[media invite]
It was not the traditional theatre set-up that I had expected but a refreshing change which allows the children to view the play at close-range.

The beautiful story of two girls, Hanà and Momò, takes place around a circular sand pit at the Drama Centre Visitor Centre which is free seating. Freely adapted from the book Fairy Tale of Love by Hermann Hesse, Hanà e Momò is a story about two girls who meet for the first time. Hanà wants to play but Momò prefers to be left alone to work on her drawings on the sand. Momò gets upset when Hanà tries to help with her drawings. Feeling ignored and left with just a tiny bit of space for her own creations, Hanà decides to challenge Momò to a game of artistic creations. A game of rivalry to outwin each other turns into friendship when they find a treasure map and realise that working together is more fun. 


It is amazing that simple props like bamboo, sand, paper and wood, topped with artful acting and movement by the actors, could mesmerise us so much. Even the made-up language that sounds like a child's babbling (imagine words like "Uh-Da-Da-Bo") was so cute yet we could understand! We were totally drawn into Hanà and Momò's childhood world for that one hour and it was obvious that every child present that day was tickled by Hanà and Momò's skillful acting. 


There are only a few shows left if you want to catch this play. Details for Hanà e Momò are: 

Dates: 31 May to 5 June, 2016 | Shows are 1 hour with no interval

Timing: Tuesday to Friday: 10am | Saturday and Sunday: 11am and 3pm

Venue: Drama Centre Visitors Centre (100 Victoria Street, National Library Building)

Ticket prices: Weekdays $28/ticket, Weekends $38/ticket | Tickets for Family pack available (get your tickets from SISTIC)

Although this play is recommended for children ages 3 to 8 years old, Ch was as tickled as L and she enjoyed it tremendously. As for K, she still calls "Hah-Na and Mo-mo" affectionately when I ask her about the show. Isn't that cute?

This performance is a part of the ACT 3i Festival for Children and is created and directed by Cristina Mileti and Francesca Randazzo from the theatre company Principio Attivio Teatro. Formed in 2007, Principio Attivo Teatro has participated in important theatre festivals and events in and around Europe and Brazil. This is their virgin trip to Singapore, and I certainly hope to see more of their productions here in the future. 

About ACT 3i Festival for Children
A pioneer in children's theatre performances, ACT 3 International launches a brand new ACT 3i Festival for Children this year to give our children a memorable experience that is different from broad-based children's entertainment. Dedicated to children 2 to 12 years old, be ready to immerse in the exciting, awe-inspiring and high-quality theatre performances which include original works from Singapore, Italy, Sweden, Argentina, the U.K. and Canada. There is also an artfully curated visual arts programme as well as Conviviality Sessions led by Children's Theatre artists to bring arts enrichment to educators and parents. Taking place daily from 24 May to 5 June 2016 at the Drama Centre, your child will be spoilt for choices from the good selection of well-crafted programmes that are offered. Check out ACT 3 International website for more details. 

{We thank ACT 3 International for the invite to ACT 3i Festival for Children's Hanà e Momò. We received complimentary tickets to attend the event for the purpose of this review. No monetary compensation was given and all opinions are ours.}

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A pioneer in children's theatre performances, ACT 3 International is launching a brand new ACT 3i Festival for Children this year to give our children a memorable experience that is different from broad-based children's entertainment. Dedicated to children 2 to 12 years old, be ready to immerse in the exciting, awe-inspiring and high-quality theatre performances which include original works from Singapore, Italy, Sweden, Argentina, the U.K. and Canada. There is also an artfully curated visual arts programme as well as Conviviality Sessions led by Children's Theatre artists to bring arts enrichment to educators and parents. 

Taking place daily from 24 May to 5 June 2016 at the Drama Centre, you will be spoilt for choices from the good selection of well-crafted programmes that are offered. 








See http://act3international.com.sg/act3ifestival/ for information on all ACT 3i Festival for Children shows and activities. 

About ACT 3i Festival for Children
Dates: 24 May to 5 June 2016
Venue: Drama Centre, 100 Victoria Street, National Library Building (Theatre, Black Box and Visitors Centre)

For more information: (65) 6735 9986 or www.act3international.com.sg

Tickets are already on sale:
By the internet: www.sistic.com.sg (credit card payment only)
By phone: SISTIC Hotline 6348 5555 (credit card payment only)
In person: at authorised SISTIC agents
At the door: available at the venue an hour before show time at full price (cash payment only)

DISCOUNTS applicable for all shows from 1 April 2016 onwards: 

• 15% current ACT 3 Drama Academy students
• 15% for a minimum of 12 tickets in the same transaction to the same show and time
• 10% OCBC Child Development Account (CDA) holders and Mighty Savers members
• 10% when 2 shows are booked
• 15% when 3 or more shows are booked

I have 2 tickets to Snow White by DuffleBag production to give to one lucky reader! Expect an hour of humour and surprises with a dramatic twist when the Snow White fairy tale meets Shakespearean classics. You can even join in the action and feel the excitement of living a fairy tale. 

