Gardens By The Bay, Marina Bay, Singapore

One of the most striking things about Singapore, when you undertake repeated visits to it as I have, is the way it constantly develops itself, adding attraction after attraction so there is always something new to discover, even on the shortest visit. Gardens by the Bay was under construction when I visited last year, and now is open, so I was keen to go and see what it was all about.

The gardens themselves are free to explore and they are vast. They look so established it is amazing to think that they didn’t exist at all a couple of years ago. They are split into various sections such as the Heritage Trail, the World of Trees and the Dragonfly walk round the lake. My top tip, if you have limited time, is to head to the visitor reception and pay SGD5 for a buggy ride round some of the areas, which really gives you a feel for the place, and an idea of what you might want to see more of.

The centre pieces of the Gardens are two huge incredibly impressive glasshouses, the Flower Dome and the Cloud Dome, which require purchase of a ticket. I visited them both on consecutive days (the Flower Dome was closed on my first visit, which was annoying as a combined ticket would have been cheaper) The Cloud Dome was fantastic, you enter a rainforest with a huge waterfall at its centre and gradually ascend a plant covered mountain, before working your way downwards via walkways to the forest floor. The Flower Dome was lovely too, but less breath-taking than the Cloud Dome. It showcases plants and trees from around the world and has a lovely cool climate. I could have happily spent a quiet afternoon there reading, if it wasn’t for the hoards of bored schoolgroups making a nuisance of themselves!

I tried out a couple of the catering options on my visit, Indochine, which is worth a visit for its location, at the top of one of the tallest artificial trees, offering good views across the gardens. However, the service was surprisingly bad, I have visited other Indochine outlets in Singapore and they knock spots off this one .It does have Wi-Fi though, so I was able to annoy UK based buddies by letting them know what I was up to! The other place I visited was Veranda, which promised a modern take on Asian classics, but didn’t really live up to its billing as there was very little Asian food on the menu. However, I did have a very nice Singaporean curry there. The gardens encourage picnicking, especially in the meadows, and I think this would be a very good option for future visits. Maybe the gardens could look more to promote this option and provide hampers? The other thing that was a bit random was the signage. I found, even with a map, I had to ask frequently for help, and the signposted directions to the MRT from the Domes were useless, I ended up walking far further than I needed to, and having forgotten to put my water in my bag (an essential for exploring Singapore in the heat) was somewhat hot and bothered by the time I reached the Shoppes by the Bay (which has equally useless signage).

Gardens by the Bay has successfully created a great new attraction in central Singapore, and it is hard to believe they haven’t been established for years. I would add it to the ‘must see’ list, although I think the Botanic Gardens are still my favourite for whiling away an afternoon as they have less of the theme park feel about them.

The Art of the Brick, Art Science Museum, Singapore

This brilliantly put together exhibition manages to successfully meld the traditional childrens toy Lego, with true art in a fun, creative and inspiring way.

Artist Nathan Sawaya, creates sculptures from Lego, and they have been put together here in a fantastic format. The exhibits are housed in various rooms, such as a portrait gallery that houses a number of ‘paintings’, a catwalk, with lots of sculptures that really make you think about human nature, and a magnificent dinosaur, showcased alone in an impressive space, with gorgeous back projections and atmospheric soundscapes.

The exhibition has been excellently curated, there is a good mixture of fun and art, with plenty of opportunities to interact as you go round. In fact I did attempt to make a water droplet at one stage, which was pretty poor to be honest and highlighted the skill involved in these creations, although it did impress the small girl next to me, much to the annoyance of her parents as she then decided that as ‘the lady’ had done it she needed to, and was going to ignore the boring adults who wanted her to try something a bit easier!

As well as the fun stuff, there are actually some much darker, introspective creations by the artist representing some of his deeper thoughts and insecurities. I think some of the smaller visitors to the exhibit may be a little unsure of these rooms, but they are easy to skip and there is plenty else to keep them entertained. And at the weekends there are lots of extra creative opportunities for the young ones to get involved.

This was my first visit to the Art Science Museum and it is a truly impressive building, both from the outside, based on the shape of a water lily (and not a bunch of bananas as I previously thought!) and within (although it is a little chilly so take an extra layer!). There are a number of ‘paid’ exhibitions, and one public floor, which I visited and found to be informative, thought provoking and fun, although creepily deserted.

All in all, this was a fantastic way to spend a morning. Excellently curated, inspiring, fun and thought provoking. I’m so glad I took the time to visit it.

One Man Two Guvnors, 12/1/13, Lowry

Finally I got to see the much talked about One Man Two Guvnors when it visited the Lowry for the second time. I had tried and failed to get a ticket for its first visit to Salford, when James Corden was at the helm, so when I saw it was returning I was straight on the phone to snaffle myself a good ticket. ‘Good’ turned out to be second row stalls so I was well placed to see the action unfold, although it did make for slightly restricted views on occasion.

There has been so much hype about this show since its first outing at the National Theatre in 2011. It has since had two lengthy West End runs (one still ongoing), a Broadway transfer and this visit is part of its latest UK and international tour. Despite this, I had pretty much managed to avoid any detail of what the show was all about so arrived with no preconceptions, but expectations of some much needed fun, and it certainly didn’t disappoint in that respect.

