Malaysian actress Cheryl Tan relishes her role as a concubine

Cheryl Tan as Yehenara in Forbidden City. Photo: Singapore Repertory Theatre

You might have heard of Cheryl Tan if you’ve been an ardent follower of the local theatre and live music scene. Now 28, and alternately based in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Tan is starring in Singapore Repertory Theatre’s Forbidden City: Portrait Of An Empress, which was first commissioned by the Esplanade and produced for its opening in 2002. The musical went on to become one of the most successful made-in-Singapore musicals produced with over 100,000 tickets sold.

The show is about Empress Dowager CiXi, of the Manchu Yehenara clan, who ruled China for nearly 50 years right at the end of the Qing dynasty, and just before China stopped being a monarchy.