The best Singapore musicals of all time

Playwright Haresh Sharma’s debut musical Tropicana is a flashy take on Singapore’s golden era. Loosely based on the Las Vegas-style nightclub and cabaret that opened doors at Scotts Road in 1968, the technicoloured spectacle is directed by Beatrice Chia-Richmond and features a stellar cast including Lim Yu-Beng, Karen Tan and Brendon Fernandez as the characters whose lives revolve around the establishment. The musical promises to pull at your heartstrings with its mix of fun and sentimentality while exploring the individual lives that revolve around the establishment.

Whether decked as Samsui women or SPGs (aka Sarong Party Girls), the Dim Sum Dollies always satisfy. Having entertained theatre-goers for over a decade, the musical cabaret trio’s bold satire on Singaporeans and life here, coupled with catchy tunes, keep the laughter rolling. The Dollies – Selena Tan, Pamela Oei and Emma Yong (later Denise Tan) – have had six productions under their belts, with their debut Steaming! in 2003. The musical series’ takeaway: giving everyone an immediate insight into all things Singapore that’s over-the-top hilarious.

Developed by Stephen Clark, Dick Lee and Steven Dexter, this musical is – without a doubt – the ultimate musical theatre crowd pleaser. Debuting in 2002, the production was reprised in 2003, 2006 and 2017 due to popular demand and had a successful world tour in 2008. Overflowing with stunning oriental sets and costumes on-stage, Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress revolves around Kit Chan's portrayal as China’s legendary Empress Dowager Cixi and the dark secrets surrounding her.

Based on American author Minfong Ho’s story of a Thai girl’s struggle to compete for a scholarship award to be able to continue her studies, as well as overcoming social injustices, composer Dick Lee and director Steven Dexter’s musical adaptation turned out to be a mega-hit after its first run. Sing to the Dawn's emotionally touching tale of reconciliation and acceptance also resulted in the production being restaged by other local theatre troops in Singapore.

A true blue Singaporean musical, Dick Lee's Fried Rice Paradise not only has a familiar dish in its title, but its sense of familiarity weaved within its narrative is what hits home. Throwing cheesy Singlish dialogues and catchy throwback melodies into the mix, this disco-dancing production cleverly blends romance, comedy and drama in the city’s ‘70’s setting. This well-loved classic even had an overhaul for its 2010 reprisal featuring a star-studded cast including Taufik Batisah, Alemay Fernandez, Lim Yu Beng, and the legendary Rahimah Rahim.

Paying homage to the black and white aesthetics of '50's Cantonese films and the scene takes of Chinese soap operas, Beauty World charts the coming-of-age story of a small-town girl whose search for her father leads her to an unexpected place. Despite its influences, the musical stays true to the Singapore voice by incorporating Singlish, as well as local and regional slang into its script. This Michael Chiang musical is also considered to be one of Singapore's very first musicals which was resurrected in 2008 by W!ld R!ce as part of its 20th anniversary celebration.

Deemed as “Singapore’s first musical”, Makanplace is an all-round feel-good Singapore musical set in a hawker centre – as its name suggests. The timeless classic debuted in 1988 by Act 3 Theatrics to showcase a melting pot of cultures that well represents the Lion City. It also follows two idealistic teenage characters Zil and Siew doing all they can to make their dreams come true, with the support of fellow hawkers who are known to randomly burst into song on-stage à la every darn musical.