STELLA Kon’s play Emily of Emerald Hill is one of the most emblematic Southeast Asian monologues that presents the Baba Nyonya culture and nuances that are treasured to this day.
This sought-after one-woman play also called Portrait of a Nyonya: A Monodrama, is about a Peranakan woman, Emily Gan, and how she evolves from being a young bride to a strong woman who climbs her way up in upper society and becomes the family’s matriarch.
This play portrays the highs and the lows of life - the fearful young Emily was thrust into an arranged marriage, started as a clueless daughter-in-law with gobs of strict set of traditional rules to pick up in the household, the lavish life lapped up by Emily given by her in-laws.
She was also a struggling mother who had to endure her son’s sudden death and her husband’s infidelity.
While Emily of Emerald Hill portrays the cycle of life, the play also depicts the art of maneuvering around the hierarchy - the 'unwritten rules' in Southeast Asian households and how social harmony was widely practiced and a given among the populace.
Peter, Ali, and Raj would meet up at a Kopitiam (Neighbourhood Coffee Shop) for their usual breakfast; Ah Choo, Deepa, and Tasha would shop for Kebaya sets (a traditional outfit made out of sheer embroidered blouse paired with batik sarong) together, it was an era where all of them were just being Sans racial disharmony.
Director Chin San Sooi, known for his minimalist style, has gone one up or rather down a notch in this 'bare' staging with actor Pearlly Chua for this monologue.
“Magiç is in the heart of the matter,” he said.
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