The play is actually based on another piece , The Servant of Two Masters by Italian playwright Carlo Goldino from 1746, but writer Richard Bean, sets the action in 1960s Brighton. Frances Henshall, an out of work chancer, manages to secure jobs with two Guvnors, and there follows a series of hilarious and increasingly complex set pieces as Frances attempts to fulfil his responsibilities whilst hiding the existence of his dual role to each boss. 

This play doesn’t so much break the fourth wall, as do a pratfall onto it, send it crashing to the ground and then do a tap dance on it. The audience interaction is delivered to engaging and hilarious effect, however, I won’t expand on this aspect as, if, like me, you had managed to avoid all key details of the events of the play, the surprises are delightfully done.

At Salford Rufus Hound takes the central role of Frances Henshall, and does not disappoint. The character is on stage almost constantly, and his energy, timing and engagement with the audience is exemplary.  Edward Bennett, as the foppish ‘Guvnor’ Stanley Stubbers, also gives a wonderful comic performance. I last saw Bennett playing Hamlet in London, as understudy for David Tennant who was out of action with a back problem. He proved himself to be a fine classical lead actor there, and it is great to see he is just as fantastic in an all out comedy role. 

The other role that is worthy of a special mention, although the whole cast is excellent, is the character of Alfie, the ageing waiter. But here is where the programme lets me down as I’m not entirely sure who plays him! Whilst I was aware, due to a note on the Lowry website, that Amy Booth- Steele was taking the role of Dolly for the Saturday performances (rather than the heavily marketed casting of Jodie Prenger for the Salford run), I glimpsed as I was leaving one pinned up notice by the box office suggesting that the role of Alfie may have been covered by a member of the ensemble. So let’s just say that this portrayal, which may or may not have been by Peter Caulfield, was an hilarious highlight of the show, done with exemplary timing and skill. Poor show on the National Theatre though on being too stingy to photocopy a ‘cast for this performance’ insert for the pricey programmes.

There are excellent musical interludes from the start (in fact, don’t be too tardy taking your seats as this starts a good ten minutes before the play) from band ‘The Craze’, whose witty and lively songs, by Grant Olding, set the mood of the piece excellently, have the audience on board from the start. This element also ensures that no momentum or audience engagement is lost during scene changes. I especially loved the way the main characters were incorporated into some of these musical pieces to brilliant effect.

All in all, this is a show that definitely deserves the hype, and ensured the audience had a wonderful time. Whilst it was full of surprises for a first timer, I’m sure that it would take repeated viewings and I would definitely go and see it again.

Hidden, Lowry Studio, 19/1/2013

I certainly chose well for my first 2013 visit to the Lowry Studio. Hidden, written and performed by Laura Lindsay and Peter Carruthers was a gem of a show and very worthy of the capacity audience that it had attracted on this cold January night. Programmed as part of The Library Theatre’s Re:Playfestival, which brings together the best fringe productions from across the region in the previous 12 months, this piece, a writing debut from both creators, was originally performed in 2011 at Joshua Brooks, and has been further developed, with the help of Director Martin Jameson, for this outing.

The piece is a dark comedy revolving around six characters, and through a series of monologues and duologues, we share their inner worries, insecurities, obsessions and dreams, the parts of us that are normally kept hidden behind our public face. 

The writing is very strong, with very finely observed detail that was easy to identify with, extremely funny at times, such as the e mail that all of us have really wanted to send to our boss, which had the audience in stitches, but also incorporating some darker themes and extremely touching moments.  The way the lives of the characters interconnect in various direct and indirect ways is also nicely done, and as an audience member it is intriguing making the connections as the piece progresses. 

 Laura Lindsay and Peter Carruthers give impressive performances, each taking on three characters. Each character performance is well defined, and finely crafted, with some lovely subtle details. Whilst the characters are varied, they never fall into the trap of becoming caricatures, and there is plenty to identify with in each of the portrayals. It’s quite awe inspiring to see how good actors can transform themselves before your eyes to take on different personas, and it’s done excellently here. 

All of the characters were engaging, but I think my favourites were James, the sharp businessman, breaking the rules of commuting on the 8.10 to Victoria to quite hilarious effect, Nina, the efficient strategist hiding her inner conflict regarding parenthood (as a childless auntie / godmum myself I particularly identified with the section on being good with kids, but also finding them a bit tiresome after a while and glad they could be given back! Go on, we all think it, but no-one is allowed to say it!). My absolute favourite though was the Scottish supermarket worker Claire – outwardly all brash, hilarious good time girl, but covering up some darker insecurities and a troubled past.

This play worked for me on many levels, it had plenty of laugh out loud moments, many of the observations were very easy to identify with, there were some darker themes, not everything was neatly resolved, and it stays with you long after the actors have taken their final bow. Combine that with stonking performances and it made for an excellent night out.

Re:Play festival continues into next week and if you are in the area I’d highly recommend checking it out, especially my 2012 fringe highlight, the wonderful All The Bens.