This programme is from one of the spate of plays that were a part of the revival of Peranakan theatre in the 1950s and 1960s, after the Japanese Occupation. Peranakan theatre from this period often featured all-male casts, with female impersonators filling in women’s roles, most notably William Tan, Francis Hogan and Ong Chwee Kim. The plays were put on by amateurs, usually to raise funds for charitable organizations. Malam Peranakan is unlike the plays of the period because it was staged by the Young Women’s Christian Association and features a female cast, highlighting the changing social mores.
