Latest news with #Malaysian-Chinese
New Straits Times
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: A ledger for love and heartaches
THE trials and tribulations of a long-term relationship are explored in all its messy, complex, touching, and frustrating glory in 'Love Budget', a Malaysian-Chinese romance play from W Productions, based on a 2014 play, titled 'First Love: Love Budget'. Dickson Chai, the writer-director of the original show, returns to deliver what can be considered a spiritual sequel, injecting his story with a decade of experience and recent cultural phenomenons that brings his story closer to the 2020s zeitgeist. And he's not the only one. Penny Ng and Swei Ang reprise their role as the main couple, whose trouble over their seven-year relationship has led them to conduct budget meetings over their romance, quantifying dates, holidays abroad, and arguments into statistics and numbers. For a show that promised itself to be a discussion on the quantification of love, I was expecting cold, robotic dialogue from the couple that would maybe heat up as tensions started to ramp up throughout the show. So, I was pleasantly surprised when the arguments started almost immediately. Foot on pedal, they presented stats on who spent how long at the mamak, the rate of flowers sent over the past year, and who was photographed getting too chummy with their university friend. It was a perfect portrayal of a couple clearly fed-up with each other, willing to bicker over every little discourse. And, at least initially, it was fun and amusing. Ng and Swei Ang performed Chai's dialogue with impeccable delivery, through rapid fire back-and-forths that sometimes made the English subtitles struggle to keep up. Swei Ang, playing the boyfriend, was a kinetic, active ball-of-energy that seemed clearly fuelled by their intense arguments. And he is beautifully contrasted by Ng's girlfriend character, whose quiet zeal is expressed through her controlled and firm demeanour. The dialogue barely takes a breath, moving from one topic to the next as rapidly as it comes. Funny moments and anecdotes (how the couple still don't hug because of Covid) sometimes are immediately snuffed by more serious issues (why aren't they married despite being together for seven years). We're not just subjected to the thorns and thistles of their relationship though, as flashback sequences, highlighted by strikingly beautiful lighting changes, give us glimpses into the couple's honeymoon phase. These are, in the kindest words, diabetically sweet, but perhaps too much. The contrast between the grounded, authentic relationship we see in the present and the fairy-tale meet-cute of the past was a jarring disconnect. These scenes could have been from the perspective of the couple themselves, portraying their naive, romantic innocence, but it still never really felt as impactful as it might have liked. But these elements never detracted from the present story, which I felt was always strongly portrayed. As the couple's arguments devolved into something messier and disturbingly personal, laughter became a genuine discomfort. A memorable moment came, when possibly 50 minutes into the play, we finally learn of one of the character's name, as it's screamed out by the other character in a fit of anger, followed by deafening silence. That is one of the play's most defining features, its brilliant use of silence. When that constant fighting suddenly stops, when neither of them are able to say a thing, it never fails to feel as if someone had just sucked the air out of the room, and we're begging for the couple to breathe it back in. Each moment that spurs the silence feels longer and longer each time, dragging the audience deeper and deeper into the pit of these characters. In the final moments of the show I felt absolutely enraptured by them, having watched their struggles, dreams, and love tested and brought to its brink. In fact, I felt so caught up in the catharsis of the last 20 minutes of the play that it only took me until I went back home that I realised I didn't actually like the ending. It was far too clean and neat, a happy-ever-after that felt like it thematically clashed with the rest of the story. Paradoxically, I can't help but forgive it as it was able to make me ignore, or at least accept, the weaknesses of that ending. I had wanted these characters to do well, so much so that it seems I had thrown my objectivity out of the equation. This is once more a testament to Chai's authentically-written characters, portrayed brilliantly by Ng and Swei Ang, who gave so much character and depth in a performance that brought these troubled lovers to life. 'Love Budget' played at the DPAC Black Box Theatre in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, from April 24 to 27.
