srt. Trevtowmrtere esplanade brdden C- PORTRAIT OF AN EMPRESS x , STARRING Z Kit Chan ‘music ey Dick Lee 800K BY Stephen Clark Dick Lee Lyrics ey Stephen Clark IDEA DEVELOPED BY Stephen Clark Dick Lee Steven Dexter TICKETS VIA WWW.ESPLANADE.COM/FORBIDDENCITY #ForbiddenCityTheMusical G copitet optcat go. ® 2 % a an QATARABOUT FORBIDDEN CITY Originally staged as part of Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay’s Opening Festival in October Pe ee eee rls ee) eC MUL eee cele OR OC UML OLR lees ORE Ce) overwhelming demand, Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) and Esplanade are delighted to ue eee ee Cd acl EES te CL eR Oe OS LA PRC RC Rie eT eg ey e18( Portrait of an Empress sets a new standard for Singapore musical theatre, with stylised sets ER mee tL mL 1 tm) Cel Le OO) PER eC Re eC RCL RET Tae Ree RC RO mC MRC CL“Forbidden City measures up to the standards of a mainstream musical. It is well-produced and offers Eel Mee mE) (lal (eee - The Straits Times mecha LCR a clu Uae - The Business Times “The very entertaining music, the gorgeous costumes ECR ee Ren uC alc eid ella mle MC tales cele - The Jakarta PostSYNOPSIS Kate Carl, an American artist, is invited to paint the portrait of the Empress of China, Tzu Hsi. When she arrives she meets George Morrison, an English journalist. He tells her not to be intimidated by the Cee ee OCC CTC ER ce Re Ce Se eee ee Cu EEE Taree at eu er Dee eee ee eee Concer enc) SS ee Re hrc the custom, the baby was taken away from Yehenara to be brought up by the court. Dee ce ec eC Cec Rt ROS a Ie a er Oa cre nen Cece Rt POOR OC CROC aaa Eee Pe ca ay that if he died without naming Tung Chih as his heir, Prince Tun would claim the throne and her son’s life and own life would be in grave danger. She found her son and rushed to the Emperor's chamber. No one COR a ee ee Rd CUE ee RA Cees Re ee atten aT eee) SER UCR a eR RELL Indulging his new-found freedom he became ill with syphilis. Yehenara was helpless to do anything but wipe his feverish brow with her handkerchief as he died. Again Prince Tun saw a chance for power but Pee CS eR Lun Rt ace au acu ce Ca SU SCS cane ene ee eee so open and notes that what the Empress has told Kate contradicts all the rumours he has heard. Sse oS Cmca cE ea determined to reform China, But this lead to the Boxer rebellion and China was crippled by the internal conflict, Pee ee Se ea Or eer ee aT she tells him about the Empress, The day arrives when Kate is to show the Empress the completed portrait. But the Empress is furious. She has seen an article in the newspaper saying that she murdered eA Ue ues nace Mer eee Cea ern crs betrayed her trust and distorted the truth. Kate goes to Morrison to demand why he has used what she PCR CR Race Lu RL ee ee eee eect Ue Cee at) and realises she has been used. The following year the portrait is finally shown to the public, They look Pee UE Cae RCC kee CR CRT a Ce eck Cm Ree Ca Dee mee ed Cee eee esc ue cua eeCAST Earl Carpenter ey As a Broadway and West End performer, the last 25 years have involved a number of in- Cece ed DS De em e eeee ee D PR oe eee ed eae Tee ee ce em Cee ea eee ced De Ree cea Se eee a ee In 2008 Earl played the part of ‘Inspector Javert’ at the Queens Theatre in London and ue ee ee Oe res cc ra POS Por ee Ren ee ec Rae ee ey Sea eRe CMU ce Pre Yehenara OU ue cE UPR es CC a eC LD OTR UC EC REE Rae blazer who has proven herself in diverse areas including pop music, musical theatre, television drama, film, poetry, songwriting, entrepreneurship, creative direction and community work. In 1994, Kit propelled Singapore's pop music into the region when she took the Taiwan- Cee eRe Re more than 20 pop and musical albums