Pangdemonium’ Force Majeure Reimagines For A World In Flux

When a classic survives more than a century, it is because its questions never truly go away. Force Majeure, presented by Pangdemonium, arrives in Singapore as a bold contemporary reimagining of Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters, reshaped for a world grappling with uncertainty, grief and shifting purpose. Written by Stephanie Street and directed by Tracie Pang, the production makes its world premiere at Victoria Theatre from 6 to 15 March 2026, inviting you and your loved ones into an intimate and emotionally charged reflection on family, longing and the quiet compromises that define modern life.

From Chekhov’s Russia to Today’s Unsettled World

Rather than retelling Chekhov’s story, Force Majeure enters into conversation with it. Street draws parallels between the upheavals of Chekhov’s time and the pressures shaping contemporary existence, from technological acceleration and geopolitical instability to climate anxiety and creative precarity. The result is a work that asks deeply human questions about identity, belonging and what remains when familiar structures begin to erode.

Loss sits at the emotional core of the adaptation. Written in the shadow of recent global and personal grief, the play creates a shared space where heartbreak and hope coexist. The theatre becomes a place to sit together in the dark, recognising fragments of your own uncertainty in characters struggling to keep going when the future feels perpetually deferred.

A Creative Reunion with Emotional Resonance

Force Majeure marks the return of the acclaimed creative partnership between Street and Pang, following their award winning collaboration on Dragonflies, which was named Production of the Year at the Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards in 2018. For Pang, the reunion was driven by a desire to tackle a classic text without losing Pangdemonium’s signature rawness and intimacy.

At its heart, the production remains anchored in family. It examines the bonds that shelter and suffocate in equal measure, and the painful truth that family can be both refuge and rupture. The play asks what it means to belong, not only within a household, but within a global community where purpose can feel increasingly fragile.

When Music Becomes Emotional Language

Music plays a central role in Force Majeure, extending Chekhov’s original intentions while pushing Pangdemonium into new stylistic territory. Sound designer Jing Ng’s original compositions are performed live on stage by the cast, who shift fluidly between characters and musical expression. This marks a first for the company, with sound woven directly into performance as an emotional undercurrent rather than an accompaniment.

For Inch Chua, who plays Mary, music becomes the character’s internal voice. Her performance is shaped by listening for the melody beneath each line, the quiet song that reveals Mary’s longing and unravelling sense of self. The role resonates personally, reflecting the ache of roads not taken and the tension between safety and sacrifice.

An Ensemble That Carries the Story Together

Leading the ensemble are Benjamin Kheng, Inch Chua and Ebi Shankara, supported by Selma Alkaff, Rebecca Ashley Dass, Benjamin Chow, Sharda Harrison and Marc Monteiro. Together, they inhabit a world where vulnerability is as visible as action, allowing you to see the characters not as distant figures, but as people navigating collapse with resilience, humour and quiet despair.

Why Force Majeure Matters Now

At its core, Force Majeure is not about answers, but recognition. It offers a mirror to those moments when life feels suspended between what was promised and what arrives instead. By reframing a literary classic through the lens of contemporary life, Pangdemonium creates a theatre experience that feels immediate, honest and deeply human.

If you are drawn to theatre that challenges, comforts and lingers long after the final scene, Force Majeure offers a rare opportunity to encounter a familiar story made urgent again. It is an invitation to reflect, to feel, and to remember that even in times of rupture, shared stories still matter.

Performance Details

Force Majeure runs from 6 to 15 March 2026 at Victoria Theatre. Tickets are now on sale via www.pangdemonium.com. SG Culture Pass credits may be used for ticket purchases.