Time Out
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Silver Waves by Boon
'Once you have the right ingredients, you know how to play.' That's what Chef Ho Chee Boon told us. He's not much for polite niceties – he's utterly unpretentious and a bit blunt. Using the wrong kind of mortar and pestle? He'll let you know. He was born in Malaysia, and while we won't make comparisons to a certain Malaysian-Chinese YouTuber, we understand if you might. It's what we expect from a master craftsman with 30+ years in the kitchen. Having opened Hakkasan, London's first Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant, as well as operations on four continents (including Breeze at the Lebua State Tower here in town), he has played a major role in getting Chinese food the respect it deserves. While, to Western ears, 'going out for Chinese' once meant suburbanized flavour profiles, faux-Ming screens, and cloudy fishtanks, Chef Boon's outlets are mingling grounds for the smart set, with the cuisine to match, inspiring countless Chinese chefs outside the Sinosphere to step up their game. Now he's back in Bangkok to open Silver Waves at the Chatrium Hotel Riverside. Some of his projects are awfully glitzy – the Wikipedia page for Hakkasan has a photo of the Chainsmokers performing at their Vegas club location – but Silver Waves is thankfully more restrained. The sunset river views are glam enough, some of the best in the city, and the vermilion-toned dining room foregrounds the location. Tables are intimate, and private rooms are available too, including a massive 40-person round table complete with a karaoke stage – in case you want to see your sales manager slur his way through 'Proud Mary' at the company dinner. The best dishes are rooted deep in the Cantonese canon, but delivered with precision, creativity, and style. Mixed dim sum (B460) goes hard on the visual impact, with a rainbow colour palette in the steamer basket and bold flavours to match, and Iberico ham xiaolongbao (B320) is as awesome as it sounds. We also adored the tofu with wild pepper (B380), clearly inspired by the always-addictive mapo tofu, but with an earthy, pungent spice blast contrasting against the gooey soft tofu. Passionfruit cheesecake (B340) breathes new life into a modern Asian staple, balanced and playfully contained within a passionfruit shell. To pair, the after-dinner Chinese herbal drinks remind us of a motorbike ride through Yaowarat in the best way. The more luxurious mains, while impressive, are perhaps a bit too classic. The sauce on the tiger prawns (B680) is just a bit too similar to standard Thai-Chinese pat pong garee, and the black cod with shacha sauce (B1,680) didn't differentiate itself from the black cod that is the signature dish at a global Japanese high-end restaurant brand whose name rhymes with 'no, you.' Both of these dishes are unquestionably delicious, but they seem less like originals than competent cover songs. That quibble aside, with that right mix of photogenic setting and serious craft, don't be surprised if Silver Waves becomes the next jam-packed hotel dim sum spot. And don't be surprised if we steal your xiaolongbao while you're snapping selfies.
South China Morning Post
23-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Your perfect week: what to do in Hong Kong, March 23-29
Watch this Hong Kong Sevens Kai Tak Sports Park main stadium is the new home of the iconic Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament. Photo: Eugene Lee Running from March 28 to 30, Hong Kong's favourite seven-a-side rugby tournament is moving after 41 years at Hong Kong Stadium, and will now be held at the brand-new Kai Tak Sports Park. With the likes of New Zealand, Australia, Great Britain, Japan, the United States and France taking part in the men's and women's tournaments, and shows from RubberBand and the Kaiser Chiefs, it's set to be a real drop-kick of a weekend. See this Artists' Night Maeve Brennan's Records exhibition is on display at Tai Kwun Contemporary. Photo: South Ho/courtesy Tai Kwun Join the art week madness at Tai Kwun's annual evening of live performances, installations and music. Free to the public, Tai Kwun Contemporary's art exhibitions, including 'Records', by Maeve Brennan, will be open until late alongside a roster of special programmes by Malaysian-Chinese artist Lawrence Lek, Shanghai experimental electronic artist 33EMYBW and Hong Kong-based artist Sissi Kaplan, among others. Advertisement March 28, 7-11pm, 10 Hollywood Road, Central Drink this DarkSide The Bruce Lee cocktail at DarkSide in Rosewood, Hong Kong. Photo: Rosewood Hong Kong The sights and sounds of Kowloon are behind the new tipples at Rosewood Hong Kong's cocktail bar. Taking inspiration from touchpoints such as Bruce Lee, the Kowloon Walled City and the Tsim Sha Tsui clock tower, the drinks menu is a love letter to the bustling peninsula from newly appointed director of bars, Bob Louison, and comes replete with a variety of flavours, all served in custom-made glassware. 2/F, Rosewood Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui Eat this Arbor Arbor's French pigeon breast roasted with garlic butter. Photo: Arbor