in Mandarin, Cantonese and English, winning DCEO eee eC a gc a nk eRe ne eee meee ee oe Ca ED (Snow.Wolf.Lake), (2) (December Rains), and Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress Re ee RS ene Paes it is perhaps best known in Singapore for the National Day song, “Home” which she Ge ee ee ST eo ee ea also became the first singer to perform at the National Day Rally when she paid a song Cnr ge Oc UN ea LeUVT Ce UEC) a) See MC oe ea ec CMe ae ee enc earned him Best Supporting Actor at the ST LIFE! Theatre Awards. Last year, Benjamin directed The Cave, an original work by Annabel Tan, which was presented at the Twen- ty-Something Theatre Festival. As a spoken word artist, he has been featured at poetry events such as The New Word Order, The Singapore Art Salon, SPEAK, and the Singa- CU ee Re Src eee re raed eRe ee Deere en LMS ee eR er. Honing his craft at the National University of Singapore and graduating with an hon- OTe UR Se oe ee Rc atre productions such as Toy Factory Productions’ Grind (2016), Esplanade and Dingyi Pe cee eC Legend of Nezha(2014). Most recently seen in the ensemble of The Finger Player's ITSY - The Musical (2017), he is definitely no stranger to Singapore Repertory Theatre, CMD Ue ee ee PE Oe aM eee enna a Ta ene pella group to be nominated for four awards in the 18th Annual Singapore Hit Awards, receiving the prestigious Media Recommendation Award for Local Artistes. On black- out days, Juni frequently sings and emcees at weddings, corporate events and night- spots like Shuffle Bistro Bar and Hood Bar & Café.CAST CoC Sa) Cheryl Tan is an actor, singer and voice teacher from Malaysia. This year, she made her Pee eC CU ee ee ead aia eC Re LC ee se ea ea? SEO eas ae ee ee ee eed Poe en ee eC Cd See cue ae Fem eee ee ee Opera. Last year, she played ‘Imogen’ in a Bahasa Indonesia translation of Cymbeline. SOS aR Ce Cc Thornton. She took music lessons with Connie Crothers, Chris Dingman, and Justin Stoney. She produced and directed Follow The Light in Kuala Lumpur, and worked behind the scenes on SKIN by TerryandtheCuz and Another Country by WILD Rice Sec ue ge) Sone ee en rec EERE eed Cee RSC eC cc eu ue ea eS RE ee ol uae cru Deen eeu UU ee ae acclaimed stand-up musical-comedy series, Broadway Beng®, with a concert at Capitol aca Sebastian's theatre credits include, the Happy Ever Laughter® series, The LKV Musical, the Crazy Christmas® series, Tidoudao, Jack & the Beansprout, Broadway Beng’ Beng- Se gee ee ee ee UK tour of Miss Saigon, Forbidden City, Honk!, They're Playing Our Song, Sing To The Ree eR eee eee En ee ee a ee ee ees TV credits include Payday, First Class, Odd Squad, My Big Brother, City-Spy Singapore, guest-starring in Under One Roof, Growing Up, and various music variety programmes. Per ee eee) Sea eee Ree 2007, he recorded the year's National Day Parade’s theme sone, “ Teco ill You", with variousSena Kate Carl ean Reece eR ue young age she thrived on trying new t! Tee eee ees eae ee aC AIS Ee eee eau aC eee urn eae Ce ELC eC eR winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival, she was surrounded by a community that sup- See ee ee aa a SU Pee a ae ee ST Ue see Riding Hood She relished the time in rehearsals; giving life to the lines, inhabiting a Gide Cte on a ee als backstage; learning a new language that used words like upstage and downstage, cues, and spirit gum. She delighted in every costume, in wearing false eyelashes, and Gre ee ee ee Rend SEC ee Und OTe ae En Ue aan eo ing she received her BFA in acting and musical theatre. Now, with the contin- Pee eee aca ue Ceram ee ere ce UR Bee Rue ee oe Oe ae CREE Cun RU eure ur aM reer korea rs PRE) Or raia DROS te ie Me Rae a former for 19 years, his