[Listing] Prism by Toy Factory Productions

January 9, 2017January 9, 2017 / Isaac Tan / Leave a comment

Singapore’s leading bilingual theatre company Toy Factory Productions is proud to present its first production for 2017, PRISM.

Aman, an urban city development official, starts to question his work of demolishing old historical buildings to make way for new cityscapes. Faced with the task of informing the residents of the impending demolition of the city’s oldest heritage ‘The Surrounding City’, Aman experiences the wrath of the city, despair of her dwellers and confronts his personal ambivalence about the price of material gains.

A thought-provoking play that explores the limits of one’s threshold for pain and loss, PRISM spotlights the struggle between progression and development, and eroding a nation’s heritage and culture, through a storyline that will resonate with audience given the parallel in the current state of affairs locally.

An original script penned and directed by Toy Factory’s Chief Artistic Director Goh Boon Teck in 2003, PRISM was first staged as a grand multi-cultural theatrical performance that featured performing artistes and designers from six countries; including Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia. Today, the premise of the script remains relevant, especially in Singapore where development is slowly but surely usurping more local treasures.

In line with Toy Factory Productions’ unwavering commitment to provide the opportunity and platform for budding local talents, the upcoming PRISM is helmed by rising director Rei Poh; a consummate actor last seen in Toy Factory’s Titoudao, and features an all-Singaporean cast comprising several fresh faces led by Fir Rahman, who recently headlined the high-profile local feature film, ‘The Apprentice’ (Cannes Film Festival 2016).

Director Rei Poh shares his approach to his adaptation, “The story told is simple; one of progression versus loss, through a narrative that is familiar to most of us. I would like the audience to ‘feel’, more than ‘watch’ the show, since pain and loss are more deeply felt and conveyed through experience, than explained.”

PRISM

23 February–5 March 2017

Drama Centre Theatre

Tickets from $42 at Sistic

[Listing] Monkey Goes West by W!ld Rice

October 13, 2016 / Isaac Tan / Leave a comment

Bringing the Year of the Monkey to a happy climax, W!LD RICE’s award-winning Monkey Goes West will be returning for a strictly limited season to the Drama Centre Theatre for the holidays.

Monkey Goes West completely sold out its first run in 2014, playing to an audience of more than 15,000 at the newly refurbished Victoria Theatre. It dominated the 2015 Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards with seven nominations – more than any other production that year. It eventually took home the awards for Production of the Year, Production of the Year (Reader’s Choice) and Best Costume Design (Tube Gallery).

“The W!LD RICE pantomime is a unique annual tradition for family audiences in Singapore, and Monkey Goes West set a new benchmark in terms of the artistic excellence that we always strive for,” says Ivan Heng, Artistic Director of W!LD RICE. “In the Year of the Monkey, we are thrilled that audiences, both loyal and new, will have the opportunity to experience this incredible show for themselves!”

With an affectionate, cheeky script by W!LD RICE Resident Playwright Alfian Sa’at, music by acclaimed composer Elaine Chan and direction by Broadway Beng Sebastian Tan, Monkey Goes West is the first W!LD RICE pantomime to take inspiration from the East, relocating beloved Chinese literary classic Journey To The West to modern-day Singapore.

Tan, who earned a Straits Times Life! Theatre Award nomination for Best Director for his work, will return to direct the production, which he describes as a “dream come true”.

“Monkey Goes West turned out to be this award-winning show that audiences loved and couldn’t get enough of, which is really why we are bringing it back so soon,” Tan explains with pride.

Young talents from Martial House – Singapore’s leading wushu academy – will be showing off their impressive martial arts skills on stage. The academy will also work closely with the children of W!LD RICE’s FIRST STAGE! programme, aged 5 to 12, in preparation for their stage debuts.

The cast of Monkey Goes West includes some of Singapore’s finest veteran actors and rising stars. Familiar faces like Chua Enlai (The Importance of Being Earnest, TV’s The Noose), Siti Khalijah Zainal (HOTEL, Best Of) and Darius Tan (Army Daze, Twelve Angry Men) will share the stage with Sugie Phua (Project SuperStar, Liao Zhai Rocks!) Joshua Lim (My Mother Buys Condoms, Café), Frances Lee (Beauty World, Fat Pig) and Kimberly Chan (High Class, Hotpants).

Monkey Goes West runs from 18 November–17 December 2016 at the Drama Centre Theatre. For ticketing information, please visit Sistic.

