Chic Chats: Tan Kheng Hua And Opera Tang On What It Means To Be Singaporean
From samsui women to ‘Phua Chu Kang’, watch as Kheng Hua and Opera decode the Singaporean identity.
By Aaron Kok - published
What happens when a theatre legend meets a drag visionary? You get a conversation that’s part cultural reflection, part fashion talk, and all heart. In the first episode of Chic Chats, veteran actress Tan Kheng Hua and drag artist Opera Tang sit down for a face-to-face conversation that’s as thoughtful as it is entertaining, unpacking what it means to perform, inhabit, and reinterpret Singaporean identity across generations.
Related article: Opera Tang On Their Drag Journey And The Driving Forces Behind The Art Form
Kheng Hua, best known for her role as Margaret in Phua Chu Kang and her international work in Crazy Rich Asians and Kung Fu, brings decades of experience shaping local storytelling from the ground up. Opera, whose costumes riff on local icons like the Vanda Miss Joaquim and Prickly Heat powder tins, uses the artistry of drag as both spectacle and cultural archive. Together, they explore the fine line between caricature and celebration, and how performance becomes a vehicle for honesty, curiosity, and reclaiming space—especially for queer creators.
The conversation covers everything from memories of Singapore in the past to how language, family, and architecture shape their sense of home. Kheng Hua reflects on the early days of local theatre, when everything was still being formed. Opera speaks candidly about rediscovering her Singaporean-ness and putting it into drag as a kind of reconciliation.
Related article: Tan Kheng Hua Opens Up About Reinventing Herself And Staying Grounded
Through it all, both performers return to a central truth: identity isn’t something you pin down with definitions. It’s something you grow into, question, share, and celebrate in all its complexity, contradictions, and comfort.
Watch the full conversation, and don’t be surprised if you walk away feeling a little more seen.
On Kheng Hua: Jacket, COACH. Pants, BRUNELLO CUCCINELLI. Shoes, H&M. Top, stylist’s own.
On Opera: Top; pants; shoes, H&M.
Videography and editing: Studio +65
Content Producer: Brandon Chia
Styling: Gracia Phang
Hair: Grego Oh
Makeup: Rina Sim