Stella Kon's Emily of Emerald Hill is a one-woman play about a Nonya matriarch recollecting her life story from girlhood to her twilight years. The play has been staged many times with esteemed actors such as Margaret Chan and Ivan Heng tackling the role.
In this staging, Karen Tan performs as the eponymous character. It must be tough to act out a 90-minute monologue on a bare set, so I do applaud her for taking on this behemoth task. I thought she gave it a fair shot though I do not think she completely embodied the character. At times, she seemed to be in a rush to deliver her lines, even stumbling over her words on occasion. She shone in the more dramatic scenes when she had to channel anger or grief, but fell short in the more nuanced conversational scenes when it was evident she was just an actress reciting words from memory.
The script showed promise and I could see why it is a classic. I left the theatre wistful, wondering if I would get a chance to see Margaret Chan reprising the critically-acclaimed role and bringing Emily to life on stage.
Emily of Emerald Hill
Event Date: Thu, 2 - Sun, 5 Apr 2015; Thu 8pm; Fri & Sat 3pm & 8pm; Sun 3pm
Venue: Esplanade Theatre Studio
Emily of Emerald Hill
In this staging, Karen Tan performs as the eponymous character. It must be tough to act out a 90-minute monologue on a bare set, so I do applaud her for taking on this behemoth task. I thought she gave it a fair shot though I do not think she completely embodied the character. At times, she seemed to be in a rush to deliver her lines, even stumbling over her words on occasion. She shone in the more dramatic scenes when she had to channel anger or grief, but fell short in the more nuanced conversational scenes when it was evident she was just an actress reciting words from memory.
The script showed promise and I could see why it is a classic. I left the theatre wistful, wondering if I would get a chance to see Margaret Chan reprising the critically-acclaimed role and bringing Emily to life on stage.
Emily of Emerald Hill
Event Date: Thu, 2 - Sun, 5 Apr 2015; Thu 8pm; Fri & Sat 3pm & 8pm; Sun 3pm
Venue: Esplanade Theatre Studio
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