[Listing] Vinayaka by Bhaskar’s Arts Academy

September 25, 2016October 18, 2016 / Isaac Tan / Leave a comment

A newly metamorphosed Vinayaka is set to make its one-night only world premier here. The simple and familiar tale of how the Hindu God Ganesha came to have an elephant’s head will be presented in a cross-cultural collaboration by Bhaskar’s Arts Academy, Sasana Budaya Art Troupe (Indonesia), and Singa Nglaras Gamelan Ensemble (Singapore).

Vinayaka was first staged as a Bharatanatyam piece in 2003 and then again in 2005 by Bhaskar’s Arts Academy (BAA). In 2010, BAA reworked the piece with Balinese elements and it premiered in Bali. In this iteration, Vinayaka has taken a new form that is expressed through Bharatanatyam and Javanese movements under the artistic direction of Santha Bhaskar, as well as choreographers Meenakshy Bhaskar and Santi Dwisaputri. The piece will be performed to a new and exciting score under the music direction of Ghanavenothan Retnam and Sambowo Agus Herianto.

“I have choreographed this work several times now but each time it feels so new. I connect with it differently each time and it is as if I transform along with the work” says Meenakshy Bhaskar, who is based in the US.

Because of the distance, collaborating with her Jakarta-based counterpart Santi Dwisaputri was not without challenges acoording to Meenaskshy, but they “clicked from the moment the conversation started” and at some points they “were completing one another’s sentences.”

Vinayaka is the first of a three-part series by Bhaskar’s Arts Academy that will present works under the umbrella theme of “Traditional Arts in the Region.” Exciting collaboration with other performing arts troupes from different ASEAN countries can be expected in the coming years.

Vinayaka

16 October 2016 (Sunday)

7:30pm

SOTA Drama Theatre

$25 & $30

Tickets: BAA website or enquires@bhaskarsarts.com

[Listing] Rent by Pangdemonium!

August 22, 2016 / Isaac Tan / Leave a comment

This October, Pangdemonium is proud to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of revolutionary rock musical, RENT. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, this unforgettable and timeless story of a group of friends, who despite poverty and illness, learn to fall in love and find their voices, will anchor Pangdemonium’s 2016 Season of Love.

Under the shadow of HIV/AIDS, the group’s dreams and losses weave through the musical’s narration to paint a stunningly raw and emotional portrait of the gritty bohemian world of New York City in the 1990s. A story that resonates with all ages, RENT will be brought to life by a cast of rising performers including:

Benjamin Chow (Best Supporting Actor, The LKY Musical, 2016 Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards)as Mark,a struggling film-maker;

Cameron MacDonald as Roger, a doomed musician;

Juan Jackson as Collins,a disillusioned vagabond anarchist tech wizard;

Aaron Khaled as Angel, a drag queen with a heart of gold;

Tabitha Nauser as Mimi, a troubled club dancer;

Mina Kaye (Best Actress, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, 2015 Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards)as Maureen, a wild-child performance artist;

Frances Lee as Joanne, a hot-shot human rights lawyer; and

Mitchell Lagos as Benny, the one who sold his soul

“RENT is one of those very rare modern musicals that resonates profoundly with people across ages, and across generations. Full of heart, honesty, and passion, RENT still has the ability to move and inspire people with the power of its music and timeless message of community, life-affirmation, and most of all, love. We are very thrilled to be celebrating the 20th anniversary of this wonderful musical”, say artistic directors Adrian and Tracie Pang.

Directed by Tracie Pang, RENT also features Cheryl Tan, Andrew Marko, Siti Maznah, Seong Hui Xuan, Venytha Yashiantini, Erwin Shah Ismail, Crenshaw Yeo, and Oliver Pang. With memorable characters, an inspirational story, and music that will make your heart sing, RENT is theatre at its best- exuberant, passionate, and joyous.

Tickets go on sale from 5 August 2016 on SISTIC.

RENT runs from 7 to 23 October 2016 at the Drama Centre Theatre.

[Listing] Singapore Theatre Festival 2016

April 27, 2016April 27, 2016 / Isaac Tan / Leave a comment

Wild Rice brings back the Singapore Theatre Festival (STF) for the 5th time with 8 of the most exhilarating, ambitious, and thought-provoking new plays. Featuring 9 playwrights, 8 directors, and 4 theatre companies, the plays touch on a diverse range of issues that would speak to people from all walks of life in contemporary Singapore.

With LASALLE College of the Arts being the festival’s hub from 30 June to 24 July, STF will feature re-worked productions of recently staged plays,— Rodney Oliveiro’s Geylang, Johnny Jon Jon’s Hawa, Kenneth Chia and Mark Ng’s Let’s Get Back Together and Alfian Saat’s Geng Rebut Cabinet (GRC)—and shine the spotlight on the works of first-time playwrights: Helmi Yusof’s My Mother Buys Condoms, Nessa Anwar’s Riders Know When It’s Gonna Rain, and Thomas Lim’s Grandmother Tongue.

