Theatre review: Xinyao musical Moonlit City too generic retelling of Lee couple's romance
Lee Kuan Yew (Timothy Wan) and Kwa Geok Choo (Sunny Yang) are stopped by the Kempeitai during the Japanese Occupation.
Toy Factory Productions
Gateway Theatre
July 26, 7.30pm
This seven-decade-spanning, schmaltzy interpretation of the romance between Singapore's first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and his wife Kwa Geok Choo treads the familiar ground of a well-known story.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
5 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Concert review: Asian Grand Prix concert showcases choral excellence and diversity in harmony
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Indonesia's lively Gita Maizan Choir was named the winner of the 2025 Asian Grand Prix. Grand Prix Concert & Award Ceremony Esplanade Concert Hall July 27, 7.30pm The culmination of the 9th Singapore International Choral Festival organised by One Choral Company and Rave Group International was its Grand Prix concert on July 27.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
New TV show imagines China invasion, gives Taiwan viewers wake-up call
Find out what's new on ST website and app. The series is set to premiere on August 2 in Taiwan, followed by its Japanese release on Amazon Prime Video. TAIPEI - A new Taiwanese television series that imagines the run-up to a Chinese invasion is getting rave reviews from viewers, who said the first programme featuring the sensitive topic is a wake-up call for the public facing heightened Chinese military threat. In the show, 'Zero Day Attack', a Chinese war plane goes missing near Taiwan. China then sends swarms of military boats and planes for a blockade as Taiwan goes on a war footing. Panic ensues on the streets of Taipei. At viewings in Taipei last week attendees have included the top US diplomat in Taiwan Raymond Greene, who is director of the American Institute in Taiwan, and Taiwanese tycoon Robert Tsao, a strident critic of Beijing. The series is set to premiere on August 2 in Taiwan, followed by its Japanese release on Amazon Prime Video. 'Presenting such a situation (of conflict) can lead to more discussion about what we should do if it really turns into reality one day,' said Mr Blair Yeh, a 35-year-old engineer, after watching the first episode in the Taipei premier last week. The premise of 'Zero Day Attack' is a topic that has for years been considered too sensitive for many Taiwan filmmakers and television show creators, who fear losing access to the lucrative Chinese entertainment market. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Not feasible for S'pore to avoid net‑zero; all options to cut energy emissions on table: Tan See Leng Singapore With regional interest in nuclear energy rising, S'pore must build capabilities too: Tan See Leng Singapore New Mandai North Crematorium, ash-scattering garden to open on Aug 15 Singapore Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole did not happen overnight: Experts Singapore Sewage shaft failure linked to sinkhole; PUB calling safety time-out on similar works islandwide Singapore Science Journals: Lessons from weird fish sold in Singapore's wet markets World US and EU clinch deal with broad 15% tariffs on EU goods to avert trade war Asia Displaced villagers at Thai-Cambodian border hope to go home as leaders set to meet for talks More than half of the show's crew asked to remain anonymous on the crew list, and some people including a director pulled out of the production at the last minute, its showrunner Cheng Hsin Mei told Reuters. But as China steps up military threats , including at least six rounds of major war games in the past five years and daily military activities close to Taiwan, the upcoming drama confronts the fear by setting the 10-episode series around a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. The drama focuses on several scenarios Taiwan might face in the days leading up to a Chinese attack, including a global financial collapse, the activation of Chinese sleeper agents and panicked residents trying to flee the island. 'Without freedom, Taiwan is not Taiwan,' the actor who plays a fictional Taiwan president says in a televised speech, urging unity after declaring war on China, in the show's trailer. The live broadcast then gets abruptly cut off, replaced by a feed of a Chinese state television anchor calling for Taiwanese to surrender and to report 'hidden pro-independence activists' to Chinese soldiers after their landing in Taiwan. 'We've been comfortable for a long time now,' said viewer Leon Yu, 43-year-old semiconductor industry professional, adding Taiwan's freedom and democracy must be kept. 'There's still a lot of people out there burying their head in the sand and don't want to face the dangers of the present.' REUTERS
Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
Japan's manga artists can't ignore AI any more
Find out what's new on ST website and app. The brushstrokes of generative AI can help anime and manga to thrive. Japan's creative sector has been wrestling with the question of the role of generative AI in the production process. Imagine if the late Osamu Tezuka, Japan's revered 'Godfather of Manga' for his pioneering artistic techniques and visionary behind the iconic worlds of Astro Boy and Black Jack, were alive today. What would his stance be on generative artificial intelligence (AI)? His eldest son Macoto Tezka believes that he would have embraced it.
