Beyond Emily of Emerald Hill
Stella Kon is known for creating the beloved Emily of Emerald Hill – possibly the most frequently staged play in Singapore. She is also a novelist and musical theatre writer, she has adapted her landmark play into a musical after falling in love with the genre. In this episode, Stella talks about the difference between writing plays and musicals, her favourite actor who played Emily, and her writing process.
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What Stella Talked About
02:15 – How Stella felt watching the first version of the play Emily of Emerald Hill come
to life
04:13 – Why the character of Emily resonated with many and inspired countless
adaptations
05:25 – Her favourite portrayal of Emily
06:10 – How the play evolved from draft to final product
07:07 – About creating Emily the Musical
08:26 – How Stella wrote “Love Was All I Wanted” for Emily the Musical
09:19 – What draws Stella to the musical genre
11:21 – Her musical Lim Boon Keng, which is based on the
life of her great–grandfather
13:03 – Her new novel, 4 Pax to Emptiness
14:37 – Common themes in her work
16:33 – Her writing process, practices and rituals
18:45 – Her writing influences
20:10 – What’s next for Stella Kon
20:49 – Her advice to writers
22:17 – Writing is…
22:39 – Stella’s proudest moments
About the Guest
Stella Kon’s best-known work is the monodrama Emily of Emerald Hill, which appeared in 1982 and has since been performed almost a thousand times in Singapore, Malaysia and elsewhere. She has also written poems, novels and other plays, and librettos for several musicals with composer Desmond Moey. In 2006 she helped to found the arts charity Musical Theatre Ltd, and was its chairperson for 14 years.
Resources
Stella Kon, 4 Pax to Emptiness (Singapore:
Penguin Random House SEA, 2023).
Stella Kon, Emily of Emerald Hill: A Monodrama (London:
Macmillan Publishers, 1989).
Eriko Ogihara-Schuck, "From Betty of Balmoral Road to Emily of Emerald Hill: A New Look At Stella Kon’s Classic Play," BiblioAsia 20, no. 2 (July–September 2024).
Credits
This episode of BiblioAsia+ was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Doppler Soundlab. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Osman Ahmad and performed by Chords Haven . Special thanks to Stella for coming on the show.
About the Podcast
BiblioAsia+ is a podcast about Singapore history by the National Library of Singapore.