Gabby Wong: Redefining Madame Mao

As Shanghai Dolls prepares to open at the Kiln Theatre, Gabby Wong sat down with us to talk about Amy Ng's new show that depicts the friendship turned rivalry between Sun Weishi and Jiang Qing, later Madame Mao. At a time where we are seeing more Asian representation on stage and screen, and with China continuing to make a strong presence in the news, we were treated to a fascinating conversation about modern Chinese history and what this period tells us about China today. The new play which opens at the Kiln Theatre presents us with an often untold history viewed through a female lens.

In this brand new interview with Gabby Wong, we hear her talk about the process of discovering Jiang Qing's journey into becoming Madame Mao . Gabby also tells us about the experience working with Katie Posner on developing the character in rehearsals, and the challenges of doing a two-hander which sees her reunited with Millicent Wong who plays Sun Weishi. During the course of our conversation, we hear Gabby talk about how the industry has changed for Asian actors and how opportunities have widened in recent years. Jiang Qing / Madame Mao will also be the first time we see Gabby Wong play a historical Chinese character on stage and we hear her reflect on her career which has seen her take on Shakespeare, contemporary drama and work on screen too. It's a fascinating discussion and we look forward to seeing Shanghai Dolls when it opens at the Kiln Theatre this Spring.

Shanghai Dolls runs at Kiln Theatre from 3rd April - 10th May with tickets on sale now.