career span, with many retiring before hitting middle-age. But for one group of dance enthusiasts, age is no barrier to their passion, as the makciks of Mak-Mak Menari continue to meet, rehearse, and perform together to this day. … Continue reading Review: Mak-Mak Menari by Bhumi Collective (M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020)

Review: The Arts House’s Prologue 2020 – Invisible Cities

Held in conjunction with the National Gallery Singapore’s Light to Night Festival, over two weekends, the Arts House saw visitors from all walks of life spill over from the Civic District to the premises, taking in the multitude of programmes the venue had programmed for Prologue – the Arts House’s very first festival of 2020. In our experience of Prologue 2020, we were welcomed at … Continue reading Review: The Arts House’s Prologue 2020 – Invisible Cities

Review: Kebaya Homies by The Necessary Stage (M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020)

★★★★☆ (Performance attended 15/1/20) Irreverent trip down TNS’ past works featuring two of their best collaborators. The Necessary Stage’s (TNS) most well-known works aren’t always something you’d readily call ‘fun’, with topics such as poverty, nationhood, climate change and political detainees just a few of the issues they’ve covered across the years. So when they do get a chance to take a lighter concept and … Continue reading Review: Kebaya Homies by The Necessary Stage (M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020)

In London’s (Off) West End 2020: Scenes with girls at the Royal Court (Preview)

LONDON – “I genuinely think in five to ten years we’re going to have several different possible Happys.” Tosh and Lou. 22 scenes. Other friends have come, got boyfriends and gone. So what? Tosh and Lou have each other. They’re not interested in becoming clichés. They’ll never be like other girls. This is love. This is enough. “You are becoming a parody, hun. You are … Continue reading In London’s (Off) West End 2020: Scenes with girls at the Royal Court (Preview)

Review: The Utama Spaceship by Spacebar Theatre (M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020)

★★★☆☆ (Performance attended 14/1/20) Likeable performance about the making of legends gets a little lost in space. As a fiercely competitive nation, Singapore has shown time and time again that it will continue to vie for the position of ‘first’ or ‘greatest’, constantly trying to prove ourselves in spite of our small size. But if there’s one place where to go boldly where no Singaporean … Continue reading Review: The Utama Spaceship by Spacebar Theatre (M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020)

Review: ATARA – For you, who has not yet found the one by Reut Shemesh (M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020)

★★★☆☆ (Performance attended 14/1/19) Finding the means to be who you are in a society that suppresses one’s identity. With some of her closest family members converting to Orthodox Hasidic Judaism 15 years ago, choreographer Reut Shemesh found herself suddenly embroiled in a world of new rules. Men were not allowed to express any physical affection to women with whom they are not married to, preventing … Continue reading Review: ATARA – For you, who has not yet found the one by Reut Shemesh (M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020)

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020: An Interview with Soultari Amin Farid and Grace Lee-Khoo (Mak-Mak Menari)

Who exactly are the Mak-Mak Menari and why should we care about Bhumi Collective’s latest show of the same name? In short, the 23-member group of veteran Malay dancers have been around since the early 2010s, and by virtue of their very existence, are pushing boundaries and subverting expectations of the middle-aged Malay woman. Premiering at the 2020 M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, Mak-Mak Menari is … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020: An Interview with Soultari Amin Farid and Grace Lee-Khoo (Mak-Mak Menari)

London’s VAULT Festival 2020: Invisible Harmony 无形的和谐 and Freedom Hi 自由閪 by Papergang Theatre (Preview)

LONDON –  Hong Kong has been convulsed by an ongoing protest movement which has increasingly been seen as a last stand for its semi-autonomy from China since March 2019; a year which also saw the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre and the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Solidarity movements have formed across the globe, including repeated gatherings … Continue reading London’s VAULT Festival 2020: Invisible Harmony 无形的和谐 and Freedom Hi 自由閪 by Papergang Theatre (Preview)

In London’s (Off) West End 2020: Crying In The Wilderness’ Conundrum at the Young Vic (Preview)

LONDON – Crying in the Wilderness Productions(CITWP) have announced Conundrum, their debut production as Associate Company at the Young Vic, written and directed by CITWP Artistic Director Paul Anthony Morris. In Conundrum, Fidel embarks upon a transformational journey to review his past and search for answers about his life. After enduring lengthy periods of Selective Social Mutism, an anxiety disorder that paralyzes his ability to communicate, Fidel resolves … Continue reading In London’s (Off) West End 2020: Crying In The Wilderness’ Conundrum at the Young Vic (Preview)