Primary and secondary schools close for the year on Friday 20 November, and the Ministry of Education calendar puts the year-end holidays at Saturday 21 November to Thursday 31 December. Four family shows that run from mid-November to just before Christmas already have tickets on sale, from S$30 at the Singapore Symphony Orchestra to S$120 for the top seats at Monkey Goes West.
Monkey Goes West opens on 12 November and runs into December, the SSO’s film concert is the weekend before the holidays start, and the other two fall in early and mid-December. Running times range from one hour to two and a half hours.
Monkey Goes West, Wild Rice @ Funan
Wild Rice’s holiday pantomime returns 12 years after its 2014 premiere at Victoria Theatre. It retells Journey to the West through Ah Tang, an orphan who runs away from home and falls in with Wukong the Monkey King, Pigsy and Sandy. Alfian Sa’at wrote it, Elaine Chan composed the score and Ivan Heng directs, at the Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre in Funan.
Previews on 12 and 13 November at 7.30pm and 14 November at 2.30pm cost S$50, S$60, S$80 or S$95. Tuesday to Thursday evenings are S$55 to S$105, and Friday evenings and weekend shows are S$60 to S$120. Weekend matinees are at 2.30pm on Saturdays and 1.30pm on Sundays.
The show runs 2 hours 30 minutes with a 20-minute interval and is recommended for ages 5 and above. Performances run into December, with a second cast of child performers from 8 December. An audio-described performance with a touch tour of the set is on 12 December at 2.30pm, with the tour starting at 1.15pm.
DINO-A-LIVE, Resorts World Convention Centre
DINO-A-LIVE Premium Dinosaur Odyssey, a Japanese show with life-sized dinosaurs that move through the performance space, is in Singapore from 3 to 6 December. It is the production’s first run outside Japan.
Tickets start at S$58. The show is 70 minutes with no interval, and it is non-verbal, so there is no dialogue to follow. Sessions are at 8pm on 3 and 4 December, at 11am, 2pm, 5pm and 8pm on Saturday 5 December, and at 2pm, 5pm and 8pm on Sunday 6 December.
Seating is split into four categories. The first two rows of CAT 1 are on 20cm-high benches close to the action, CAT 2 is on platforms raised 60cm, and CAT 3 and CAT 4 are on tiered seating. Hotel packages at Resorts World Sentosa bundle show tickets with Singapore Oceanarium admission for two adults and one child.
Family Film Favourites, Victoria Concert Hall
The Singapore Symphony Orchestra plays film music for families on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November, at 11am and 2pm each day. The programme includes Star Wars, Harry Potter, Moana, Encanto, Frozen and “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters, with Nathanaël Iselin conducting and Alasdair Malloy presenting.
Tickets are S$30 and S$40, before a S$3 SISTIC booking fee. Groups buying four or more tickets get 15 per cent off with the family package. The concert lasts an hour with no interval.
It is a relaxed performance, so audiences may come and go from the hall during the concert. The SSO recommends it for ages 5 and above, every child needs a ticket, and infants in arms are not admitted.
SSO Christmas Concert, Esplanade Concert Hall
The SSO’s Christmas concerts are on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 December at 7.30pm. The first half is music from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, including the whole of Act 2. After the interval come John Rutter’s Gloria and carol singalongs, with the Singapore Symphony Chorus, Youth Choir and Children’s Choir.
Tickets range from S$48 to S$228. The concert runs 1 hour 45 minutes, including a 20-minute interval. It is recommended for ages 5 and above, and infants in arms and toddlers are not admitted. The concert is also streamed live on the SSO’s YouTube channel and on meWatch.
