Emily of Emerald Hill - Gillian koh:]

Sorry Ms Lenden for posting it so late, it kind of slipped my mind :p. it won't happen again! (or at least i'll try not to :] )

Ivan Heng portrayed his character Emily, very well. From the moment he stepped onto the stage until the moment he left it, there was not a single moment where he stopped being in character. He portrayed the female character so well that it puts most actresses to shame.

 He portrayed Emily by having very feminine gestures such as the swaying of his hips from side to side in a very Peranakan way. His hand gestures were also very feminine as they are very smooth, fluent, twirls. He portrays Emily the matriarch very well by keeping his head high with his chin sticking out. He gives specific strict orders and bosses around his/her servants very much like a typical head of the house Non ya. He keeps Emily’s peranakan upbringing and way of life true to the traditional 1900s non ya. He does this by using Malay terms that the peranakans use. Often it is to inject humour to entertain and engage the crowd. Emily has controlled movements – feet close together, straight back, hands in front or by her sides and head movements that was tilted slightly downwards.

There was this part of the monologue that struck me the most. That part was when Ivan Heng had to deliver a series of lines at a fast pace, enuounce the words properly, do a series of actions and concentrate simultaneously. That was the part that showed his prowess and talent in the acting industry. If I were him, I would have gone totally bonkers! I feel that this part was to inject humour into the crowd to lighten up the mood and change the atmosphere.

There were certain parts of the play where Ivan Heng had to switch characters. He had to switch from Emily to her husband’s father and then to Susie and back to Emily. What truly stunned me was that he could switch so fast and effortlessly. The characters were of a wide variety and for him to pull such a feat off, I really wonder if there is anything he cannot possibly do. He switched to Emily’s father-in-law by using a low pitched voice, an English accent, a different posture and gestures. The posture from Emily’s gentle, sweet and controlled transformed into a confident, educated pose. He would then switch to Susie in a blink of an eye. From Emily’s father-in-law’s character, he would switch to Susie who had a typical Singaporean accent that sounds like it was said through the nasal. Susie also had a very unladylike way of standing which was slouching. The characters, Emily’s father –in-law and Susie were very much exaggerated. This was to add a bit of humour but another side to Emily’s story so that it is not entirely biased. I feel that this extra window made the play much more enjoyable to watch.

There was engagement of the audience throughout the play which was mostly impromptu. I thought that Ivan Heng’s ability to think on the spot quickly was inspiring. He hardly stuttered or paused and made it seem like it was part of the play. And yes, I was fooled into thinking it was all scripted.

So, to conclude, I truly praise Ivan Heng for his talent and am eager to witness more of his work.