Film & Wayang - Singapore Living Galleries @ Singapore National Museum

Over the Hari Raya Puasa public holiday last week, i brought my dad to Singapore National Museum! It was a promise that i should have delivered long ago!

The wait to enter the main Singapore History Gallery was a whooping 45-60 minutes and we thought it to be more time efficient to check out the equally interesting Singapore living galleries. 

Let's begin with the gallery on Film and Wayang.

As i entered via the heavy red curtain at the entrance, i could feel that nostalgic feeling of being brought back to the old cinema days when comfortable and plushy cushion chairs were not an option!

One screen was screening a Malay horror movie that was likely Sumpah Orang Minyak (The Curse of the Oily Man) while the other was showing a classic Chinese love film shot in Singapore. 

I guessed the plot must be really good as they were stuck in that area for very long! 

Leaflets (known as handbills) promoting the movies were displayed and Dad was sharing with me information on the celebrities; specifically whether they are still alive or not. 

My mom would have loved to relive those memories when going for a movie was a very exciting activity! Now, there are too many activities that i can count as exciting - playing Diablo3 is one example! 

The second section of this gallery concentrates on the traditional Chinese Wayang. On display are actual opera costumes and accessories! Do you know that there is a designated costume / accessory for every role? I guessed correctly only for the emperor and the general's costumes! 

To show you a real Chinese opera set would incur too huge an expense and we understand that there is also a space constraint within the museum's compound; therefore, be thankful for the puppet stage! Compare this to the modern puppet stage i posted recently (click here)! 

With so many dialects congregating in one little red dot, the Chinese opera in Singapore has developed into a class of its own. However, as i mentioned before, the future looks bleak for it. 

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Location

93 Stamford Road

Nearest MRT Station

Bras Basah [Circle Line]

Website

Visit http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/ for information like ticketing charges.

Additional Information

Free admission for Film and Wayang Living Gallery from 6pm-8pm daily!