Tony Bennett performing in Singapore tonight!

American music veteran Tony Bennett would be playing a concert here this evening (11 Sep) at the The Star Performing Arts Centre. Audience tonight will have a chance to savour hits from his more than 50-year career.  I am looking forward to hearing "I left my heart in San Francisco", "Because of you" and "Rags to Riches".

Tony Bennett has received seventeen Grammy Awards, including a 1995 Grammy for Record of the Year for his “MTV Unplugged” CD and the prestigious Grammy Lifetime Award.  He has managed to reach out to younger audience through the years.

The Tale of the Frog Prince

This is a well executed production by Singapore Repertory Theatre's Little Company.  Compared to the company's last production Goldilocks and the 3 Bears, the energy level of the actors was higher and the interaction with the children was better.  The cast was strong: Caleb Goh (Frog), Mina Ellen Kaye (Rosalie), Marc Valentine (Spree), Candice de Rozario (Queen), Marcus Lim (King), Anette Sestol Andersen (Penelope) and Erwin Shah Ismail (Bertram).  The pace is right for the children and the set design is commendable.

All in all, director Daniel Jenkins did a good job with this production.


See reviews for Three Little Pigs  and Goldilocks and the 3 Bears

Singapore Lyric Opera celebrates Verdi's bientennial with La Traviata

Singapore Lyric Opera staged a familiar opera La Traviata at the Esplanade Theatre recently (September).  Director Stephen Barlow has chosen a contemporary treatment to this opera to good effect. The set design is clean and did not cause "congestion" to the cast and chorus experienced in the recent "Madama Butterfly".

Act I seemed to be warm-up act for the cast.  Nancy Yuen, as Violetta, was not audible initially.  Things got better as the scenes went on and overall Nancy Yuen did a good job. I also like Kota Murakami as Alfredo and Song Kee Chang as Alfredo's father Giorgio.  To me, Song Kee Chang sang the best last Friday evening.

It was a good evening out at the opera, and let's hope that SLO would put on more challenging works in the coming year.

Barbie LIVE! Musical world premieres at Marina Bay Sands

Not satisfied with just owning the Barbie dolls?  There is a new musical for you. The all-new musical, Barbie LIVE!  will have its world premiere in Singapore for one week only from 10 to 14 September at the MasterCard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands. The musical will then travel throughout Asia, Australia, Europe and the United States.

 

 Barbie LIVE! will be featuring contemporary music with empowering lyrics, energetic choreography and a modern storyline that will appeal to fans of all ages. The show will feature a cast of 19 singers and dancers, dazzling costumes, spectacular lighting and set designs and popular songs. 

                                 

Set on a Hollywood sound stage the show follows Barbie and her best friend / co-star Teresa on the set of their new movie.  When Teresa starts to doubt herself and her theatrical abilities, Barbie leverages lessons from her past to teach Teresa (and the audience) to be confident, believe in yourself and embrace the power of friendship. 

FOR TICKET BOOKINGS:

THROUGH INTERNET:    

www.BASEentertainmentasia.com or www.MarinaBaySands.com/Ticketing

BY PHONE: +65 6688 8826

BOOK IN PERSON AT:   Marina Bay Sands Box Offices (Museum, Theatres, SkyPark, Retail Mall and Hotel Tower 1 and 3 Lobby). For more information please log onto - www.MarinaBaySands.com

For VIP, Hotel and Dining Packages visit www.showbizasia.com. Corporate and Group Bookings are available via Showbiz.  Email: corporate@showbizasia.com or call 6688 1029

Mobile 2: Flat Cities

Mobile 2: Flat Cities is The Necessary Stage's latest production, staged at its premise at Marine Parade Community Centre.  The plot consists of two threads: the first occurred at the end of Japanese Occupation, where a sick Japanese General was taken care of by a Malay gardener. The next happened in modern times: a Japanese man falling in love with an Indian woman in Kuala Lumpur.  His ex-wife was burdened by a prediction of a fortune teller.  Their son, who was studying film in the United States, was confronted by his classmates about World War II.

Simon McBurney's Shun-Kin

Simon McBurney, Artistic Director of UK theatre company Complicite, directed a disciplined cast of Japanese actors in the stage adaption of Shun-Kin, based on the writings of Jun'ichiro Tanizaki.

The story is about a blind shamisen teacher Shun-Kin with a strange and perverse relationship with her older student Sasuke, who is also her servant. Simon McBurney kept the tension between the characters tight.  The ensemble cast was strong and the actors relied on minimal props and lighting to deliver a good performance.

One of the good theatre performances in Singapore this year.  

Singapore Dance Theatre's Masterpiece in Motion: Nils Christe's Organ Concerto shines (Dance Review)

It has been a while since I caught a Singapore Dance Theatre performance and many new dancers have since joined.  The first piece, George Balanchine's Theme and Variations, started off slowly for the evening's programme.  It could be opening night jitters, but the pairing of Rosa Pak and Kenya Nakamura seemed nervous.

The Organ Concerto choreographed by Nils Christe and set to music of Francis Poulenc however was a totally different picture.

Everything But the Brain

Jean Tay's Everything But the Brain was one of the best Singapore plays for the past decade.  It tells the story of a still single Physics teacher Elaine who hatches a plan to turn back time to save her father, who was suffering from a stroke.

Jersey Boy Frankie Valli coming to Singapore - POSTPONED to 24 Jan 2014!

After watching the lives of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons in the musical The Jersey Boys on the Singapore stage last year, the man himself will appear live at The Star Theatre on 24 Jan 2014.  

Frankie Valli and his new Four Seasons team would perform hits from the 60s such as "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Walk Like a Man", "Rag Doll".  Their contribution in the music industry was recognised when in 1990, Frankie and the original Seasons were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  

For the younger (or not-so-old) generation, we knew Frankie Vallie from his number one hit "Grease" from the movie of the same title.   Hopefully he would perform this song at the concert.

The concert is part of his 50th anniversary tour which started in 2012, and partly to promote his new album “Romancing the 60's”, The album was produced by Bob Gaudio, an original member of The Four Seasons. The album features songs from the 60s with Frankie Valli's own interpretations.

Tickets for the concert are available at SISTIC.

Starlight Express: Musical on roller skates

After Phantom of the Opera, another Andrew Lloyd Webber musical will hit the Mastercard Theatres stage this November. Originally conceived as a cartoon story for his own children, Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express tells the story of a child’s dream, in which toy trains come to life and compete to become the fastest engine in the world.

I recalled this musical fondly as it was my first West End Musical when I visited London in the late 80s. Although it does not have a strong storyline, I enjoyed the staging and the songs.  It would be great to catch it after close to 25 years.

Performance starts 13 Nov 2013.  Tickets available from SISTIC.