Lao Jiu: a superb S'pore musical

EMOTIVE songs, effective choreography, and a moving story with a classic struggle - The Theatre Practice's Lao Jiu: The Musical ticks all the boxes as a great Singapore (Mandarin) musical.

Taken as a whole, along with an able ensemble cast, it stands a head above other Singapore musicals - no less because of the effective use of Mandarin and Hokkien (with a smattering of other languages) to drive the plot, and a story that resonates with ordinary Singaporeans.

Not having seen the 2012 version on which this latest iteration is based and just updated, nor the late playwright Kuo Pao Kun's original 1990 theatrical version, the musicality of the songs is fresh and engaging, and it is particularly striking just how well all the parts - the music, staging and story - are woven together so that you're swept away by the latent undercurrents of what's not said rather than what's stated in the text.