Show Picks: Park Bo-gum fan meet, The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale, Elijah Woods concert
South Korean actor-singer Park Bo-gum recently shone in the hit drama When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025).
Park Bo Gum 2025 Fan Meeting Tour Be With You In Singapore
Six years after his last fan meeting here at The Star Theatre, Park Bo-gum is bringing a brand-new fan meeting tour to the same venue on Aug 14.
This time, the event is part of the South Korean actor-singer's Be With You tour, which kicked off with performances in Yokohama, Japan, on July 26 and 27, and lit up the stage in Seoul on Aug 1 and 2.
Park recently shone in the hit drama When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025), playing a loving, supportive young man in the series set in the 1950s. At the Baeksang Arts Awards in May, the series was named Best Drama, while Park was nominated for Best Actor.
Where: The Star Theatre, 04-01 The Star Performing Arts Centre, 1 Vista Exchange Green
MRT: Buona Vista
When: Aug 14, 7pm
Admission: $148 to $268 via Ticketmaster (go to
ticketmaster.sg or call 6018-7645)
The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale
Australian stage actress Jemma Rix will return to the Sands Theatre stage as elf noble Galadriel in The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale.
PHOTO: DANIEL BOUD
You have watched the movies and read the books. Now, The Lord Of The Rings franchise is coming to the stage, with The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale making its Asia premiere in Singapore on Aug 12.
The two-act live musical tells the epic story of The Lord Of The Rings from the hobbits' perspective. One of them, Frodo, receives a gold ring from his uncle Bilbo Baggins and is sent on a perilous quest across Middle-earth to Mordor in order to vanquish evil.
Australian stage actress Jemma Rix returns to the Sands Theatre stage as elf noble Galadriel, after performing here as Elphaba in the musical Wicked when it was staged in Singapore from 2011 to 2012, and as Elsa in Disney's Frozen The Musical during its Singapore run in 2023.
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In celebration of The Lord Of The Rings' Asia premiere, The Lego Group has unveiled an exhibition of Middle-earth locations – such as Rivendell, The Shire and Barad-dur – as Lego installations at Sands Theatre, where they can be viewed throughout the Singapore run of the musical production. These sets are available for purchase at all Lego-certified stores in Singapore, as well as through official Lego online stores on Shopee, Lazada, Amazon and lego.com
A Lego installation at Sands Theatre depicting Rivendell, in celebration of The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale's Asia premiere.
PHOTO: BASE ENTERTAINMENT ASIA
Where: Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue
MRT: Bayfront
When: Aug 12 to 31, 8pm (Tuesdays to Saturdays), 2pm (Saturdays), 1 and 6.30pm (Sundays)
Admission: $68 to $238 via Marina Bay Sands' website (
str.sg/tz7b ), Klook (
str.sg/GPjY ) and Sistic (www.sistic.com.sg or call 6348-5555)
Elijah Woods: Give Me The Sunlight!
Canadian musician and music producer Elijah Woods' upcoming concert is part of his Give Me The Sunlight! tour, whose name comes from his 2024 single Sunlight!.
PHOTO: LIVE NATION SINGAPORE
Last here for the Cloud 9 music festival at Arena @ Expo in February, Elijah Woods is back for a solo show.
If his previous 30-minute, 10-song set was not enough for you, the Canadian musician and music producer's upcoming concert will definitely be a longer, more intimate affair, and with plenty of heartfelt moments. It is part of his Give Me The Sunlight! tour, whose name comes from his 2024 single Sunlight!, and promises to be an exploration of light, love and life.
Expect diaristic and reflective numbers such as Everything Everywhere Always (2023), Lights (2001) and 24/7, 365 (2023), as well as some unreleased tracks.
