And so Emily has ended its most recent run, this time bringing laughter and tears to her audience at the Esplanade Theatre.   I caught her on opening night with a few friends, one of whom was a Canadian schooled in the States and is now working in Singapore, and we were duly impressed with Ivan Heng’s performance in the one-man-show.  What caught me by pleasant surprise was Emily’s unforgiving methods of audience interaction which had the whole house erupting in laughter and the few unlucky ones whom she picked on red-faced and guilty.  Emily took us all through the entirety of her life, from the innocent girl to obedient wife to feisty mother to mellowed grandmother.  There was not a moment of dullness because it seemed like we were living her life as her, there and then.  Beautiful costumes, a tireless script, a talented actor paired with a passionate director.  I’m looking forward to another excellent Singaporean stage production!

P.S.  If, like me, you believe that the Singaporean arts scene needs more support, W!ld Rice is one company that really deserves your attention.  For more info, look here!