Review: NINAGAWA Macbeth by The Ninagawa Company (presented by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay)

It’s hard to believe that a single play can hold the power to leave such an impression on an audience member that it can even be considered life-changing. But this is in no way an exaggeration of how the unique experience of watching a play by the late Yukio Ninagawa. The thunderous applause and standing ovation a Ninagawa play receives is completely warranted. NINAGAWA Macbeth was … Continue reading Review: NINAGAWA Macbeth by The Ninagawa Company (presented by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay)

Kalaa Utsavam 2017: Koodiyattam – Nangiarkoothu by Kapila Venu (Review)

Beyond new contemporary works, the Esplanade’s annual Kalaa Utsavam also regularly features traditional arts in its lineup, and 2017 is no different. This year, we had the rare privilege of watching master koodiyattam practitioner Kapila Venu perform the ancient, UNESCO-recgonized art form. A little background information for the unfamiliar: koodiyattam is a 2,000 year old theatrical tradition originating from Kerala, India. Often performed in temples, … Continue reading Kalaa Utsavam 2017: Koodiyattam – Nangiarkoothu by Kapila Venu (Review)

Artist Spotlight: An Interview with W!ld Rice’s Ivan Heng, Glen Goei and Pam Oei

W!ld Rice’s annual Christmas pantomime opens in less than a week, and we couldn’t be more excited to catch it. Since its inception, W!ld Rice’s pantos have gone above and beyond simply being a show for children to enjoy with their families, to becoming all-encompassing theatrical extravaganzas filled with a whole barrel of laughs and plenty of love to go around. This year, they’ll be … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: An Interview with W!ld Rice’s Ivan Heng, Glen Goei and Pam Oei

Review: Overtime by Myle Yan Tay and Nathaniel Mah

Earlier this month we were pleasantly surprised by a highly competent production of Jean Tay’s Boom by a group of students from Yale-NUS. We thought this was the kind of thing that comes by only every so often, but evidently we were wrong, having proverbial lightning strike twice with Myle Yan Tay and Nathaniel Mah’s new musical tackling office life: Overtime. Overtime is the rare … Continue reading Review: Overtime by Myle Yan Tay and Nathaniel Mah

Kalaa Utsavam 2017: Khwaab-Sa – Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream by The Company Theatre (Review)

Khwaab-Sa opens with a spotlight on lithe, petite dancer Ronita Mookerji as the iconic spirit Puck. In the background, a musician clad in a unicorn mask assaults our ears with loud electronic music, as Mookerji writhes and vibrates. Grinning madly, she laughs silently before impishly back-flipping across the stage, a moon projection making her lunacy obvious. This is Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream as you’ve never seen … Continue reading Kalaa Utsavam 2017: Khwaab-Sa – Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream by The Company Theatre (Review)

Preview: Pangdemonium’s 2018 Season

How time flies! In the flash of an eye, it’s already November, and as we’re fast approaching the end of the year, we’ve started thinking about what’s in store for us on the theatre calendar in 2018. As always, Pangdemonium has already made their announcement ahead of time, and will be presenting three carefully curated set of plays surrounding the theme of HOPE & HOME in 2018. … Continue reading Preview: Pangdemonium’s 2018 Season

Preview: Blue Elephant Theatre’s Winter Season

LONDON – This holiday season, send the chills away with some homemade theatre specially presented by Camberwell’s Blue Elephant Theatre. Having just wrapped up two productions in November (Shakespearience by Debbie Hicks Productions and How to Cope with Embarrassment by Two Pale Ladies), there’s no stopping the train of creative energy as the theatre continue to present a wealth of new works from emerging artists, providing … Continue reading Preview: Blue Elephant Theatre’s Winter Season

Preview: Overtime by Myle Yan Tay and Nathaniel Mah

Yale-NUS students Myle Yan Tay and Nathaniel Mah will be presenting an all new musical this November. Titled Overtime, the original musical follows best friends Finch, an employee in the Ministry of Competency and Alex, an aspiring playwright. Both of them dream of success, but while Finch keeps getting his promotions, Alex struggles, and a rift begins to form between the two friends. https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FOvertimeMusical%2Fvideos%2F1959933290931198%2F&show_text=0&width=400 Can the two maintain … Continue reading Preview: Overtime by Myle Yan Tay and Nathaniel Mah

Review: The Addams Family presented by Mediacorp VizPro

The Addams are one of the most recognizable fictitious families around. Even if you don’t know them by name, you’ll probably know them by face, caught while channel flipping or in a Halloween costume. Familiarity like that lends a steady hand to hold the newest iteration of The Addams Family together, allowing audiences to feel a sense of comfort from the moment they hear the opening notes of the … Continue reading Review: The Addams Family presented by Mediacorp VizPro

#mydurianturns15: An Interview with Ravi Sivalingam, Esplanade Head of Operational Support Services

“Tell them the trivia!” Esplanade Communications Specialist Gina Koh says, grinning eagerly. Ravi groans but relents. “I can never forget the Esplanade’s anniversary date because my birthday falls on the same day – 12th October.” Ravi Sivalingam may not be a familiar face to the public, but within the Esplanade’s walls, the Head of Operational Support services is a huge personality who’s been with them … Continue reading #mydurianturns15: An Interview with Ravi Sivalingam, Esplanade Head of Operational Support Services