‘Dracula' As Classical Ballet with Theatrical Flair

'Dracula' is a production by Australian ballet company BIG Live, choreographed by co-founder and artistic director Joel Burke. I was quite tickled by the music. Sure, there are new compositions by Emmy-renowned electro-acoustic Jason Fernandez, but the rest of the music selected is rather cliched. 

BIG Live took so many artistic liberties with the storyline. There weren't Renfield, Quincy, Dr Seward or Van Helsing. There was no Lucy Westenra. Instead of the Trio, we have four women who are either ghosts or vampires. I have no idea. I was soooo confused that Dracula let Mina go. He turned Jonathan Harker into a vampire, and Mina Murray was killed by her husband instead. Then I had no idea whether Mina was now a ghost or a vampire. She staked Dracula and Jonathan, and herself. I was like... WHAT. Since when did Mina die in the book? 

Joel Burke himself was Vlad the Warlord, and Dracula. The corps were a bit messy, but the principals were pretty good. The ending was soooo annoying. The show closed with Dracula sitting up. Walao. It's a ballet, not a television series that could have a sequel titled 'Van Helsing'.

I got some shots of the ballet because at the start of the show, the announcer seemed to have made a mistake to say that photography and short clips were allowed. But they said these wouldn't be permitted in the second half. Oops. 

This is still classical ballet done with contemporary theatrical storytelling, blended in with goth. I was rather tickled that people dressed up for the ballet. And by that, I mean, dressing as a vampire, with full theatrical make-up almost as if it was Halloween. It was dramatic, and honestly very fun. 

These are commercially successful productions. Traditional ballet companies wouldn't do say... 'Dracula', which has been called a "second rate ballets". Our own Singapore Ballet would never do it as long as Janek Schergen is at helm. There's also a very good reason why I'm not very keen on watching Singapore Ballet's productions. How many times do you want me to watch 'Giselle', 'Coppélia' or 'The Nutcracker' or 'Swan Lake'? I have watched it multiple times presented by different companies. I confess, I'm bored. It has nothing to do with whether it's local or foreign. It has everything to do with the vibes of a company and that particular production.   

MONO :: 'Snowdrop' 2026

MONO dropped their new album 'Snowdrop' and is doing a tour. I had considered flying to Taipei or Hong Kong for a short bit to catch MONO's show. I hesitated. This is typhoon season. And I have this insane luck with typhoons. If I schedule a trip to one of the cities a typhoon passes through, inevitably, I always run into one in whichever city I'm in. 

Luckily I didn't do Taipei. Typhoon Bavi came and canceled every thing for the weekend. Flights, Mayday's two shows, and MONO's show. I stayed in town and caught MONO at the Esplanade. 

The band's long-time collaborator and producer Steve Albini passed in May 2024. They recorded their last studio album 'OATH' (released June 2024) with him. This is the twelfth album, and the last one ever with Steve Albini who had recorded half of MONO's songs. Those depths of emotions and understanding between a trusted audio engineer and musicians go way beyond superficial. I think even fans of the band mourned the passing of Albini. 

The thirteenth 'Snowdrop' was recorded by Brad Wood and mixed at his Seagrass Studio. It sounded equally amazing on vinyl. MONO didn't deviate from their usual sounds. However, it felt a lot more sensitive and warm. This is not an album that mourns. It celebrates life and living. It likely celebrates the legacy of Steve Albini, and also marks a point in Brad Wood's life as his beloved wife Maria had also suddenly passed. As I listened to the vinyl at home, my soul was absolutely following the cascade of emotions that is 'Snowdrop'.

MONO kept on making albums that sound different, yet not leaving their signatures. They have been active for 25 years. Madness. That passion. It was a superb show tonight in Singapore. What glorious soundwaves that washed over us. Them four created an expanse of worlds and soundscapes. It was so beautiful.

Fish & Bones at UE Square

After some patchy reviews and all, I didn't bother with Fish & Bones although it's really convenient. Also, when something says Korean food, it's not on my list of priorities to check out. But they seemed to have improved over time, and last year's reviews were generally decent. That evening, we decided to hop in for an easy dinner.

It's pretty much a seafood place. But they do have cooked items of bibimbap, pajeon, army stew, and some sort of one-dish lunch options. The husband ordered the spicy fish bone soup. Okaaaay. It isn't my favorite thing, but this version was pretty tasty. There was raw abalone too. That was tasty. Also had a slab of grilled ribeye with potatoes. The beef was pretty delicious!. 

The halibut sashimi was fresh and lovely. But it's Korean style, so the knife skills are like...... ...... mehhh. Tonight, the medium platter of $65++ sashimi came as rather badly chopped up slices. I was wondering whether I'd kena food poisoning or parasites. LOL I'm not particularly enamored with Korean-style sashimi after what I see at their fish markets — both at the stalls and at the restaurants upstairs or nearby. After a few pieces of it, I decided to pop the slices into the spicy soup to lightly cook it. 

The husband was like, next time, we should get the whole halibut, have the sashimi and take the bones home to boil soup. Riiiight. That's provided that the bones don't stay out for hours and be chockful of bacteria by the time it's actually taken home. We'll see. These are raw bones, not cooked. So I'm not confident of how they would store the bones if we should order a whole halibut. Those bones need to go back to the fridge or freezer stat, and not sit outside on the counter or at the table with us for the next 1.5 hours before it gets home to another freezer.