Date of show: 28 May 2016, Saturday
Time of show: 2 pm
Duration: 1 hour without interval
Venue: Drama Centre Theatre
Best for: 4 to 8 year old

How to enter the giveaway:
Compulsory steps:
1. Like Simply Lambchops Facebook page.
2. Like this Facebook post and comment "Thank you ACT 3 International for the tickets!"

Bonus step:
3. Follow me on Instagram @simplylambchops

Do share this with your friends to benefit their children! This giveaway will end on 14 May, Saturday at 23:59. Results of the random draw will be announced here. 

It was truly an evening of delightful entertainment, with top-class humour and creativity that made the whole audience laugh throughout the 2-hour show last night. The Showstoppers, made up of UK's funniest comedians, delivered what they promised - incredible, moving story-lines, amazing songs, full group harmonies, dance numbers and very funny to watch. All with just 6 performers, two musicians (a percussionist and a keyboardist) and simple props. 

Photo credit

Our show started with Sean McCann (as the narrator) who received a phone call, requesting him to come up with a brand new musical idea within two hours. He started asking the audience for creative suggestions for the setting of the musical. In a bomb shelter, London Zoo and the Sahara Desert were among the few choices, but the audience's favourite was a musical set in the hawker centre. That suggestion earned the most resounding applause of affirmation. The funny thing was, Sean McCann had no idea what a hawker centre is. 

He went on to ask for suggestions as a title for the musical. "Ang Moh in Ang Mo Kio" was the popular choice over "Phantom of the Hawker Centre". By then, we were already laughing so much at how Sean McCann tried to make meaning of all the words he never knew. Fortunately for him, a Caucasian lady in the audience helped. 

And with that, the musical opened with a song about a hawker centre in Ang Mo Kio area. We were introduced to the various characters of the story. Kathy, a married lady with red hair (Ang Moh) who sold chicken rice at a hawker centre, was made to kill her husband under the instructions of Louis (well, actually the audience asked for this). Louis was the in-charge of the hawker centre and had a liking for Kathy. Kathy's co-worker also liked her and asked her out for a drink. The story got more bizarre when she confessed that she "had to kill her husband so that she could go for a drink with him". He then exclaimed "What will you do for a second date?!".

After Kathy presented her husband's heart to Louis, Louis realised that Kathy wasn't interested in him. He banished her from the hawker centre... hawker arena... whatever. The Ang Mohs couldn't decide.

Kathy and her co-worker were then given a pair of tickets to the Singapore Zoo and they decided to have their first date there. McCann stopped the show with a request for one of the cast to mimic the actions of a panda, a flamingo and a hippo during the musical number. Adam Meggido, who holds a world record in longform impro (55 hours in Toronto), did it stunningly and I absolutely love his lazy pose of a Panda eating leaves. 

Looking forward to an evening of  entertainment!

Among the many numbers they sang, the ones that I enjoyed most were the ones reminiscent of The Phantom of the Opera, and A Chorus Line - probably so as I couldn't recognise the others. Imagine the scene of the Phantom of the Opera song, but instead of Christine and the Phantom, we had a masked Orang Utan and Kathy singing the duet in the Orang Utan enclosure. The performers sang and danced to every number, and improvised the lyrics based on the suggestions given at the start of the show. Not to mention, the two musicians livened the mood of each song with their amazing musical skills. The audience clapped and cheered loudly after each musical number. 

There were many other creative moments worth highlighting. I love that a simple prop like the umbrella can become a shotgun for Louis and his henchman, and the amused look on Kathy's face when her co-worker saw her picking ticks from a fellow Orang Utan and eating them. 

With a story so bizarre, what happened to the Ang Moh in the end? Kathy took charge of the Orang Utan clan in the Singapore Zoo and grew more (red) hair. Together with her animal friends, they managed to thwart Louis' plan to kill the Orang Utans for their meat. 

It's amazing to see how the performers create a brand new performance each night, solely based on the suggestions of the audience and not a prepared script. They were also able to change their act or song instantly when the narrator asked for a hilarious plot twist. The coordinated singing and dancing were impressive too. 

Now I can't wait to see what wacky story line the cast will conjure up for the kids at The Fantastical Story Factory! 


More info about the Showstopper! The Improvised Musical:

Show times: 28th April - 3rd May (7:45 pm, except for 3rd May which is at 7 pm)
Venue: School of the Arts (SOTA) Drama Theatre
Price: $98, $78, $58 (tickets can be purchased here)

Disclosure: I won a set of tickets to the opening show from a Facebook giveaway by ABA Productions. No monetary compensation was given and all opinions are ours.