Too much to see, too little to spend

I’ve got a love-hate relationship with the arts-related happenings this year.

There are so many plays/dance performances to watch, gigs to rock at, festivals to celebrate… yet too little disposable income to spare.

Hmph. Let’s see where I stand in 2008 considering my budget of $100/month.

Events attended thus far: Late Nite with Jack & Rai, Maroon 5 concert, Giselle in the Park, Little Women, Air Supply concert, Ballet under the Stars, SINGfest, The Next Wave…

Wait, I actually haven’t been to that many, have I? Probably only blew around $500 to date i.e. can afford to spend a bit more for the rest of the year! :] :] :]

Now let’s see… upcoming 2008 events I would love to go to:

 1. Jack & Rai “On Tour Now” at Timbre Musicfest 2008: 24 Sept

Extract from the event’s Facebook page:

Jack & Rai have come a long way since they first met as solo musicians in 2000 and later on to form popular cover band EIC. Now, they have taken their smooth vocals and soulful melodies off stage and into the recording studios with the debut of their self-penned album, ‘in stores now!’.

Conceived just for TMF 2008, savour original works by Jack & Rai, as well as select cover songs, with new twists. Backed by a string quartet, the full EIC band and guest musicians in this full-length concert, notable tracks to catch are their first radio single The Falala Song and the cheeky Fiona, inspired by a certain local celebrity.

Ticket status: Not bought (yet). Only 2 days left to get them at $25 so will decide soon!

 

 2. The Vagina Monologues: 1-12 Oct

Extract from Sistic website:

This October, Zebra Crossing Productions brings you the year’s sexiest play to hit our shores – The Vagina Monologues. This multiple-award winning play by Eve Ensler is given a fresh new twist by Loretta Chen, director of 251 and MAGICBOX. Boasting a stellar cast of diverse and dynamic women, The Vagina Monologues is a powerful collection of anecdotes celebrating all things feminine – part therapy, part informative, wholly electrifying! Starring Malaysia’s top model Bernie Chan (Project Runway Malaysia, The Odd Couple), Judy Ngo (Mad Forest, Chestnuts), Elizabeth Tan (Mama’s Wedding, Belles in Action) and a host of other formidable women, The Vagina Monologues is a visual and aural feast of curves, flesh and finesse.

Ticket status: Bought! Have heard raves and raves about the play so it’d be a sin to miss it.

3. The 24th Singapore French Film Festival: 3-12 Oct

Extract from The European Season in Singapore website:

Organised by the Alliance Française de Singapour, the French Embassy and Cathay Organisation, the festival has brought the best of French cinema, art and culture to Singapore for over 2 decades. Over 20 French films make their debut screening in Singapore. From heart-wrenching dramas to romantic comedies, the organizers present a wide-genre of award-winning films set to entertain and expose Singaporeans and expatriates alike to the brilliant world of French cinema.

Ticket status: Pending matching of schedules. Choice of films wasn’t as overwhelming as last year’s, though. Particularly eyeing Je Crois que Je L’aime, Mauvaise Foi and Modern Love.

 

4. Coppélia by Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève at da:ns Festival 2008: 9-10 Oct

Extract from the da:ns Festival website:

Franz and Swanilda in a television dance competition? Beehive hairdos, a Japanese Geisha and a movie alluding to the seven dwarfs? One of ballet’s great comic classics is given a boldly imaginative makeover by Catalan choreographer Cisco Aznar. In his audacious and eccentric vision, the story unfolds on stage and on screen in a surrealistic world where playful quirkiness is laced with macabre beauty, all radically fashioned by Luis Lara’s set and costume designs of timeless retro and whimsical kitsch. Aznar remodels the familiar roles as he ventures into the dark side of desire and human nature. His inventive and witty choreography set to the original score by Léo Delibes as well as new compositions is at once classical and modern, making this Coppélia a truly unique work that defies definition. Spectacular and multi-layered, playing like dance, theatre and cinema, perhaps with a hint of the Pedro Almodovar and Tim Burton oeuvre, it is a Coppélia like nothing you have ever seen before.

Ticket status: Bought after much painful consideration!

5. The Vienna Boys Choir at Singapore Sun Festival 2008: 19 Oct

Extract from Sistic website:

The world’s favourite childrens’ choir, capturing the hearts of audiences around the world for generations. The 25 choristers of the Vienna Boys Choir, aged between 10 to 14 years, are hand-picked and specially trained on a full-time basis. Their exquisite vocal quality is distinctive and unequalled. Showbiz Review raved: “They may be small but their sound is as big as it comes”.

Loved by people of all ages, the choir’s repertoire includes everything from medieval motets to Beatles and Celine Dion, from folk songs to film scores. New works are added each year and this year’s programme includes a selection of songs from well-known musicals such as “The Sound of Music” and “Fiddler on the Roof”.

Ticket status: Not bought (yet). Was at the Sunday mass in Vienna’s Burgkapelle to hear them sing last year so it’ll be nice to see the boys in flesh. Not in a paedophilic kind of way, of course.

6. The 12th German Film Festival: some time in Nov?

No official news about this yet, but I’m expecting the Festival to be held in the same period as it was last year. Putting it here to remind myself to set aside some budget.

7. The Office Party: 27 Nov – 13 Dec

Synopsis from the Singapore Repertory Theatre website:

Picture “The Office” meets “Love Actually” and you know you will be in for a rollercoaster ride of laughter, love and tears in this comedy written by John Godber which leads seven diverse characters through the minefield of office politics, petty differences, sexual harassment and hidden desires. And that’s just another day at work!

At the advertising company Chapman and Howard, the staff have taken great pains to prepare for their traditional Christmas bash, and to ensure that they avoid any scandals similar to last year’s which resulted in a visit from the police and the Managing Director’s divorce! But when the drinks flow and the good times roll, the party lurches from one disaster to another.

Ticket status: Not bought (yet). Haven’t watched any SRT production in a long time and I hope this one would be good.

 

Okay, let’s just hope the list of events doesn’t grow at an exponential rate between now and the end of the year so I could make do with the remaining budget.

 

P.S. Turned 24 two weeks ago and expectedly, haven’t felt any difference between being 23 and 24, save for my deteriorating eyesight. Which warrants another post altogether.