My connection with the Lim family dates back many decades. I have known Lim Boon Keng’s grandson, Professor Lim Kok Ann. He was the professor of Microbiology at the National University of Singapore when I was a medical student, and he was also chess grandmaster. I knew Prof Lim’s two sons, Dr Lim Su Min, an obstetrician who used to refer babies for me to see, and Dr Lim Su Chong another medical doctor, who was my classmate at school. These two are Stella Kon’s brothers. I have also collaborated with Stella Kon on 5 musicals. So if you ask if I have any conflicts of interest in writing this review, I have to plead guilty. But can my review be objective? Would you believe me if I said yes?

 

I really enjoyed this production and was quite touched by it. The life of Lim Boon Keng is a very complex one, spanning from his being awarded the Queen’s scholarship to study medicine at Edinburgh University in 1887, until his death in 1957. It starts with his being on trial for treason because of cooperating with the enemy during the Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II; and near the end of the musical, the trial continues. Although he was eventually legally cleared of the charge, all his friends ostracized him.

 

The other strand of his life follows his marriage to Margaret Huang, a westernized lady, until her early death. Then it continues with his relationship with his second wife, Grace Yin. A third strand follows his idealism in education, where he championed education for women, setting up the Chinese Girls’ School in Singapore, and then becoming the president of Amoy University in China. A fourth strand of his advocacy was to champion democracy, and he supported the British war effort during World War I, for which he was awarded the Order of the British Empire. He also supported Sun Yat Sen’s revolution in China. Culturally, Lim Boon Keng promoted the peranakan heritage, and and he promoted the Chinese language by advocating bilingual education.

 

To weave together these multiple strands of philosophies, emotional conflicts, and historical events in Lim Boon Keng’s life, is potentially quite confusing. But thanks to the clever writing, the incredibly creative production teams, and absolutely brilliant performers, they managed to pull it off.

 

Bookwriter and lyricist, Stella Kon is the great grand-daughter of Lim Boon Keng. It is entirely due to her almost evangelical zeal that propelled the musical from page to stage. The first draft of the book was a bit long, lasting some 3 hours. Director Jeremiah Choy persuaded Stella Kon to ruthlessly shorten the musical to 90 minutes. Kudos must go to his thoughtful direction and he did not allow a single dull moment, transforming the incredibly complex musical into a resounding success.

 

Music composer Desmond Moey captured the many shades of emotions exhibited by the characters, as well as the changing historical and geographic landscapes most sensitively. Music director and arranger, Elaine Chan, amplified the spirit and passion of the musical elements. She also deserves much of the credit.