Othello at Fort Canning Park

The Singapore Repertory Theatre staged its popular Shakespeare in the Park again this year.  That evening, we witnessed the jealous Othello killed his innocent wife Desdemona in front of a packed audience.

Daniel Francis and Wendy Kueh took on the respective roles admirably.   However, I could not feel how Othelllo turned into a jealous husband, or the innocence of Desdemona.  Nonetheless, these are minor comments.

Adrian Legg charms Singapore

It was one of those days that you wished you could pick up the guitar and play again, after listening to Adrian Legg's performance at the Esplanade Recital Studio.  He played to an intimate crowd on Sunday evening, and the great acoustics of the Recital Studio enhanced our enjoyment.

Adrian Legg was not only a great guitarist, he was also a good storyteller with a sense of humour.  For example, he talked about his daughter's ballet teacher before launching a song that he dedicated to her, Mrs Jack's Last Stand.

I felt uplifting after the concert.  It was great to meet him up close during the autograph session.  Let's hope he would make a return visit soon.

Review: Gruesome Playground Injuries, World-In-Theatre

This play by Rajiv Joseph talked about the meetings of a man and a woman from childhood to adulthood, of which injuries and illness were the central theme.  The play however did not progress much through the 8 scenes, 

Importance of Being Ernest, Wild Rice

Second time round, and still as engaging and enjoyable.  The all male cast directed by Glen Goei provided an interesting look at Oscar Wilde's play.

The cast, comprising Brendon Fernandez, Crispian Chan, Daniel York, Ivan Heng, Chua Enlai, Hossan Leong, Gavin Yap and Lim Kay Siu, did a good job.  While the string quartet may not add anything substantial to the production, it did add ambience to the show.

It is great to see a well written play directed tightly and having a good ensemble of actors.  We are likely to see another re-run in the forseeable future.

Xpressions - Bhaskar's Arts Academy

In Xpressions, Artistic Director and Choreographer Santha Bhaskar created works based  on the music of Balasai, a well known flautist and composer.  In this performance, Santha Bhaskar infused traditional bharatanatyam with contemporary movements.  Her 5 dancers Arulushamaheswary Anbalagan, Nishalini Lakchimanathas, Sarenniya Ramadas, Shruthilaya Ramachandran and Shubaashini Vijayamohan executed the movements well, showing the potential of these dancers.

Of course, the performance would not be enjoyable without the musicians.  The vocals of Ampili Pradeep and Arasakumari Nagaradjane were hynoptic. The other musicians Ghanavenothan Retnam, TK Arunkumar, TV Sajith (played like rock guitarist!), Nivas K Prasanna, Harikrishnan and A Jayagowtham received good response from the audience.

As a bonus, Balasai performed with the troupe at the end of the performance.  What a way to end the evening.

This is a good effort by the Bhaskar's Arts Academy which was enjoyed by the audience.  With better technical support and lighting design, the productions by the company would definitely be raised to the next level.

(Performances held on 12 - 13 Apr 2013)



One Day in this Place, Cake Theatrical Productions

One Day in this Place is part of "In a Decade", a platform by Cake Theatrical Productions to provide artistic opportunities for new generation of artists.

This play, written and directed by Artistic Director Natalie Hennedige, deals with people of diverse background existing in a crowded place.  It consists of a series of vignettes, with obvious references to Singapore. 

Pace for the first part of the performance was draggy, too much of the multi-racial stuff, at times seemed like a college production with all those song and dance items.  So, when it comes to the latter part, the theme of the play was somehow lost to the audience.

Edges The Musical

Edges The Musical was about coming of age stories young adults.  There was no distinct plot-line and the show was strung together by a series of songs, performed by 4 capable actors Benjamin Kheng, Mina Ellen Kaye, Linden Furnell and Kristy Griffin.  Incidentally Mina and Kristy were featured in SRT's Goldilocks and the 3 Bears which was still in theatre this moment (see my review on the show).

Singapore Symphony Orchestra performed Britten's War Requiem, 5 Apr 2013

The thought of listening to a major choral work at Esplanade Concert Hall was the key factor of attending this music performance by SSO, conducted by Lam Shui with Choral Conductor Lim Yau.

Benjamin Britten's War Requiem featured the combined chorus of Singapore Symphony Chorus, Hallelujah Chorus, The Philharmonic Chamber Choir, NAFA Choir and Shanghai Opera House Chorus The concert also featured the Singapore Symphony Children's Choir (led by Wong Lai Foon) who was situated high up on the third floor of the hall. 

Although I am not a big fan of choral work, I enjoyed this concert tremendously - the acoustics of the concert hall was excellent, the 3 soloists (Elena Zelenskaya, Barry Banks, Deltef Roth) sounded clear and beautiful and not forgetting the chorus.

A memorable concert for all!

Le Noir at Marina Bay Sands

The modern circus/ acrobatic production Le Noir is ending its run this week.  It is an enjoyable performance if you like Cirque du Soleil-type performance. 

Review of the show:
http://clumsycompass.blogspot.sg/2013/03/contemporary-circus-production-le-noir.html

The Bride Always Knocks Twice, The Theatre Practice

A runaway bride escaped to a house, opened through a door that could be seen by women only.  There, she met women of different ages, and from different periods of time.  

Goldilocks and the 3 Bears, Singapore Repertory Theatre

A modern take on the fairy tale, with the issue of conservation kicking in.  The production features music and lyrics by West-End musical theatre song writing duo George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. 

It was good house for the performance.  The songs were catchy and the set design was beautiful.  On that day, the actors' energy level was not high and they could have engaged the audience better. At times, the 3 bears look more like brothers and sister rather than parents and little bear, and Goldilocks and her father looked like a pair of lovers.  Having said that, the production still flows smoothly and the message of conservation was delivered clearly to the young generation.  Still a worthwhile trip to this production.