local and US credits include The LKY Musical, Junior Claus, Spring Awakening, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Romeo & Juliet, Hot Pants, Beauty World, Army Daze, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, Red Riding Hood, Pinocchio and Forbidden aE PC ace nk He has staged, written and produced for the Esplanade - Fairy Tales - The Full Picture, The Show Must Go On, Schoo! Rules! Dwayne also wrote and composed the musical ad- aptation of Hansel and Gretel: An Eco Adventure. Being a finalist on Singapore Idol led EE Lee ue ar nec SCM ON Ca ec ee ST en ee ee ee nenaUCR) Tung Chih Tan Shou Chen is a recognized theatre maker. Selected acting credits: ‘Jack’ in Itsy: The Oe eae me ee ee a oe eae Tee re eee (SMU MRLs Eel CU Me ee CE CU ee ea ae ae er PACE PA eee a Ee uc Ca Le FO eo RR ee ee ee) (Teater Ekamatra); The Magic Paintbrush (| Theatre); the title role in The Hypochondriac Ta ee) AU Ue AA OR ene rey Se aU ee ae eee oe Ua DE ees one ee ee ae Eee aed aC)CREATIVE TEAM nian er ees Multi-talented Dick Lee has firmly established himself as a performer and composer, often recognised through his works as the spokesperson for the New Asian generation. Bd Cn Re ee ee CA ue aU eee OE eR (1991, 2010), Kampong Amber (1994), Sing to the Dawn (1997), Forbidden City (2003), which opened the Esplanade in Singapore, and Jacky Cheung’s acclaimed SNOWWOLF.LAKE (1997), which toured Asia in 2005. Nagraland (1992) toured Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong in a sold-out season. Deo Ct ee ee Erna ae REED Senay a Cee 8 Se CE DEC A ree ca ee a eed Eel Stephen Clark's play, Strioped, won a jefferson Award in Chicago 2003 (Circle Theatre). Other plays\inciude Takeaway (Lyric Hammersmith and national tour) and Making Waves at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough. Se cue ee Cu eee a ee UC se eC Rae ee Cone a ce) Re ee ua eeu need Other work includes Forbidden City (Singapore Repertory Theatre, Esplanade Theatre, Singapore) and The Far Pavilions (The Shaftsbury Theatre, London). He adapted the libretto of La Traviata for ENO's new production in BO es ee Se Eee ee ac eet a Wells Theatre, London, and toured Britain. He wrote the book and lyrics for Zorro (UK tour, The Gattick, London and ROS eae eee Se eC eee eae aera Ce ecm) SUN eee ee eR opened in the West End in December 2010. It has since been in Philadelphia and has toured Holland. Love Storywas nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Musical. This was Stephen's 4th Olivier Award nomination for that category. Stephen also wrote The LKY Musical staged at the Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.CREATIVE TEAM SOME ee a RU ae In Singapore, he directed: Forbidden City, Fried Rice i a ee aes Lea Salor eC EO oa Cog oC oa cece Shirley Valentine, Mary-Lou (Best Director Award) and Andrew Loyd Webbe Recent credits include: Altar Boyz (UK premiere); The Addams Family; Pippin; Chess; Rent and The Other School (10 ‘Asa book writer Steven has co-written: A Twist of Fate (The Straits Times Life! Award for Best Musical), Maddie at the Lyric Theatre and Mary Lou which ran for 4 years at the Israel National Theatre.CREATIVE TEAM Cee aug cag GCC a un ees For Singapore - A Twist of Fate and The Snow Queen in 2005; Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress in 2002/2003; also M.Butterfly: Sing To The Dawn; Little Shop of Horrors; Into The Woods. Opera and musical productions include Don Pasquale (Garsington), The Original Chinese Conjuror (Aldeburgh and ‘Almeida Opera), Don Giovanni, South Pacific and lolanthe (Grange Park), Manon (Opera North), Der Vogelhandler Cac Mane acon eC ae cee ee May Night (Wexford), La vie parisienne (D'Oyly Carte), The Barber of Seville (ETO), and also How To Succeed In rE et eee em ae) eRe sue nege ee RE e ad (also Broadway), and My Beautiful Divorce (also London with Dawn French). 