Recently awarded the Best Production of the Year at ST Life! Theatre Awards, HOTEL, directed by Wild Rice’s very own Ivan Heng and Glen Goei and written by Alfian Sa’at and Marcia Vanderstraaten, will be the mainstay production of the festival.

There will also be a programme of FEST!VITIES held at LASALLE’s Lowercase Café comprising a series of lively forums; drag, music and stand-up comedy performances; and a Playwriting Workshop by the festival’s Dramaturg and Wild Rice’s Resident Playwright Alfian Sa’at.

For more information about the Singapore Theatre Festival, please visit its official website.

[Listing] Na Mah by Bhaskar’s Arts Academy

March 14, 2016 / Isaac Tan / Leave a comment

After years of rehearsals in the the nights, the walls of the studio at Stamford Arts Centre will witness the last major production rehearsals by Bhaskar’s Arts Academy (BAA). With this palpable air of nostalgia, BAA thought it apt to stage Na Mah, which is essentially a salute to the space they called their own for more than 25 years.

“We are so at home in this space. But now the final countdown has started. So many creations, so many laughter, tears and sweet memories are embedded in these walls. Soon, all these will be like a forgotten piece of art when its memory is nothing but dust,” shares Santha Bhaskar, Artistic Director of BAA.

Na Mah, which means salutation, is a collection of repertoire items found in the vocabularies of Bharatanatyam and Kathak. It features 10 of BAA’s best Bharatanatyam dancers and our in-house Kathak soloist in demanding and exacting choreographies. All this work asks of you is to appreciate the visual beauty of movement, and the emotive aesthetics of abhinaya. Nothing more—no storyline, no characters, and certainly no complex philosophical concepts. Sometimes all you need is to see, feel, and live the dance.

Na Mah

16 April 2016 (Saturday)

3pm & 7:30pm

Esplanade Theatre Studio

$20 & $25

For more ticketing information, kindly contact BAA at enquiries@bhaskararts.com

[Listing] Singapore Lyric Opera’s 2016 Opera Ball

March 7, 2016March 7, 2016 / Isaac Tan / Leave a comment

Singapore Lyric Opera is dedicating it’s annual Opera Ball this year to its late founding chairman, Mr. Leow Siak Fah. The event will be held at the St. Regis Hotel, John Jacob Ballroom on Friday, 11th March 2016.

This special evening will feature excerpts from operas fondly associated with Mr. Leow – including well-known operas like “O Sole Mio,” “Granada,” and concert favourite “Mattinata“. This year’s exciting line-up includes SLO’s first Honorary Artistic Director, Nancy Yuen, as well as tenor extraordinaires Peter Ong,Melvin Tan and Reuben Lai, accompanied by distinguished local pianist, Rena Phua. The late chairman’s wife herself, Dr Ling Ai Ee, will be the guest pianist while their grand daughter, Caitlyn Tan, will be making a special appearance singing “Never Never Land” from Peter Pan.

Gracing the event will be Guest-of-Honour, SLO’s Patron-In-Chief, Mr. S R Nathan who has been very supportive of SLO’s work and whose presence has been a great source of encouragement for the institution.

Part of the proceeds from the event will contribute to the establishment of the “SLO – Leow Siak Fah Young Artists Programme“, a performance-based training programme to support the artistic development of talented young Singaporean singers, providing opportunities for them to hone their craft and gain experience on the professional stage. In addition, the SLO is initiating the inaugural “SLO – ASEAN Vocal Competition 2016” – a competition open to citizens and permanent residents in the ASEAN regions which will help talent spot singers of all ages in the region, establishing Singapore as a singing hub. The final will take place on the 2nd of October 2016, on our very own little red dot.

For booking information, visit Singapore Lyric Opera’s website.

[Listing] Beauty World

November 6, 2015 / Isaac Tan / Leave a comment

This November, legendary duo Dick Lee and Michael Chiang reunite once again for Singapore’s number one musical, the iconic Beauty World!

This much-beloved musical, which has seen multiple stagings since its debut at the Singapore Arts Festival in 1988, traces the adventures of a small-town girl from Batu Pahat who sets out on a quest to find her father in Singapore With a mysterious jade pendant as her only clue, she winds up in a dubious cabaret, where she learns some heartbreaking truths about love and life.

This revival, which features Michael Chiang’s revised script from 2008, will be directed for the first time by co-creator and composer Dick Lee. The production will bring an exciting ensemble of formidable talents from theatre and television.

