Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Monday, April 28, 2014
Happy Ever Laughter - 13 standup comedians
REVIEW: Truly Happy Ever Laughter
Going Out – By Night - Sunday, April 20, 2014
Should you watch this? Yes.
Duration: About 2 hours with a 15 minute intermission
Dates: 16 Apr (Wed) – 27 Apr (Sun), 2014
Showtimes: Tue 8pm, Wed 8pm, Thu 8pm, Fri 4pm & 8pm, Sat 4pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm & 6pm
Special notes: If you park at Esplanade and catch the 4pm show, your parking fee will be at least $12 due to Esplanade's parking charges.
"Happy Ever Laughter" is a comedy that consists of 13 stand-up comic acts of about 10 minutes each. It features Mark Lee, Adrian Pang, Kumar, Selena Tan, Hossan Leong, Sebastian Tan, as well as Pam Oei, Judee Tan, Siti Khalijah, Karen Tan, Fuzz, Rishi Budhrani and Zulkarnain Sadali.
I liked it. I felt there was a common theme of "don't be so sad lah" that linked the 13 acts together, rather than being individual stand-up comic performances. There was an overall sense of delight at being there as well as references to each other's acts, without overdoing the mutual ribbing.
So what were the highlights of the show?
It's 'feel good'
Despite the R18 rating and the numerous warnings, there wasn't as much Singapore bashing as I'd expected. Of course, there were jokes about certain aspects of Singapore, but it felt more like "we're in this with you" rather than "look how silly it is!" And also, with the common theme of trying to cheer people up (it's a comedy after all), it had a pretty feel good effect post-performance.
This comedy format worked very well to keep my short attention span focused on the whole performance – with a different act coming out every few minutes, nobody ever overstays their time on the stage (if you're picky about that sort of thing).
Jokes catered to all levels
Every so often, different groups in the audience would laugh at seemingly random bits of dialogue – which showcased the different levels of humour that were used in the show. It's great that they didn't belabour jokes which didn't have mass appeal, and I appreciated that the material didn't pander to the lowest common denominator all the time. People come from all walks of life, mirroring the variety of comedy in the performances. And as my viewing partner said – no overused ERP jokes!
Mark Lee's performance
It was interesting to see Mark Lee given free reign to perform English comedy on stage. It wasn't completely in English, of course, and he gave a more nuanced and less slapstick performance than what we're used to seeing on TV. Unexpected but enjoyable. Kudos to that!
Of course, no performance is perfect, and there were some aspects that detracted a little from the comedy.
The set was too bright
It's a minor quibble, but the contrast and lighting of the set was rather glaring. Maybe I'm not used to this set-up, as I was squinting a fair bit after the intermission. Heads up if you have astig.
Hossan Leong seemed a little subdued
Compared to his previous appearances on TV and stage, Hossan Leong felt a little more controlled and not as animated as usual. His act was still funny, though I'd have preferred if we went with his more animated persona.
It was a pretty good experience (my eyes were watering towards the end) and well worth watching. Go get your tickets, quick!
Duration: About 2 hours with a 15 minute intermission
Dates: 16 Apr (Wed) – 27 Apr (Sun), 2014
Showtimes: Tue 8pm, Wed 8pm, Thu 8pm, Fri 4pm & 8pm, Sat 4pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm & 6pm
Special notes: If you park at Esplanade and catch the 4pm show, your parking fee will be at least $12 due to Esplanade's parking charges.
"Happy Ever Laughter" is a comedy that consists of 13 stand-up comic acts of about 10 minutes each. It features Mark Lee, Adrian Pang, Kumar, Selena Tan, Hossan Leong, Sebastian Tan, as well as Pam Oei, Judee Tan, Siti Khalijah, Karen Tan, Fuzz, Rishi Budhrani and Zulkarnain Sadali.
I liked it. I felt there was a common theme of "don't be so sad lah" that linked the 13 acts together, rather than being individual stand-up comic performances. There was an overall sense of delight at being there as well as references to each other's acts, without overdoing the mutual ribbing.
So what were the highlights of the show?
It's 'feel good'
Despite the R18 rating and the numerous warnings, there wasn't as much Singapore bashing as I'd expected. Of course, there were jokes about certain aspects of Singapore, but it felt more like "we're in this with you" rather than "look how silly it is!" And also, with the common theme of trying to cheer people up (it's a comedy after all), it had a pretty feel good effect post-performance.
This comedy format worked very well to keep my short attention span focused on the whole performance – with a different act coming out every few minutes, nobody ever overstays their time on the stage (if you're picky about that sort of thing).
Jokes catered to all levels
Every so often, different groups in the audience would laugh at seemingly random bits of dialogue – which showcased the different levels of humour that were used in the show. It's great that they didn't belabour jokes which didn't have mass appeal, and I appreciated that the material didn't pander to the lowest common denominator all the time. People come from all walks of life, mirroring the variety of comedy in the performances. And as my viewing partner said – no overused ERP jokes!
Mark Lee's performance
It was interesting to see Mark Lee given free reign to perform English comedy on stage. It wasn't completely in English, of course, and he gave a more nuanced and less slapstick performance than what we're used to seeing on TV. Unexpected but enjoyable. Kudos to that!
Of course, no performance is perfect, and there were some aspects that detracted a little from the comedy.
The set was too bright
It's a minor quibble, but the contrast and lighting of the set was rather glaring. Maybe I'm not used to this set-up, as I was squinting a fair bit after the intermission. Heads up if you have astig.
Hossan Leong seemed a little subdued
Compared to his previous appearances on TV and stage, Hossan Leong felt a little more controlled and not as animated as usual. His act was still funny, though I'd have preferred if we went with his more animated persona.
It was a pretty good experience (my eyes were watering towards the end) and well worth watching. Go get your tickets, quick!
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Indian Rojak @ West Coast
503, West Coast Drive, 01-68
Ayer Rajah Food Centre
Open - 11am to 10pm (closed alt Monday)
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Saturday, April 5, 2014
天冷就回来
实践剧场华语音乐剧
编剧: 杜国威
词曲: 梁文福
导演: 郭践红
词曲: 梁文福
导演: 郭践红
故事简介
"这里只有天气，没有季节，我很想看看下雪……"
当 爱人小静去世，阿乐背着行囊，独自来到纽约，追求自己狂热的音乐理想。在异乡的街头，他遇上了阿强。共同的新加坡腔，共同的追求，建立起了阿乐和阿强的友 谊。透过幽默爽朗的阿强，阿乐在餐馆找到了一份工作。一次送外卖，阿乐认识了热爱表演的Rose。于是，他们三人常聚在一起交流心得，友谊突飞猛进。而 Rose也渐渐倾心于阿乐。在往后的一段日子里，他们之间的关系，出现了莫名的变化……
"这里只有天气，没有季节，但这里有爱﹑有情……"