2005 included the complete Synge plays (Galway, Dublin, Edinburgh; & in 2006 Lincoln Center, New York). Also recently for Druid: Empress of India and Seanad 7 eRe et yee eet areas The Stars and The House of Bernada Alba (Abbey, Dublin); Ando of York), The Lieutenant of Inishmore (RSC and Garrick) and Peer G\ fea Lighting Designer F Geo eR eee ca Schauspielhaus Hamburg, Welsh Theatre and Singapore Repertory Theatre and created opera designs for the PELE MOET cr Wer MEU Oe) ORS) eRe ur) un CLE RA EURO C eleene ery PROSE uc ue ura eR saa ee eM ey ree) ene eae eee Aenea a eae SE en Ta eg Te cre ace ee Taboo, All You Need Is Love, Pirates Of Penzance, La Cava, Brief Encounter, Soul Train, Boyband, Love Upon The Throne, eee ‘hl DOIN CCC ee ee eee tha, The Hypochondriac, Sir Gawain And The Green Knight, The Mayor Of Zalamea and Romans in Britain.For the ed eC eed ee oe eee FT eg cee eR a ee SC ae a eee Opera designs include: The Nightingale's To Blame, Ariadne Auf Naxos, La Traviata, The Magic Flute, The Jacobin, ea eM eres ae eee ee Eve, Hansel And Gretel and From The House Of The Dead.SVE CCRC Sound Designer Mike first worked at the Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton before training at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama Te Ce Ce eee ee ee ee eee Lora a ee eee eu Uy He was invited to Singapore by SRT in 1994 to design Into The Woods and has designed over thirty productions here meme Oe eg ee OR ae ee ee) Manila), Chang & Eng (Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur), Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress and Cabaret. Om TSR ee Cr ae ke Ua eau LCCC Le ee a oad theatres. Recent projects include work for the NT, Stratford East, Albany Theatre in Deptford, Singapore Repertory Seu Rac Sec ees Derong has been involved in fashion design since the early 1980s. At the same time, he has also been doing costume design work for theatre and drama, for companies such as Experimental Theatre (The Fireralsers, directed by Kuo Pao Kun, 1986), TheatreWorks (The Elephant Man, 1987), STARS - the forerunner to SRT (Twelfth Night, 1987), BUI ee a ea eS ee CED eee ue ea me a Ree a PSE eee aCe CC CUM eure Recah ee tee ek Rec eet eysea eS eect Cana sa tcl PAE ER Re Oe RCE UR ee Re eee Cee Eu Me Ree eC eC eeSCT etc mh Tete) ada e at BST) ece tla OAM ROTC Rese eRe em Ter Palle eel R CR (MCRL PMOL eL-le) EL aol cele td M Ce) =1C Tee SE ee a Mee ecm eRe ee cl mets ETAT tefee et Leet Lae leet te] -(e TVR OL eda COLMA edt MELASMA Cel= Le Ecim cee eee Ce MMe eee eee aol le) ae sre Tey ce eM MTR ane) (MLL a Sy eh EL RON Eyck eee A aT eRe CMe ESPLANADE - THEATRES ON THE BAY Pets Els MT eee MLM ace elem La celles ELeLeO Tae ALSO ol taco luau eae eT ae) 9) CLD se) LE] Le CLO La ULM Lar eOLe ome MLN oe Mets) L Mm MCL MT MeL recanted Cee em Ce MeL -m eee] ol Rela AO OU ee CM eM meme LL Oa (eee LL Lee) develop artistic capabilities and content, push artistic boundaries and engage audiences. It also develops technical capabilities for the industry nationally. SUM eee OL en LL LAO ed Ae Creuse Cleese lanl) clue salle ARSC CCRC Rel eles) LoL cae aR ANOMALIES L0 Ot TL eT Le Ma LA StoR lala aor ael 00 EU Ramee ele a eu een Rate len a not-for-profit organisation, a registered Charity and an Institution of a Public ee laePOLAM MOaEeiAVA@el Lael Le(-1 te ROLLA and the Special Commendation Award - Clarity of Strategy. NTR T ICRA ROLL LaL LAFor press enquiries, please contact: PEC Communications Specialist ate een a SICH: Y2- 8: EE Pd TUE AE UE Crry ELE mel)