Little Shop Of Horrors by Sing’Theatre

Horror-comedy rock musical Little Shop Of Horrors – which follows meek floral assistant Seymour, who raises a bloodthirsty man-eating plant he names Audrey II – returns to the Singapore stage from April 12 to 28.

The popular musical, which first premiered off-off-Broadway in 1982, is composed by American composer Alan Menken, with lyrics and book by lyricist Howard Ashman – the creative minds behind Disney’s The Little Mermaid (1989) and Aladdin (1992).

Staged by Sing’Theatre, the smash-hit musical will be directed by its associate artistic director T.J. Taylor, who played the role of the florist Mr Mushnik when he was 13. This time, he says, he has “a completely new creative vision that I can’t wait to share with the Singapore audience”.

The musical direction is headed by Elaine Chan, a nominee of The Straits Times Life Theatre Awards, while the cast features local theatre performers Andrew Marko, Vanessa Kee, Dwayne Lau, Benjamin Koh, Andrea Joy, Nurulhuda Hassan, Marissa Vojodi and Tony Tong.

Where: Sota Drama Theatre, 1 Zubir Said Drive
MRT: Bencoolen/Dhoby Ghaut
When: April 12 to 28; Tuesdays to Fridays, 7.30pm; Saturdays, 3 and 7.30pm; Sundays, 2 and 6.30pm
Admission: From $38
Info: www.sistic.com.sg/events/horrors0424

Butterfly’s Dream by The Opera Pot

To mark the 100th death anniversary of Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, The Opera Pot will debut with an abridged retelling of his renowned work, Madama Butterfly, through a unique mix of opera and cinema in a black box.

The merging of the two genres is a nod to a form of street theatre in Japan known as kamishibai, and the production promises a style that is reminiscent of acclaimed directors Akira Kurosawa and Masahiro Shinoda.

Puccini’s story features American lieutenant Pinkerton, who is stationed in Nagasaki and marries teenage geisha Cio-Cio San, also known as Butterfly.

This version, written and directed by S.Y. Mah, director of The Opera Pot, will retell the story in a new way.

Singaporean soprano Wendy Woon, who plays Cio-Cio San, says: “Being a physically diminutive Asian soprano, in the West, I’ve been pushed in the direction of Madama Butterfly. It’s a role I’ve vocally and musically grown into, and with The Opera Pot’s new way of retelling her story, I’m excited to say she’s hardly just a waif in distress. The rebelliousness in her spirit and steadfast perseverance are what all women can identify with.”

Tenor Alan Lau, baritone Greg Mccreanor, mezzo-soprano Chieko Trevatt and pianist Vincent Chen Wei Jie will also perform in this intimate show.

Where: Black Box, Stamford Arts Centre, 155 Waterloo Street
MRT: Bras Basah/Bencoolen/Bugis
When: April 27, 8pm; and April 28, 2pm
Admission: $35
Info: thecreativesync.peatix.com

Zhuang Shengtao’s The Hours

The passage of time is given visual expression in Singaporean contemporary ink artist Zhuang Shengtao’s latest exhibition of his recent works titled The Hours.

Its English title references the 1998 novel of the same name by Michael Cunningham – which traces one day in the life of three women across three time periods – while its Chinese title translates to “sun resides, moon resides”, referencing the Chinese belief in the circular nature of time.

Zhuang, who is residing in Suzhou, approaches the topic with his bold brushstrokes – a fusion of the traditional and the contemporary – to render the abstract forms of energies associated with different times of the day and of one’s life.

As a prelude to the exhibition, iPreciation is kicking off a new series iGather, which brings together artists, writers and creatives in a fruitful exchange of ideas.

This edition will feature Singapore Literature Prize-shortlisted author Clara Chow, Young Artist Award recipient Daryl Lim Wei Jie and Lambda Literary Award finalist Lawrence Lacambra Ypil (April 19, 6.30pm till late). Registration for the free talk is required (str.sg/tDaf).

There will also be an artist’s talk with Zhuang conducted in English and Mandarin, and streamed on iPreciation’s Facebook page, on April 20 at 2pm.

Where: iPreciation, 01-01 HPL House, 50 Cuscaden Road
MRT: Orchard
When: April 22 to May 4; weekdays, 10am to 7pm; Saturdays, 11am to 6pm; closed on Sundays and public holidays
Admission: Free
Info: str.sg/hhxF