Have you ever heard of the Goosebump Method of Art Criticism? It’s when you measure the impact of a particular work – a painting, a movie, a play – by the frequency and intensity of your goosebumps. It’s a lesser known method compared to say, the Gag Method or the Walkout Method, which while fairly common in France, is non-existent in Singapore. But Goosebumpism is a pretty cool way of gauging a play. Instead of saying it was good or bad, you just go “I had goosebumps!” Your critics can’t really say anything after that because, well, how can you contest that? That they didn't have goosebumps? I’ve had my fair share of these while watching plays. Like Finger Players’ Poop. But your Resident Art-Throb didn’t have a blog then, so I didn’t have a chance to scientifically assess it. Today, however, I’ve just come back from two wonderful productions (yes, Noor Effendy Ibrahim, my sadistic streak continues) so I thought I’d try it out on them.   The Goosebump Review of T.H.E. Dance Company’s Silence At least four instances. Two of which were pretty intense, lasting somewhere between 5 and 10 seconds. Particularly, during the scene where they were dancing to Radiohead’s Pulk/Pull and the eerily beautiful scene Winds, from the far side of the moon, where the dancers were slowly weaving in and around this massive centerpiece. A minor one during the Philip Glass piece sequence. Seriously though, you should try and go catch it (Sat, Aug 22, 8pm at the Esplanade Theatre). It’s an ambitious and beautiful work that’s matched by the super-committed and intense performances by the dancers. Good decision to stage it at the Theatre. The lighting design was fantastic, swathing the stage in blinding light one moment and enveloping it in shadows the next. Overall, the piece breathed. As did the pores on both my arms.   And now for something completely different.   The Lord of the Rings Review of T.H.E. Dance Company’s Silence They were wearing green ponchos at some point, which made them look like hobbits. The 10m-high tower prop was, as every Tolkien fan would recognize, a metaphor for Barad-dur. Swee Boon’s unique choreography saw them crawling around a lot, making awkward animal-like movements, which allowed the dancers to unleash the Gollum within. Very precioussssss work. Now can someone else aside from the Esplanade sponsor them please?   Okay, back to goosebumps.   The Goosebump Review of Cake’s The Comedy of the Tragic Goats One instance. Not mine though, but my girlfriend’s. Me? Nada. But I was still completely enthralled by their new production, which is also on as the same time as Silence. And guess what, no dialogue! In RAT-speak, it’s two Mr. Beans doing extremely black comedy and extremely physical theatre to tell the story of two detainees suspected of killing a dictator. Admiration goes out to the two actors (Rizman Putra and Najib Soiman) who went all out, and to visual artist and first-time director Mohd Fared Jainal who found the right vehicle for his debut. It’s hilarious, it’s brutal, it’s politically loaded, it’s humanising. I’m putting this down as one of my favourite plays this year.