David Cook at Ion Orachard, Singapore

By 6:30 pm, there was already a sizeable crowd gathering by the stage, most of them waiting for David Cook to perform.   David Cook was a past winner of the American Idol.

Aspects of Love: An evening of Ballet

This was another production under the Esplanade Dance Festival, held at the Esplanade Theatre on 23 and 24 Oct 2012.  The evening featured 5 pairs of dancers in 10 items.  As a non-dancer,  I felt that the second half definitely was the highlight.














Gillian Murphy and Qi Huan opened and closed the show with The Man I Love (George Balanchine) and Black Swan (Marius Petipa).  The first piece did not register a deep impression.  The Black Swan pas de deux showed the duo in good form.

 Daria Klimentova and Vadim Muntagirov danced Bedroom pas de deux from Manon and Tchaikovsky (Balanchine).  I liked Daria's movement and she was expressive.  Of course, Vadim impressed with his leaps.

I like Excerpt from The Little Mermaid (John Neumeler) and The Lady of the Camellias, performed by Silvia Azzoi and Alexandre Riabko.  The pair had very good chemistry and look comfortable on stage.  The choreography for The Lady of the Camellias was really beautiful. Of course pianist Lim Yan accompanied the two beautifully.

Tan Yuan Yuan is another expressive dancer and partnered Davit Karapetyan well.  I personally liked the Balcony pas de deux in the first act, compared to Among The Stars (Jessica Lang) that opened the second half.

Ana Maria Scheller and Gonzalo Garcia were the "flashy" pair, with all the twirls and leaps.  Their technique was good, but somehow I felt the pair lacked chemistry.

It was a lovely evening for audience, ballet lovers or not.  The dancers deserved the warm applause from the crowd.

Kenny Rogers in Singapore, 21 Oct 2012

I missed the Kenny Rogers concert in Singapore years ago and this time round, I made it a point to catch him since he won't be doing any more international tours. 

The audience at the Singapore Indoor Stadium was pretty quiet while waiting for Kenny Rogers to appear.  He started the concert at 8:15 pm.  And he did not disappoint. His voice is still in good shape, except for some high notes.  He sang most of his big hits (The Gambler, We've Got Tonight, Lucille, Through the Years, Lady).  At times, he did not sing the full duration.

Tobari - as if in an inexhaustible flux

Sankai Juku's butoh production opened the da:ns Festival 2012 organised by Esplanade Theatre on the Bay. It was the group second visit to Singapore.  From the house programme, tobari is a "veil of fabric hung in a space as a partition".

Leo Hee Tong Solo Exhibition – Flight of Fantasy

Second generation locally born Singapore painter Leo Hee Tong 梁其栋 held his solo exhibition “Flight of Fantasy- 梦幻之航”at the Dahlia Gallery at Pagoda Street. 

National Broadway Company, Esplanade Theatre 12 - 14 Oct 2012

Singapore is setting up a National Broadway Company and a group of well known local personalities, actors, directors, choreographers were bidding for the post.  That was the premise of the new production by Theatre Works, directed by its Artistic Director Ong Keng Sen.  This production was part of the Singapore's Esplanade Theatre on The Bay 10th Anniversary celebrations.

Waiting for Godot at DBS Arts Centre

The staging of Nobel Laureate Samuel Beckett's work in Singapore was infrequent and therefore it was great to see Waiting for Godot played in Singapore at the DBS Arts Centre.  This production was presented by ABA productions, in association with AC Proudctions, Dublin.

In a bare stage with nothing but a tree as a background, two dishevelled and scruffy men Estragon and Vladmir talked, joked and on one occasion trying to hang themselves.  At the same time, they waited by (or near) a tree for a person Godot who never appeared.  We were not sure if they were waiting at the right place, or how long they have been waiting.  In between, they met Pozzo and Lucky. 

The production succeeded in conveying a sense of loss and emptiness, and the helplessness of waiting for something in vain.  The cast did a fine job by conveying this feeling and engaging the audience, with a basically bare stage.  Paul Kealyn's Pozzo may sound like he was shouting at times but it was just a minor comment.

This was a good opportunity to catch an important play of our time.  While I may not fully comprehend the intentions of Samuel Beckett, I enjoyed the staging of this production.

Avenue Q at Marina Bay Sands

This was my second viewing of Avenue Q, the first time in London.   For the Singapore staging, the Filipino cast did a great job of bringing this political incorrect production to life.  Most sang well and took on their respective roles competently, although I had difficulties deciphering some actors' lines.

This staging is as good as the London production that I saw years back.  Definitely worth your time and money to catch this.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds & Katy Perry: 2012 F1, 23 Sep 2012 (Sunday)

It was the last day of the 2012 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix.

I was early at the Padang, catching the Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds gig at 6:45pm.  As most people were in the stands or standing elsewhere waiting for the race to start, the audience was not huge for this concert.

Maroon 5: 2012 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, 22 Sep 2012 (Sat)

I was dashing to the Padang from elsewhere.  When I left the MRT Station, I could already hear Maroon 5's crooning out One More Night.  There was a jam at the elevator and when I got to the Padang area, the whole area was packed.  We could not enter the audience area proper...

This is the best picture that I could get from the concert - a shot of the video screen.  We had a side view of the performance from a little opening of the Fans entrance.

 A shot of the musician.











Despite the inconvenience, Maroon 5 gave a great concert.  Adam Levine's voice was in good form and the band covered all their major hits.  Definitely a memorable one.