Theatre
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ANNOUNCER: All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. Of theatrical mischief, mastery, and comedy, the Theatre vertical delivers a critical analysis on the best and worst of visual storytelling on stage. If you would like your show to be reviewed, please contact us at [email protected].
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One of the most successful musicals in entertainment history, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera has played to over 145 million people in 150 cities across 30 countries thus far. It is also the longest-running show on Broadway – having celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2018 – and has won more than 70 major theatre awards, including seven Tony Awards and four Olivier Awards. Your Phantom of the Opera experience starts from the moment you step into the theatre. The Sands Theatre is transformed into the Paris Opera House. Viewers are greeted with a grandiose proscenium arch, adorned…
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Rupaul’s Drag Race All Stars 3 diva, Shangela, made her Singapore debut with her brand new show ‘Shangela is Shook’ last year on 12 December at Shine Auditorium. Otherwise known as D.J. Pierce, Shangela was the only contestant to compete on three separate seasons of the Emmy Award-winning reality series Rupaul’s Drag Race (seasons 2, 3 and All Stars 3). While she may not have come out of a box during the show, she certainly orchestrated a performance that was worth every dollar spent. After an opening number, she went on joke about her experience in Singapore thus far, which…
Read More »The Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) presents The Truth – A modern-day comedy of manners that examines friendship, suspicion, and deceit. The play sees two unfaithful middle-aged couples weave and get entangled in their web of lies. Michael (Lim Yu-Beng), who is married to Lauren (Neo Swee Lin), is having an affair with Alice (Cynthia Lee MacQuarrie), wife of his best friend Paul (Vivek Gomber). It seems that Lauren and Paul both suspect their partners have been unfaithful, without knowing with whom they are sleeping with. When Alice guiltily threatens to confess all, Michael is thrown into a panic. The truth,…
Read More »Witness the enthralling tale of Singapore’s transformation from an island of immigrants to a nation forged by our multi-ethnic cultures through an original dance-drama Whispers from the Dragon’s Teeth Gate. Held on 20 April 2019, the production is presented by Dance Ensemble Singapore (DES Arts), in collaboration with Sri Warisan Som Said Performing Arts. The performance takes the audience on a journey 700 years back in time. Over the course of four acts, viewers will get to witness various historic moments – from the legendary voyage of Sang Nila Utama and the discovery of the Dragon’s Teeth Gate, to the…
Read More »This April, the Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) presents The Truth – a witty play about marital infidelity by French playwright Florian Zeller, translated by Christopher Hampton. The Truth sees two unfaithful middle-aged couples weave and get entangled in their web of lies. Michael (Lim Yu-Beng), who is married to Lauren (Neo Swee Lin), is having an affair with Alice (Cynthia Lee MacQuarrie), wife of his best friend Paul (Vivek Gomber). It seems that Lauren and Paul both suspect their partners have been unfaithful, without knowing with whom they are sleeping with. But when Alice guiltily threatens to confess all, Michael…
Read More »Written by young Canadian writer Jordan Tannahill, Late Company is based on a Canadian teenager who committed suicide because he was bullied for being gay. With the central theme of teenage cyberbullying, the play cleverly navigates through related issues of how parenting, the societal environment, and polarising views on homosexuality could also impact the mental health of adolescences who are in the vulnerable phase of seeking their own identity. The plot revolves around a family, comprised of parents Bill and Tamara (played by Adrian Pang and Karen Tan) and their son Curtis (Xander Pang). As calm as they try to…
Read More »Singapore Management University’s Komunitas Indonesia (SMUKI) is back with their annual musical production, GAYA 2019 – short for Gelar Budaya. Titled Sangharsa: The Struggle, this year’s play is set in the 15th century. The ruler of Mataram, Senapati (I-En), looks to strengthen his iron grip over Nusantara by sweeping over every perdikans (villages) in the land – except for this village named Perdikan Mangir. Led by two young brothers – Wanabaya (Jerikho) and Baru Klinting (Mason) – they challenge Senapati’s conquest by defiantly protecting their village. In their attempt to do so, they face many challenges; which include confronting the…
Read More »Set up in 2010, Pangdemonium is a local theatre company dedicated to creating stories that are both challenging and relevant to the society we live in. This February, Pangdemonium is bringing Late Company written by Jordan Tannahill, to Singapore. Directed by Tracie Pang, the play touches on the difficult topic of cyberbullying, where it has escalated to the point of no reason and it became all too late to save the suicidal victim. We spoke exclusively to the cast and the director of Late Company to understand their creative process and what they hope to express through the play. 1.…
Read More »The Necessary Stage’s critically acclaimed play, Off Centre, returns 26 years after its premiere in 1993. Written by internationally recognised local playwright Haresh Sharma and directed by Alvin Tan (founder and artistic director of The Necessary Stage), Off Centre is a breakthrough play in destigmatizing mental illness and presenting an unflinching look at patients’ inner demons. The latest staging of the play features Abdulattif Abdullah and Sakinah Dollah, who will be taking up their original roles as Vinod and Saloma respectively, as well as Aidli Mosbit as Mak. In Off Centre, two patients meet at an Oasis Club function for…
Read More »In next year’s edition, ICN 2019 – Arunika: A Musical sheds light on the perspectives of both the Indonesians and the Dutch, with the historical setting of 19th century Batavia, the present-day Jakarta, Indonesia. Presenting a blend of different Indonesian cultures (Balinese and Mollucan), the production aims to inspire its audience to strive for a more tolerant and peaceful society. Produced entirely by the Indonesian students of Nanyang Technological University (NTU), ICN is an arts and cultural community that produces theatrical works annually, albeit having taken a gap year in 2017. From the music composition, scriptwriting, training of actors and…
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