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Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Straits Times
Lord Of The Rings musical's composer A.R. Rahman is building a global virtual band using AI
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Rahman used this same storytelling approach when he composed the musical adaptation of The Lord Of The Rings in 2006. SINGAPORE – A.R. Rahman loves to tell stories. Narrative is of great importance to the celebrated Indian musician, and it is a key part of his creative approach. Music is an immersive experience, the 58-year-old music maestro tells The Straits Times via Zoom from Oakland, San Francisco, where his The Wonderment concert tour stopped by. The prolific film composer and singer, known for his Oscar-winning score and song Jai Ho for the film Slumdog Millionaire (2008), is expanding his love for storytelling into the virtual-reality (VR) world with Secret Mountain, a virtual band he created using artificial intelligence (AI). Rahman's first teaser came in February 2024, when he shared a trailer about the six-member group on Instagram. 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Rahman had just finished working with famed British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber on the Bollywood-themed musical Bombay Dreams. It opened in 2002 in the West End in London and closed in 2004, and was Rahman's first stage production. Rahman turned to Jackson's films for reference and started reading Tolkien's source material and the musical's book to prepare. The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale, starring (from left) Rarmian Newton as Frodo and Terence Crawford as Gandalf. PHOTO: DANIEL BOUD Composing for The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale was a difficult and exhausting process. His inspiration stemmed from extensive research into the type of music that would best suit the story and setting. He avoided using Indian ragas or music styles, focusing instead on Western classical and theatrical traditions. His favourite song is Lothlorien, sung by elven queen Galadriel, because it is 'very spiritual, surreal and mystical' – qualities that he deeply enjoys and connects with. 'Scoring for a musical is very different from composing for a movie,' says Rahman. 'For instance, songs often serve as an interval or music video that do not necessarily advance the story. 'In a musical, every song must move the narrative forward. There are no visual gimmicks or exotic shots to rely on – the music and lyrics must carry the story.' He adds: 'If the songs don't propel the narrative forward, the musical will fail. The songs are not just standalone numbers.' Celebrated Indian musician A.R. Rahman spent about 1½ to two years to compose the score to The Lord Of The Rings musical. ST PHOTO: JOANNE SOH Rahman spent about 1½ to two years on this job. He explains that his goal was to capture the right feel and vibe for the musical, ensuring that the music created an immersive experience for the audience. The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale made its debut at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, Canada, in 2006. 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Beauty And The Beast has toured over 37 countries since 1994, and was first staged here in 2015 at Sands Theatre. It is back for its Singapore run on Dec 11. Tickets are available at Les Miserables – The Arena Spectacular World Tour Les Miserables – The Arena Spectacular will make its debut in Singapore on March 24, 2026. PHOTO: DANNY KAAN Les Miserables, another perennial fan favourite, returns to Singapore with a concert-style twist. Les Miserables – The Arena Spectacular World Tour celebrates the original phenomenon's 40th record-breaking year. It opened in Belfast, Ireland, in 2024 with a new stage design specifically created for larger venues. Fans can belt out to One Day More, I Dreamed A Dream and Bring Him Home along with a 65-strong cast – which will include several celebrated Les Miserables veterans as guest stars – and orchestra. 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Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
Independent producers pool $30,000 to boost Singapore shows and brand at Edinburgh Fringe
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The Singapore Spotlight team with artists during the initiative's launch at *Scape. SINGAPORE – Six independent theatre producers have created a $30,000 initiative to spotlight Singapore works at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Known as the biggest arts marketplace in the world, Edinburgh Fringe 2025 takes place from Aug 1 to 25. Six Singapore acts have paid their way to the Scottish capital, presenting their shows to a global audience and harbouring hopes they will be picked up by international producers. For the first time, they will have unity of branding under a 'Singapore Spotlight' umbrella – co-marketing on the same posters, meeting presenters and producers from other countries at Singapore