by Wild Rice (2011)
For those who have heard about Emily of Emerald Hill, they would know that it is one among the few local pieces of theatre that are iconic and possess much cultural significance and are of high artistic standards. Unfortunately for these people, merely having 'having heard' about Emily doesn't quite cut it.
Emily of Emerald Hill is a monologue that portraits the rise and fall of a Peranakan woman in the power of the men in her life. Written in an impactful, truthful and genuine fashion, Stella Kon is the intelligent brain child behind this delightfully wicked and sentimental melodrama whose truths about perseverance of the female in the face of life's ups and downs come across very vividly and wholeheartedly.
Wild Rice legends Glenn Goei and Ivan Heng have done it again, this time probably their best work within the production company. Ivan Heng plays Emily in the most genuine yet delightfully spunky manner. His performance is stellar from the funniest cracks of intelligence to the most mellow of tragic moments in the play, and it leaves you wanting to meet Emily and give her a warm hug. Simply put, Ivan Heng truly brings Emily to the real world; a talent many people can only dream of mastering.
Aesthetically, this production pulled together some great talents in set, sound, lighting, costume and multimedia design for the theatre. All of these elements were well inter-weaved into one impressive patch work that was the playground of Emily throughout the performance. The minimal white set, the distinctly playful use of lights and image projection and the vividly realistic Peranakan dresses ensured that the audience was enthralled yet not completely distracted from Emily herself.
I remember sitting in the audience among so many people who were thoroughly moved (and were crying) by the whole performance. As such, the performance was given so much power to reach a point where the audience cannot simply 'watch' Emily but were meant instead to 'experience' Emily. By the end, a standing ovation was little but what I could offer in return from such an unforgettable theatre experience.
