SINGAPORE — Despite receiving an “Advisory 16: some mature content” classification from the Media Development Authority, no revisions were done to the Dim Sum Dollies show The History Of Singapore Part 2.

“We would like to assure our audiences that the essence of the show remains untouched and none of the scenes were cut,” said theatre company Dream Academy in a statement.

Selena Tan, the show’s writer and one-third of the Dim Sum Dollies said she was “relieved and happy” that the show can now proceed.

“We welcome audiences with a sense of humour and who appreciate musical satire at its best,” she said. “The Dim Sum Dollies are all about satirical comedy — lots of sociopolitical stuff and other things. This is a tribute to our Singapore and Singaporeans who make us laugh.”

The year-end production, which is a sequel to the group’s popular satirical take on Singapore’s history in 2007, opens at the Esplanade tomorrow (Dec 11).

On Tuesday night, the theatre company had sent an email to announce it had only just received the advisory from the Media Development Authority (MDA) due to sociopolitical references in the piece. The advisory rating — the first time it has been given for a Dim Sum Dollies show — is not age-restrictive and those under the age of 16 will not be refused entry.

Much was made about the late issuance of the licence and classification. The company said it received the approval and classification on Monday and the licence was issued the following day. It had submitted the first vision of the script on Sept 16 and subsequently made a few minor changes.

Tan said: “The only reason why I was worried was because MDA has always been very prompt with their responses. Usually, it takes a month so this was an unusually long response time.”

A spokesperson from the MDA meanwhile said it had received the final script on Dec 1 “and proceeded to classify the content and issue the licence expeditiously”.

Elaborating on the decision behind the advisory, the spokesperson added: “The performance has been rated Advisory 16 (Some Mature Content) for its satirical socio-political references, which would be more suited for a mature audience. Works of a similar nature have similarly been rated Advisory 16, including Orh Hor! A Sketch Comedy Revue (2013) and The Hossan Leong Show (2010).”

Dim Sum Dollies And The History Of Singapore Part 2 runs from Dec 11 to 23 at the Esplanade Theatre. Tickets from SISTIC.