TV star Jeanette Aw sizzles as Lulu, the beautiful but vindictive cabaret queen, while Malaysian talent Cheryl Tan brings wide-eyed charm to the role of Ivy Chan, our innocent protagonist. Adding her touch of class to the mix is seasoned actress Janice Koh, appearing in her first musical as the wise and winsome Mummy.

Other theatre talents include Timothy Wan (Ah Hock the bouncer), Joshua Lim (Frankie the boyfriend), and Frances Lee (Rosemary the penpal).

While the plot remains unchanged, and the comedy is as enjoyable as ever, this new version promises to unveil a darker, more dangerous Beauty World.

Beauty World runs from 13 November to 12 December at Victoria Theatre. Tickets from Sistic.

[Listing] Winter Wonderland by Singapore Lyric Opera’s Children’s Choir

October 22, 2015May 29, 2019 / Isaac Tan / Leave a comment

With a bit of sparkly tinsel and a sprinkling of snow, the beautiful merry voices of the children from SLO, proudly present- Winter Wonderland! Under the baton of choral conductor Ms Rose Loh, and accompanied by pianist Aloysius Foong, this year the SLO Children’s Choir together with Project W, a Singaporean musical ensemble of 20 musicians, are all set to entertain you with an eclectic mix of songs.

What is a Winter Wonderland concert without tunes from the famous “Frozen” phenomenon, popularised by Disney? Highlights of our programme include the enchanting Frozen theme song, Eatnemen Vuelie by Norwegian musician Frode Fjellheim and not forgetting, the global musical epidemic, “Let It Go”. The children will also be singing traditional favourites that reflect the wonders and emotions of the winter season, both sacred and secular. These include Italian carol Dormi Dormi, Mary Where Is Your Baby, composed by Dan Edwards and This Little Babe a movement from Benjamin Britten’s, A Ceremony of Carols. In support of our local talent, SLOCC will also be presenting two Singaporean compositions.

So do join us for a fantastical paradise as the children spread festive cheer and herald the good tidings of Christmas!

Programme List

A Cuckoo Flew Out of the Woods arr. B Wayne Bisbee

Dormi Dormi arr. Mary Goetze

Rise Up, Shepherd and Follow arr. Mark Hahn

Mid-Winter Bob Chilcott

This Little Babe Benjamin Britten

O Great Mystery Nancy Telfer

All Things Bright and Beautiful Phillip Silvey

Land of Joy Zechariah Goh

Little Tree Daniel Drewbaker

Gonna Catch That Santa Andy Beck

For the Beauty of the Earth John Rutter

INTERVAL

Special Item by Project W Sin Jin How

When All the World Is Full of Snow David V Montoya

Hanget Soi (Singing Snow) arr. AuvoSamanto

Let It Go arr. MacHuff

Frozen (Choral Suite) adapted by Roger Emerson

In Summer arr. Alan Billingsley

Christmas Is (Sing-along) arr. MacHuff

Catch Winter Wonderland on 5 December 2015 at SOTA Concert Hall. For more ticketing information, visit Sistic.

[Listing] Singapore Lyric Opera’s 25th Anniversary Gala Concert

October 22, 2015May 29, 2019 / Isaac Tan / Leave a comment

This November, Singapore Lyric Opera (SLO) is excited to celebrate its 25th anniversary in the Esplanade Concert Hall with its greatest Gala Concert yet.

In celebration of this momentous occasion, multi-award winning local conductor, Joshua Kangming Tan, will lead the orchestra and singers in a night to remember with highlights and excerpts from over 20 operas staged by SLO in the last quarter century from the great composers – Mozart, Puccini, Lehar, Verdi, and including Singapore’s own, Leong Yoon Pin.

After 25 successful years of presenting some of the best western operas, SLO celebrates its silver jubilee with a sumptuous programme put together by Nancy Yuen, SLO’s first Honorary Artistic Director, reprising her role as the lead soprano for this year’s concert.

Joining Nancy Yuen on the stage will be some of the region’s best opera singers including, internationally acclaimed South Korean tenor, Lee Jae Wook and veteran Singaporean mezzo-soprano, Anna Koor. The line-up will also include two baritones extraordinaire, South Korean Song Kee Chang and our very own, Martin Ng.

Some of the excerpts and highlights include:

Hai già vinta la causa from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro

E lucevan le stele from Puccini’s Tosca

Votre toast from Bizet’s Carmen

Les voici from Bizet’s Carmen

Che gelida manina from Puccini’s La Bohème

O soave fanciulla from Puccini’s La Bohème

Vogliatemi bene from Puccini’s Madama Butterfly

Nessun dorma from Puccini’s Turandot

Catch SLO’s 25th Anniversary Gala Concert on 13 November 2015 at Esplanade Concert Hall. For more ticketing information, visit Sistic.