Spotlight networking events, and even sharing house rental. The initiative is started by Singaporeans in their 20s to 40s based both here and in Britain: Shien Hian Lim, Shaifulbahri Mohamad, Caleb Lee, Brent Tan, Joanne Tay and Syania Shaharuddin. Shaifulbahri is the veteran with six shows at the Fringe Festival in the last 10 years under his belt. But everyone knows they have to compete with thousands of other creative works for eyeballs and are eager to bring their combined connections to bear. Lim says over Zoom from Edinburgh: 'To come here as a first-timer, you don't know anyone here and it is very daunting. We provide that base and foundation of support, and point you in the right direction.' In starting Singapore Spotlight, they noted how artists from other countries and territories banded together to amplify their presence, for instance the Taiwan, South Korean and Danish seasons, typically funded by their respective ministries of culture. Lee says: 'It is definitely about strength in numbers. If you asked me what show was in the Taiwan season last year, I can't remember. But I can tell you for certain there was a Taiwan season. 'It is about putting the Singapore brand in Edinburgh as well as internationally. This benefits both Singapore artists going out and also for international artists to understand where and what Singapore is.' In the true fringe spirit of building community, Singapore Spotlight secured sponsorship from local brands such as massage chair retailer Osim , food and beverage manufacturer Yeo's, sock designer Freshly Pressed Socks and hardware wholesale supplier Jitt Yi Sheng. Others who supported by providing in-kind services are youth hub *Scape, public relations firm Tate Anzur, charity BinjaiTree and networking platform Singapore Global Network. Singapore Spotlight is also a push for Singapore works travelling to Edinburgh to have more legs. Shaifulbahri refers to the National Arts Council's (NAC) espoused efforts to internationalise its arts productions, which he feels has had limited success with Singapore and South-east Asian works continuing to be under-represented in international platforms. The NAC's Our SG Arts Plan (2023 to 2027) and Our SG Arts Plan 2.0 both cited promoting Singapore artists internationally as a major goal. 'Artists spend so much money to come out here and you've got all these presenters from around the world looking for works to present back home. If the work just dies after the Fringe, there's so many missed opportunities,' he says. The six works at Edinburgh Fringe under the Singapore Spotlight umbrella in 2025 are an equal mix of Edinburgh Fringe veterans and newcomers. The three familiar names are playwright Jo Tan, who is taking on major venue Summerhall with her one-woman exploration of gender identity, King ; Jonathan Goh with his acrobatics and juggling act; and stand-up comedian Sam See, collating two showcases The Asian Comedy Showcase and Off With Your Head. The newcomers are sound artist Hee Suhui with her experimental audiovisual work III Behaviour; dance group Decadance Co's dark movement comedy The 11th Hour; and stand-up comedian Nebulous Niang's Slomosexual, a reflection of her life as one half of an inter-ethnic lesbian couple raising Gen Z kids in a conservative society. Jo Tan, whose King is among 26 plays shortlisted for the Popcorn Writing Award celebrating fresh writing at the festival, says of Singapore Spotlight: 'It is so refreshing because in our country's relatively smaller landscape, things can sometimes feel competitive or even adversarial. Here, we can share knowledge and publicise each other, and we share otherwise daunting costs.' These costs include accommodation, which she is splitting with artists from at least four different acts. 'It feels almost like a clan house for early immigrants to Singapore.' Edinburgh Fringe greenhorn Hee says III Behaviour is her first production and also the first time she is touring – an attempt to 'see if my bodily experience could feel universal'. Hee Suhui's III Behaviour. PHOTO: ZANE MOTALIF Using contact microphones, she creates a soundscape from breath, pulse and touch in an intimate exploration of what it means to hear oneself. 'Singapore artists need more production and touring infrastructure: how to liaise with venues, manage shipping, situate a show, how to keep momentum going after the run. 'Without the right support, navigating this alone would be overwhelming.' Asked if the Singapore Spotlight team hopes more official bodies like the NAC would step in to fulfil this role, the producers noted that their application to NAC for support this time was unsuccessful. Beyond concerns about limitations on curation, Lee says there is also something creative and joyful about an organic group of people pulling off this project, with even Singaporeans working in cafes in Edinburgh volunteering to put up posters. 'Part of the Fringe is also about decentralising the arts. The Fringe was, after all, a resistance that came from the larger Edinburgh International Festival.'
