The Performing Arts

Professional and amateur theater companies, dance troupes, opera companies, and musical groups offer a wide variety of not only Asian performances, but Western as well. Broadway road shows don't stop in San Francisco, where the road ends, but continue on to include Singapore in their itineraries, and international stars like Domingo, Pavarotti, Yo Yo Ma, Wynton Marsalis, and Michael Jackson have come to town. International stars make up only a small portion of the performance scene, though. Singapore theater comprises four distinct language groups -- English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil -- and each maintains its own voice and culture.

Classical Performances

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra performs regularly in its new home at Esplanade -- Theatres On the Bay, with regular special guest appearances by international celebrities. For information about the orchestra, check out www.sso.org.sg, or for performance dates see www.esplanade.com.

The Singapore Lyric Opera, Stamford Arts Centre, 155 Waterloo St. #03-06 (tel. 65/6336-1929), also appears regularly. Call for upcoming schedules, or call Sistic (tel. 65/6348-5555).

The Singapore Chinese Orchestra, the only professional Chinese orchestra in Singapore, has won several awards for its classic Chinese interpretations. They perform every 2 weeks at a variety of venues (including outdoor concerts at the Botanic Gardens). Contact them c/o People's Association, Block B, Room 5, No. 9 Stadium Link (tel. 65/6440-3839; www.sco.com.sg). Buy tickets through Sistic.

Theater

Most international companies will perform at the new Esplanade -- Theatres On the Bay (1 Esplanade Dr., 10-min. walk from City Hall MRT; tel. 65/6828-8222; www.esplanade.com). Smaller shows are staged at the Victoria Concert Hall, 2nd floor Victoria Memorial Hall, 11 Empress Place (tel. 65/6338-6125). Sistic (tel. 65/6348-5555) handles bookings for both venues.

A few local companies are quite noteworthy. Granted, theater is new to Singaporeans; however, many local playwrights have emerged to capture life here (with some hilarious interpretations), using local stage talents. ACTION Theatre, 42 Waterloo St. (tel. 65/6837-0842), is one of the best companies to capture poignant and funny social themes, many of which cross cultural barriers. The Necessary Stage, 278 Marine Parade Rd., #B1-02 Marine Parade Community Building (tel. 65/6440-8115), blazed trails for the local performing arts scene after staging productions that touched tender nerves for the community, including a startlingly frank monologue by the first Singaporean to publicly declare his struggle with AIDS. The Singapore Repertory Theatre, DBS Arts Centre, 20 Merbau Rd., Robertson Quay (tel. 65/6733-0005), is another company to watch; in recent years they've staged local productions of perennial favorites like The Glass Menagerie and Little Shop of Horrors. Also check out the many events at the Substation, 45 Armenian St. (tel. 65/6337-7800; www.substation.org), which offers its space to many smaller troupes, plus performance artists.

Cultural Shows

Once upon a time, Cantonese opera could be seen under tents on street corners throughout the city. These days, local and visiting companies still perform, but very sporadically. For a performance you can count on, the Chinese Theatre Circle, 5 Smith St. (tel. 65/6323-4862), has a 2-hour show on Fridays and Saturdays with excerpts from the most famous and beloved tales and explanations of the craft. Come at 7pm for the show with "dinner" (chicken nuggets, really; tickets are S$35/US$22/£12) or at 8pm to catch the last half with tea only (S$20/US$13/£6.60).

If you're looking for something relevant to Malay culture, Malay Village, 39 Geylang Serai (tel. 65/6748-4700), has a program on weekends that I think is highly commendable. Every Saturday they perform the Kuda Kepang, a traditional dance from Johor in southern Malaysia. Featuring male dancers on wooden horses, this long performance is well worth the wait. During the grand finale, the dancers walk on glass, eat glass, and tear coconuts with their teeth. It's all real, and highly recommended.