With her talent, Koh Chieng Mun has graced the theatre, silver screen, and airwaves. However, her unforgettable roles in her two most celebrated award-winning sitcoms, Under One Roof (1995–2003) and Living with Lydia (2000–2005), have garnered her legions of fans. In 2018, she had the privilege of being part of the 2018 blockbuster Crazy Rich Asians.
This November, she will take the spotlight as part of the Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) dinner theatre experience, Por Por’s Big Fat Surprise Wedding. This unique event is hosted at a pop-up restaurant at One Farrer Hotel. Her role in this production allows her to combine her love for food and entertainment.
Just a few weeks before the grand opening, Options had the pleasure of meeting Chieng Mun, who shared some insights about the play. She mentioned that this leading role came as an unexpected gift, especially after a few years of hiatus, during which she spent time caring for her late mother.
When discussing her character, Chieng Mun says: “I, too, want the freedom to select my wedding gown and food. I plan to host a lively gathering, inviting my close friends, those special people you want to have by your side, to celebrate life. After all, a wedding offers a beautiful opportunity to do just that.”
The role of Por Por is an opportunity for Chieng Mun at this stage in her career. It allows her to hone her craft in a celebratory setting where two of life’s most essential elements — love and food — take centre stage. Por Por’s Big Fat Surprise Wedding is an ideal avenue for Chieng Mun to rekindle her acting career, uniting her affection for the culinary arts. In recent months, we’ve witnessed Chieng Mun embark on a new educational journey, enrolling in a diploma programme in culinary arts. This endeavour is rooted in her enduring passion for nourishing others, a devotion instilled by her late mother who operated an eatery in the 1970s.
She says: “It’s serendipity. My mother used to own a food stall selling economy rice. She was very enterprising because, in the evening, she had happy hour and served supper with beer. With just that one singular stall, she put her children through university. As she was a working mother, I had to take care of the meals at home for my brothers and sister.”
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Growing up around food extends to her father, as he was a production manager for the Cold Storage supermarket chain. Chieng Mun is used to conversations about food. She says her father used to work at Sunshine Bakery at Cold Storage and knew about getting the right flour with the right amount of water to make a really good loaf of bread.
Today, Chieng Mun is fully immersed in exploring diverse global cuisines and the pivotal roles that food producers play in advancing wellness, nutrition, and the future of our food resources. Food means creating moments; she says that when you create the moments and enjoy the food, there’s a connection. She observes that Singaporeans relate to food well. She adds: “We don’t talk aboutwhat happens in our personal life. We always talk about it when we have such a lovely crab dish. It brings memories into the conversation.”
She notes that people always connect over food when you celebrate an occasion. She loves creating dishes that she can share, such as her favourite Cantonese soup. “I present [the soup], and then we recall how our mothers used to make it. We’d say things like, ‘Oh, my mother didn’t put the octopus, my mother put scallops’ — things you can share. This is the starting point for me to create memories to create movements in your mind.”
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As a cancer survivor, Chieng Mun is at a stage where she accepts what is handed out to her. She says: “You have to carry on, and every day when you wake up, you have to say, ‘Okay, well, I’m going get through today and do the best I can.’ As you get older, you know that your time is limited.”
Por Por’s Big Fat Surprise Wedding
Directed by Dick Lee
Script by Jo Tan
Cast: Koh Chieng Mun, Jo Tan, Edward Choy, Bridget Fernandez, Ric Liu, Tiara Yap and Chacko Vadaketh
Venue: One Farrer Hotel, 1 Farrer Park Station Rd, Saranggong Terrasse, Level 6, Singapore 217562
Date: From Nov 8
Tue to Sat (Dinner): 7.30pm
Sat (Lunch): 12.30pm
Sun (Lunch): 11.30am; (Dinner): 6.30pm
Tickets: From $158 on www.srt.com.sg/porpor
