Singapore’s 10 Most Anticipated Music & Theatre Productions in 2017
PUBLISHED February 15th, 2017 06:00 am
2017 looks pretty set for music and theatre fans, with stunning local and international productions all lined up to blow your minds away. Here’s the 10 we’re most looking forward to seeing!
Pangdemonium’s The Pillowman
Winning the Olivier Award for Best New Play, as well as the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best New Foreign Play, The Pillowman will have you both squirming on the edge of your seats and howling with laughter at the same time. First directed by Tracie Pang in 2007 to critical acclaim, Pangdemonium is now bringing the show back – a decade later – due to popular demand. A writer of short stories gets questioned by the police regarding a series of child murders, while his brother, a gentle man-child with special needs, gets locked up in the next room. Who is “the Pillowman”, and what exactly is in “the box”?
The Pillowman is happening from 24 February to 12 March 2017 at Victoria Theatre. Tickets are priced from $30 to $75, available here. For more information, check out the event page here.
Yiruma in Singapore 2017
Remember that time when River Flows in You and Kiss the Rain seemed to be the it-songs on everyone’s playlists? Well, the charismatic man behind it all – the Korean contemporary classical pianist Yiruma – is coming back to Singapore after a couple of sold-out concerts in 2014 and 2015 to bring you the aforementioned songs, along with hits like Love Me and May Be that made him the most successful composer-pianist globally to date. For this new concert, expect signature tunes as well as hidden ones, and a couple of surprise performances!
Yiruma Live in Singapore 2017 is happening on Saturday, 25 February 2017 at The Star Theatre. Tickets are priced from $78 to $268, available here. For more information, check out the official Yiruma page here.
The Temper Trap – Live in Singapore
Ever since their debut here at the St Jerome’s Laneway Festival back in 2011, the award-winning Australian indie rock band The Temper Trap has sold more than a million albums, more than 150 million streams on Spotify, and toured together with the likes of Coldplay and the Rolling Stones. Now, they’re fresh from the release of their latest studio album Thick As Thieves, their sound anthemic, direct, emotive, and very, very vibey – with hit songs So Much Sky, Summer’s Almost Gone, Burn deserving of a platinum-certified band.
The Temper Trap – Live in Singapore is happening on Friday, 10 March 2017 at The Coliseum, Hard Rock Hotel Singapore. Tickets are priced at $118, available here. For more information, check out the official The Temper Trap page here.
Fifth Harmony – The 7/27 Tour
Performing for the very first time in Singapore this April is pop powerhouse group Fifth Harmony! They – who met in 2012 at the second season of The X Factor US – will be bringing their globally successful 7/27 Tour here, promising an exceptionally dynamic live performance of their multi-platinum summer anthem Work from Home, platinum single All in My Head (Flex), and of course the latest That’s My Girl, alongside other record-breaking tunes. One thing’s for sure whether you’re a “Harmonizer” or not – they can sure captivate an audience.
Fifth Harmony – The 7/27 Tour is happening on Saturday, 8 April 2017 at The Star Theatre. Tickets are priced from $98 to 168, available here. For more information, check out the official Fifth Harmony page here.
Boys in the Band
Coincidentally or not, international hit show Boys in the Band will be performing on the exact same night as Fifth Harmony, in celebration of the greatest hits from 20th century’s most iconic bands. That is to say, everyone from Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons to The Beatles, Bee Gees, Simon and Garfunkel, The Jackson 5, and Backstreet Boys. Billed as the feel-good show of the year, this sensational live band will get you singing along to legendary tunes you never knew you’d remember the lyrics to, where it’s Hey Jude, Sherry, Stayin’ Alive, or Good Vibrations. If you don’t stand up and dance for this, we don’t know what to say.
Boys in the Band is happening on Saturday, 8 April 2017 at Mastercard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands. Tickets are priced from $60 to $120, available here. For more information, check out the official Boys in the Band page here.
W!LD RICE’s La Cage Aux Folles
Ladies and gentlemen, open your eyes! You’ve arrived at LA CAGE, the world-famous nightclub in the heart of Tanjong Pagar where the long-time partner, Albin, of your charming host George, headlines the cabaret as glamorous diva Zaza. All’s well until George’s son announces his plan to marry the daughter of Mr C.K. Tan, an ultra-conservative politician hell-bent on shutting down the colourful nightlife scene. The musical extravaganza of the year, La Cage Aux Folles is one of Broadway’s biggest hits, and has won a staggering 11 Tony Awards.
La Cage Aux Folles is running from 19 April to 13 May 2017 at Victoria Theatre. Tickets are priced from $60 to 120, available here. For more information, check out the event page here.
Laugh You Long Time
For the first time ever in Singapore, four international powerhouses of comedy join forces in a very special and exclusive comedy showcase. And guess what? They’re all Asian, and all female. The stellar lineup sees Los Angeles-based Jenny Yang taking on Asian American stereotypes, Malaysia’s comedy queen Joanne Kam with her racy and in-your-face humour, Singapore’s very own Sharul Channa and her no-holds-barred fiery mouth, and last but not least, our super-versatile chameleon of comedy Michelle Chong, who will be launching a brand new character! Sharing their comic views on life, love, and everything else in between, we bet you’ll be eating out of their hands before the night is over.
Laugh You Long Time is running from 20 to 22 April 2017 at Mastercard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands. Tickets are priced from $45 to $135, available here.
Kingdom Hearts Orchestra World Tour
Video game fans will know this one. Moving from the Champs Elysée to the Marunouchi and from Hollywood to Westminster, the first official symphonic concert of the legendary Square Enix game is set to enchant Singapore. Follow the action-packed adventures of Sora, Goofy, and Donald in HD cinematics as they rescue their friends and the whole universe right in front of you, featuring more than 70 musicians on stage and the beloved music from the whole Kingdom Hearts saga.
Kingdom Hearts Orchestra World Tour is running from 6 to 7 May 2017 at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. Tickets are priced from $105 to $255, available here. For more information, check out the event page here.
SISTER ACT
Featuring eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors), SISTER ACT is Broadway’s ridiculously fun musical comedy. Telling the story of Deloris Van Cartier, a diva-wannabe whose life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a crime and hides in the last place anyone would think to look: a convent. There, she unexpectedly helps her fellow sisters find their true voices – under the suspicious watch of Mother Superior – as she herself rediscovers her own. This is a glittering tribute to the universal power of friendship, whatever your circumstances may be, so “rejoice”!
SISTER ACT is running from 9 to 21 May 2017 at Mastercard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands. Tickets are priced from $65 to $185, available here. For more details, check out the event page here.
Forbidden City – Portrait of an Empress
What really happened in the Forbidden City over a century ago? Who was the real Dowager Empress? Those are the questions explored in the restaging of the most successful original musical to be produced in Singapore, following three sold-out runs and over 100,00 tickets sold. Starring Kit Chan as the Empress Cixi and Cheryl Tan as the young imperial concubine Yehenara, the epic musical will also include West End star Earl Carpenter (Les Misérables), Broadway star Stephanie Leigh (Mary Poppins), and our very own Broadway Beng. Along with music by Dick Lee, be mystified by this soulful tale of dark secrets, whispered rumours, love, betrayal, and power in what might just be the cultural event of the year.
Forbidden City – Portrait of an Empress is running from 8 to 20 August 2017 at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. Tickets are priced from $28 to $118, available here. For more details, check out the event page here.
Top Image courtesy of Singaporedramamama
