Rambunctious slapstick machine

THE laughs come easily in Army Daze 2, the new over-the-top sequel to the popular 1987 comedy which has been staged several times and turned into a movie. Also written by Michael Chiang, Army Daze 2 is a slapstick machine that churns out caricatures, gags and goofs exhaustively.

Director Beatrice Chia-Richmond brings comedy out of every word, expanding one-off jokes into brief musical routines or full-blown numbers. Depending on your theatrical taste, you could find it tirelessly funny - or simply tedious.

Army Daze 2 picks up 30 years after National Service (NS) recruit Malcolm Png (Hossan Leong) and his band of army buddies successfully completed their Basic Military Training. Malcolm is now in his late 40s, a respected colonel and director of public affairs with the Ministry of Defence.